Golf, Anyone? : Carlsbad Councilman Tees Off Drive for Construction of Public Course

John Mamaux knows the game of golf about as well as anyone. A nine handicapper, the Carlsbad councilman typically manages to squeeze several rounds a week into his busy schedule.

But like a lot of local golfers, Mamaux doesn’t play in Carlsbad. Or Encinitas. Or Del Mar. Indeed, along the coast between Oceanside and San Diego’s Torrey Pines municipal course, there are no full-size, 18-hole public golf courses.

Eager to bridge that gap in the county’s northern coastal region, Mamaux has spearheaded an effort to establish a top-quality, 6,700-yard golf course in Carlsbad.

50 Golfers at Meeting

On Tuesday, the City Council took its first cuts at that enticing target, voting unanimously to explore the possibility of building a public course on more than 150 acres of county-owned property in the central part of the city.

The council agreed to dispatch a letter to Supervisor John MacDonald asking that San Diego County officials consider a long-term lease agreement for the property, located east of Palomar Airport in the shadow of the landing field’s flight path.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s a need,” Mamaux said, noting that about 50 golfers attended a meeting to discuss the proposal last week. “And there’s no doubt in my mind that it would be economically feasible.”

MacDonald agreed that a golf course is the type of recreational amenity that is vitally needed in the coastal region.

“I think the idea has a lot of merit,” MacDonald said Tuesday. “We’re certainly going to explore it further. I think it’s a real good use of open space.”

As MacDonald sees it, many avid golfers in the area are being priced out of the game because they can ill afford the costly dues and green fees charged at the tony private golf courses and country clubs peppered throughout the region.

Mamaux noted that a public course could prove especially enticing for senior citizens and youngsters just taking up the game, people who must finance their play out of tightly restricted funds.

“We need a place for all age spectrums,” he said. “You’ve got seniors on limited incomes who need a place to play. And you’ve got young kids. Carlsbad High had one of the best golf teams in the state last year but their home course is in Oceanside.”

Design Funds Budgeted

Aside from the recreational aspects, a public golf course would provide Carlsbad with a visually pleasing strip of trees and other greenery, Mamaux said. While exclusive private courses are typically surrounded by buildings and homes that block most views of the links, a public golf course would feature no such visual impediments, he said.

The area being targeted for the Carlsbad course is a rambling parcel nestled amid the hills and valleys northeast of El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Road. Currently, about a third of the land is being used for agriculture.

Mamaux said a friend has already drawn up a conceptual plan for a par-72 course that would meander through the peaks and valleys in the area. City officials have already budgeted $20,000 for a full-scale design of the facility, which could also include up to 20 tennis courts.

Although many city residents have been pushing for construction of a golf course in scenic Macario Canyon, Mamaux said a course next to Palomar Airport could prove far more feasible.

In particular, any project in Macario Canyon could be delayed because of environmental concerns and problems with access to the site, Mamaux said. No adequate thoroughfare leads into the canyon and construction of a major road near the site is about a year away, he said.

The property near Palomar Airport, meanwhile, is a chip shot from two existing roadways, Mamaux noted. If all went well, a golf course could be under construction there by the fall of 1988, he predicted.