Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club in San Diego

Brandon Tucker

March 16, 2011

Updated July 20, 2018

Located north of downtown San Diego off I-15, Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club is a semi-private golf course set in a residential community. It's located right across the highway from the DoubleTree Golf Resort.

Opened in 1986, the course was designed by Ronald Fream and plays 6,627 yards from the championship tee box. The course winds up and down hilly property and has some great views of the surrounding hillsides. On the golf course, large bunkering, creeks, ponds and boulder formations all come into play, making it a great option for lower handicaps.

Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club's first two holes head downhill, and the second is one of two par 5s that head sharply downhill. The par-5 10th is another birdie try that can be reached in two shots with a couple of firm strikes. Other holes aren't so kind. The par-3 sixth hole heads uphill and can play as long as 240 yards, and the par-5 eighth hole has an elevated, tilted green that can be extremely difficult to putt on if you find yourself above the hole.

Carmel Mountain Ranch is known for having some of the fastest bentgrass greens in the area all year round.

There is a large clubhouse on site that specializes in events. There is no driving range, however. Golf carts are equipped with GPS units.

Brandon Tucker

Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.