Unlimited Golf + Room for $109

Situated about an hour’s drive north of San Diego is a golf getaway that alot of golfers don’t know about. During the week, you can stay at the Pala Mesa Resort for as little as $109 per person. At that price, you get unlimited golf and accomodations. If you can’t get cheap airfare to San Diego, you can fly into LAX, John Wayne Airport (in Orange County) or Ontario, California and drive to Pala Mesa. From the other airports, add another 30 minutes to your drive. (Check out CheapoAir links for flights)

How many rounds can you get in? Well, that’s up to you and the pace of play. Fallbrook, where the resort is located is off the beaten path and so, not alot of outside golfers come here to play. Most players here stay at the resort and during the weekdays, it is very quiet. You almost have the whole place to yourself. The course has a slope of 131 and it doesn’t look intimidating from the first tee. After a quick round, all you want to do is to stop for a drink then head back out again because this course is a pleasure to play. 

After the sun sets, head out to Temecula for dining or visit a winery for fine dining and wine tasting such as South Coast Winery. You can shop, have dinner and take in a movie in Temecula before returning to your room where your clubs are waiting for a round in the morning.

18-Holes, Cart, Towel for $20

I always get a kick when I get to play a 18-hole round at a golf course with a shared power cart for less than $20. On top of that, when I checked in, I also received a golf towel from the golf course for souvenir. That tops it at Palm Springs at the Mesquite Country Club in Cathedral Canyon. $20 is not the regular green fees but a substantially discounted rate from EZLinks where I frequently pick up cheap treats.

Playing Mesquite C.C. isn’t for everyone but for me, it’s the perfect course to warm up those tired winter muscles. It’s a relatively friendly course, wide open with palm trees lining the fairways. The course is pretty flat with a few water hazards coming into play. Bring your ball retriever and you will be fine. And bring lots of sunscreen because behind a slow group, you will get lots of sun.

For the long hitters, it will be easy for you to hit the green in two. Even for the par 5’s, you can probably come close to being on the green. I couldn’t for the life of me when I played it. It was a relaxing pace and I found myself enjoying the warm California air instead. The greens are nice at this time of year and there are plenty of locals playing here too, mostly senior and retired types.

For $20, it’s better than Cathedral Canyon because there’s no chance of hitting any houses which you may feel closed in. Here, the condos are away except for hole # 12 where my wife’s line drive ended up on the road to the left. Just make sure to look both ways before driving the green.