When the nation’s top collegiate golf teams arrive at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in May for the NCAA Championships, it will mark the culmination of their season. For Omni La Costa, however, it will signal the beginning of a new era for a resort that has been a frequent destination for the PGA Tour and celebrities since its opening in 1965.
Leading up to its golden anniversary in 2025, Omni La Costa has been a whirlwind of activity for much of the past four years. After completing renovations to the resort’s lobby, bar, ballroom and its massive, 170,000 square feet of meeting space in 2021, Omni La Costa is preparing to unveil a reimagination of its 500-plus guest room, villas and suites this summer.
For Golf Channel viewers, the most visible sign of the new energy flowing through Omni La Costa will be the resort’s tournament course, which was given a complete overhaul by golf’s hottest architectural team, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner.
“It’s kind of a rebirth of La Costa,” said club director Dustin Irwin. “We’re turning back the clock to La Costa’s glory days.” As if to accentuate the resort’s recommitment to its roots, Omni La Costa is reverting to its original logo and course names – North for the tournament course, South for the second course.
It’s been six years since University of Texas men’s golf coach John Fields hatched the idea of bringing the NCAAs to Omni La Costa – capitalizing on the resort’s rich tradition, the region’s near-flawless weather and the chance to showcase the collegiate game in prime-time for much of the country. Fields and his family also created the College World Golf Championships Foundation to fund the NCAA Championships.
“The upgrades at Omni La Costa are just the most prominent example of Omni’s commitment to delivering unique golf experiences to its resort guests and members.”
The company is less than a year removed from opening Fields Ranch at Omni PGA Frisco, the 46-hole property near Dallas that is the new home of the PGA of America. Just last month, Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate opened Eagles Edge, 30 hitting bays outfitted with Toptracer Range technology.
This fall Omni Amelia Island Resort in Northeast Florida plans to reopen Oak Marsh Golf Course following a $7.4 million restoration led by Beau Welling and his design team. Welling also built the resort’s Little Sandy short course two years ago.
