Golfing with the Spirits,
National Post,
April 23, 2005 - by Matt Beam

La Costa, the storied Southern California resort, has hosted Bing, Bob and Tiger, and is now home to golf's new zen master, Deepak Chopra

CALIFORNIA - Strolling the grounds at the newly renovated La Costa Resort and Spa north of San Diego, I got the sense of walking with the spirits, more specifically, celebrity spirits. After all, this is the place where Bing Crosby sunbathed, where Clint Eastwood swaggered, where Dean Martin swam and Mickey Mantle swung, not a Louisville slugger but a sand wedge.

Indeed, ever since La Costa opened its 1,620-hectare resort and spa in 1965, it has been the place to be. Initially, the rich and famous like Bob Hope flew in to play elite "pilots-only" tournaments, and Del Mar Racetrack jet-setters, whose horses were boarded at the resort's stables, stayed for months at a time. It was the first full-service spa resort in North America, taking up a whopping 75,000 square feet.

When the tennis boom hit in the '70s, La Costa's 11-court facility was well-prepared. It now has 19 courts and holds the Acura Classic Women's Tournament in the summer.

Most important, though, has been La Costa's role as host to PGA tournaments for the past 40 years. After several years of two-player team events, it ran the Tournament of Champions from 1969 to 1998. Over that period the golf facilities grew from the original Dick Wilson-designed 18-hole course to two championship courses and a practice facility. It has also been host to the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship for the past seven years.

In 2001, under new owners KSL Resorts, the place was given a facelift. Gone are the pink stucco exteriors, the dark interiors and the right-to-the-front-door drive, replaced by Spanish Colonial white stucco walls and terra cotta roofs, bright-white and walnut furnishings, and peaceful fountain-strewn walkways.

One of the most remarkable highlights of the new La Costa, one that caught the eye of this high-handicap slicer, is that of the Deepak Chopra Centre. Yes, the Dr. Chopra, health specialist, mystic philosopher, best-selling author, and now golf guru, holds court at La Costa resort. At least, sometimes he does. While his centre offers cutting-edge mind/body programs, Dr. Chopra, author of Golf for Enlightenment: The Seven Lessons for the Game of Life, is often busy travelling the world, supporting his books and philosophy.

This was the case during my visit at La Costa this winter. In the absence of the writer-in-residence, and before I stepped on to the 7,077-yard 18-hole South Course, I used the free Internet service provided at the resort's shop and searched out Dr. Chopra's seven golf/life maxims. I figured if I was going to walk in the steps of Tiger Woods, the 2003 and 2004 Accenture Match Play champion, some guidance from the world-renowned sage was the least I could bring along.

1. Be of one mind Waiting for my fellow golfers to tee off on the straightaway 450-yard par four, I was definitely of one mind. I inhaled the aroma of the surrounding gardens, took in the majesty of the lush Southern Californian hills, levelled my eyes across the simplicity of Dick Wilson's spare modernist design, and a clear mantra revealed itself: "Don't embarrass yourself. Don't embarrass yourself. Don't embarrass yourself."

2. Let the swing happen Standing over the ball, I was trying to focus on my mantra and let my swing happen when I was struck by a sudden desire to be at the Sylvia Sepielli-designed spa at La Costa. As I stared deep into the dimples of my ball, I recalled my earlier tour of the spot: the outdoor courtyard with a pool, the neck-pummeling Roman waterfall massage and the 28,000 square feet of indoor tranquility. And then, almost without my knowing it, something happened -- my swing.

3. Find the now and you'll find the shot Having found the now -- I was on the golf course, not at the spa -- it was time to find my shot. Easier said than done. For the weeks preceding the Accenture Match Play event, the course's rough is grown an extra couple of inches, which makes locating your sliced ball difficult. After searching for it for some time, I decided to apply one of Chopra's guiding principles of non-doing (the equivalent of not trying to remember the thing you were about to say) when suddenly the ball appeared at my feet.

4. Play from your heart to the hole Here, I had to stray from Chopra's advice. I find my heart won't come within a 3-wood shot of the golf course, especially one as challenging as La Costa's South Course. Even before I'd scribbled down Chopra's tips, my heart had snuck back to my suite to spend the day soaking in the Jacuzzi. As for my pride, it was dispatched to the renovated lobby bar for a midday martini and an afternoon of drinking. And so, as my front nine proceeded, I played heartless to the hole with far more swings than I'd like to admit.

5. Winning is passion with detachment How about losing is distraction with engagement? As I searched for another ball -- this time lost near a small lake on the 10th hole -- I was thinking about how gorgeous the view is from the high-tech running machines at La Costa's new state-of-the-art gym, how sublimely elasticizing my Thai massage was going be at the spa, and how utterly delectable the grilled Ahi Tuna was going to taste at the new 324-seat BlueFire Bar & Grill restaurant. Mouth watering, mind elsewhere, I dropped another ball and swung.

6. The ball knows everything Maybe the ball I started with knew a couple of things, but the one I placed on the tee at the 15th hole -- the beginning of what Jack Nicklaus called "The Longest Mile" -- had no idea what it was in for.

7. Let the game play you. It always does at some point. On the 560-yard, par 5 18th, the game -- or was it me? -- made three solid swings and a 20-foot putt for a fist-tugging birdie.

Did I mention how great the golf is at La Costa?

IF YOU GO

Other spirited golf resorts in California

La Quinta Resort and Club in the rugged Rosa Mountains near Palm Desert offers five world-renowned 18-hole courses including the PGA WEST TPC Stadium Golf Course and PGA WEST Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course. It has also been a Hollywood haunt since the days of Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. With 800 rooms, a spa, plaza and tennis facility, La Quinta feels like a small town; 1-800-598-3828; www.laquintaresort.com.

Sycuan Resort and Casino has two championship courses and a par-3 track on 12,000-year-old tribal lands. Sycuan Golf Academy has the School of Golf for Women, which offers four-day courses taught by women golf professionals; www.sycuan.com/sycuan_resort; 1-800-457-5568.

© National Post 2005