The new Soboba
FORGIVING BUT STILL A CHALLENGE
By JEFF KEATING
WHEN reviewers write about big-budget movies, they’ll often take note of the dollars spent and observe that the vast sum "is all up there on the screen."
A modified version of that expression applies to the recently refurbished Country Club at Soboba Springs, where the Soboba tribe has spent more than $6 million over the past three-plus years to upgrade the golf course, and another $11 million on a new clubhouse and dining/event facility.
The $17 million-plus is "all out there" —18 revamped holes that are friendly to recreational players but challenging for those at higher skill levels, and a state-of-the-art clubhouse that does double duty as a top-notch players’ haven and a venue capable of handling hundreds of dinner and special-event guests.
It’s the greenest course in this part of Southern California. It plays well for recreational golfers, but there’s a lot out here for those who want a challenge."
— Matt Troutman, assistant club pro
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The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians bought Soboba Springs Royal Vista Golf Club, nestled in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains, from Honolulu-based Waterhouse Inc. in 2004.
Tribal leaders had wanted to own the course bordering their reservation for some time, and immediately began planning development of a facility to rival any in Southern California, especially premier courses to the east in Palm Springs, said Doug Hoffart, one of the club’s PGA professionals.
Based on the round I played recently, their goal is within easy reach.
New tee box placements have lengthened the course to well past 7,000 yards for experienced players, while shortening it by about 1,000 yards for those playing from the forward tees.
The course does not play like many typical country club courses, i.e. narrow fairways, demanding rough, Sherwood Forests between holes.
Instead, it’s relatively wide open, with forgiving rough and enough trees and water to make it interesting, not frustrating.
Augusta-style white sand fills all of the bunkers, including 23 new ones, making for much more consistent shot-making for those of us who end up "on the beach" from time to time.
(I logged some beach time on four different holes during my round, and got out on the first swing on all four.
Thank you, Augusta White!) Other improvements that have little to do with golf itself but make the five-hour walk (or ride) much nicer include waterfalls, rock walls and streams that enhance the look of the course, and tree work that has improved sight lines and hidden some of the less attractive areas.
And you can’t beat the views from several spots along the way — foothills rising in the distance, birds soaring overhead, waterfalls gurgling nearby. It’s Tom Sawyer’s Island for grown-ups with golf gear.
Assistant club pro Matt Troutman — who was gracious enough to wait patiently for me to spray, then hunt for, balls all over the place before taking his swings — knows what he likes about the course.
"Everything," he said. "It’s the greenest course in this part of Southern California. It plays well for recreational golfers, but there’s a lot out here for those who want a challenge."
The experience actually begins and ends at the new clubhouse, which is an adventure all its own. The first floor is dedicated to all things golf, housing the cart facility, pro shop, a snack bar, and men’s and women’s locker rooms.
(A moment, please, to appreciate the splendor of these locker rooms. The door to the men’s — I didn’t brave the women’s, thank you very much — opens onto a lounge area with comfortable chairs, sofas and a big- screen TV. Farther inside, the lockers are of the classic dark wood variety, the bathroom all stone and chrome, and the private showers — well, private. It’s a high-end setup and spotless.)
The second floor includes a full bar on one end, as well as a banquet space that can be divided into three rooms or opened into one mammoth event area, complete with patio balconies, misters and 17 big-screen TVs that can be linked for video presentations.
The Maze Stone restaurant’s menu — well, let’s put it this way: I’d take my wife there for brunch. And the wife has high standards.
Did I mention the wedding arbor on the ninth hole? It’s almost finished.
All of the upgrades are meant to make the Country Club at Soboba Springs — which also includes a swimming pool and tennis courts, and eventually will have a fitness room, tennis pro shop, and other resort amenities — the sort of destination point that other Southern California casino/country clubs have become, Hoffart said.
A hotel admittedly would aid in that effort, since the country club and casino are a bit off the beaten path for those not within easy driving distance.
Fortunately, the Soboba tribe has a hotel in the planning stages, which will make luring more weekend and vacation players — and perhaps a Nationwide Tour event — a bit easier down the road, Hoffart said.
"We’re a little bit of a secret out here," the pro said. "But we’ve got a course and facilities as good as anyone’s. We just need to get the word out about it."
- Jeff Keating is executive director of public affairs at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona.
