La Valle Coastal Club Review: Rancho Santa Fe’s $50M Golf Resort Makeover

Thirty-one years ago, my wife and I had the honor of being the first couple to get married at the recently remodeled and newly named Morgan Run Resort in Rancho Santa Fe, formerly Whispering Palms Resort. Now, 31 years later, we’re back in Rancho Santa Fe, celebrating our anniversary at the La Valle Coastal Club, following a $50 million-dollar transformation and name change from Morgan Run.  

The Meriwether Companies acquired the weathered property three years ago and immediately began investing in upgrades and modernizations to the hotel, restaurants, meeting spaces, spa, pools, and tennis, pickleball, and padel facilities. But the new owner’s priority was overhauling the 27-hole golf course, which hosted a few celebrity tournaments, but struggled to compete with other high-end private and public courses in Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe. Twenty percent of the $50 million resort makeover was poured into elevating the course and the driving range. 

“Golf is the asset in any private resort that drives revenue,” said Fernando Fry, general manager of La Valle Coastal Club. “For us, it was important to go big on golf, create a new practice facility, new driving range, new practice putting green, new short game area, plus renovate the three nines. We knew there was a massive hole in this market for this type of experience. It’s very hard to find three nine-hole courses in this area that are extremely walkable.” 

REBRANDING SUCCESS 

With the overhaul of the old Morgan Run nearly complete, Fry said the Meriwethers’ investment is beginning to pay off. Membership is up from 900 three years ago to 1,700 today. 

“We saw this asset in a prime location in Rancho Santa Fe, probably one of the most affluent zip codes in San Diego,” said Fry, who previously managed the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, host of four U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships. “It’s so close to [Interstate 5] and the coast, we thought this could be a home run.” 

He added: “The vision of this club, once renovated, was to create a private club experience that’s the opposite of the old country club with the super-conservative dress codes and telling people how to act inside the clubhouse. We felt the San Diego demographic was interested in a prime club experience, but with an approach that’s more welcoming, more casual, fun, and engaging. We want to be the community club, a place where people feel comfortable.” 

FROM TEE TO GREEN 

I’ve played Morgan Run a few times since the course hosted my bachelor party in 1995, but I was never too impressed with the layout or the pedestrian conditions of the three nine-hole courses. So, I was anxious to see what the Meriweather Companies had done to the place that brought back so many fond memories. 

Before even hitting the course, I could see that a new era had begun. The underwhelming driving range that was previously located in a flood plain and had the distinction of having a wayward seal wash up on its banks during a heavy rainstorm had been relocated and expanded.

It now rivals the best in the county with 40 hitting bays, new bunkers, target greens, and a fairway landing zone that never existed before. Two chipping greens have been added, along with a 12,000-square-foot practice putting green and a 9,000-square-foot social putting green in front of the clubhouse, which was getting extensive use during our stay. 

My playing partner (who also had a history at Morgan Run, working in the pro shop for several years in the 1990s) and I started on the revamped Olivos course, previously the East. The new nine holes feature a full redesign with new routing that encompasses 20 additional acres, brand new greens, and a new irrigation system. 

The relatively benign course that I remembered had become more interesting and demanding. We opted to play from the back tees, which measure 3,004 yards. But we began regretting our decision by the fourth hole, which was a 390-yard par four that played into a strong wind. The par-4 fifth was even longer at 402 yards. Both of us missed the fairway on both holes and struggled to make bogeys.  

“I don’t remember this course playing this hard,” my partner grumbled. 

But even as we realized our 15 handicaps would have been more suited to the blue or white tees, we marveled at the condition of the fairways, which had been converted to paspalum with kikuyu roughs. Cedros (formerly the North) nine played longer from the tips at 3,187 yards and featured complete bunker renovations. But I was more familiar with the layout that hadn’t changed in three decades, and we began playing faster, so I was able to get into a nice rhythm. I birdied the 604-yard, par-5 fifth so and parred the 170-yard par 3. With only walking single in front of us, we played the back nine in less than 90 minutes, and my score, 40 (5 over par), reflected the breezy pace. 

We didn’t get to play the longer Palmas (formerly the South) nine (3,495 yards from the tips), which is currently under renovation. Palmas features a new property-wide signature hole, a dog-leg right playing along a newly positioned lake to the left, and lush native plants to the right with an elevated green. All 27 holes are available to play Wednesday-Sunday. On Mondays, only nine holes are available, and on Tuesdays, 18 holes are available.  

GOLF PACKAGES 

The revamped golf course is private to members and hotel guests. Golf memberships are available for individuals and families and allow for access to all club facilities and events.   

But there is another way to play the three nine-hole courses: the Guesthouse Hotel is offering a Golf Getaway package, an elevated stay & play experience designed for both avid golfers and leisure travelers. The package includes an overnight stay at the Guesthouse and one round of golf per guest, per day.  

GATHER CALIFORNIA KITCHEN RESTAURANT 

The main restaurant, Gather, has been renamed and relocated since hosting our wedding reception over three decades ago. The menu has been upgraded, and the food was significantly better than I remembered. We devoured the crispy Brussels sprouts, sauteed in habanero honey and lap Xiong sausage, and the farmer’s salad, which featured cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. 

I frequently travel to Mexico, so I tried the Tijuana Braised short ribs, and I wasn’t disappointed. My wife loved her filet with whipped mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. We couldn’t finish our meat dishes, but somehow we made room for the chocolate lava cake, which was divine. 

THE GUESTHOUSE 

While I roamed the fairways and greens, my wife checked into our room at the recently remodeled 77-room Guesthouse Hotel. Our room overlooked the Palmas course’s ninth green. After enjoying the pool for a few hours, my wife relaxed on the patio with a glass of white wine and a cup of coffee from our Vertuo Nespresso machine. 

PICKLEBALL MANIA 

I knew I was in good company when I was welcomed to the La Valle Coastal Club Pickleball Courts with a phrase you’ll often hear while playing the fastest-growing sport in America. “We’re addicts, come join us,” said a gentleman about my age in an English accent. 

As a pickleball veteran of seven years who plays three times a week, I love strong competition, and there was plenty of it on a cloudy Wednesday morning in Rancho Santa Fe. Pickleballs (heavy wiffle balls) were flying all over the place as all 12 of the club’s courts were packed with middle-aged men and women.  

“This is a great pickleball community,” said Chris Nowers, a 63-year-old Del Mar resident who joined the Pickleball Club at La Valle a few years ago after relocating from England.  

I wound up splitting my four matches, playing against Chris and two different partners. One of them was Karen Chapman, a resident of Solana Beach. 

“The pickleball club here is super-friendly and inclusive,” she said.  “I just started playing a year and a half ago. The pros here have helped me so much with lessons and clinics.” 

League pickleball play continues to grow with 14 teams spread out over four levels of competition. A racquet sports membership includes access to the tennis, padel, and pickleball courts and includes access to the gym, pool, dry sauna, and cold plunge, club events, and dining rooms. I returned three days later for Saturday open play. The courts were even livelier, the level of play even higher than midweek. I have a tournament ranking, but I was winless in six games against club regulars and open house guests. 

Last Updated on June 13, 2026 by Maria Haase

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