Swinging a Deal

By PAMELA WARRICK

Dec. 13, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

CARLSBAD, Calif. — My husband loves golf. I love the pretty things that come with golf. The emerald green of a well-tended fairway, the shimmering turquoise bands around the necks of the mallards that waddle across the rough, the lavender blooms of the wildflowers nestled along the course’s edge.

I also love dinner at a fancy restaurant, a full-body massage and a good plate of eggs Benedict to start the day.

And that--not the golf--is why I jumped at the opportunity to take myself and my golf-crazy husband to the tony La Costa Resort and Spa for a 48-hour “golf vacation.” Even with rooms discounted to $99 per person per night (regular rates: $275 and up per room), it was the four free rounds of golf that made the “Discover La Costa” getaway rate a bargain for us.

The sky was gilded as we pulled our car beneath the imposing peach-colored La Costa porticoes just before sunset last Sunday, sans children. Although our late weekend arrival was dictated by the Sunday-through-Thursday discount, it was a pleasure to be ending yet another hockey- and ballet-filled weekend with the prospect of two days and nights to focus not on our overextended family but on ourselves.

“Sticks?” asked our bellman, Matt, as he popped open the trunk. My husband the golfer, fluent in such jargon, acknowledged that, yes, there were golf clubs in the trunk that needed to be toted.

Because it was clearly too late to rush out to the links, I rushed instead to the scheduling desk of the La Costa Spa to seize any leftover massage appointments.

The resort seemed to be empty--indeed, our Courtyard Deluxe room reservation was automatically upgraded to a slightly larger (ordinarily $340 per night) Golf Room with patio--but the front desk warned me to expect the spa to be booked.

As my husband fell into our king-size bed to dream predictably king-size golf dreams, I jogged through the nippy night air, under a water wall, across a bridge, through two parking lots and across a street to the spa building.

Although the last massage appointment was for only half an hour and cost a hefty $50 plus the built-in 18% tip, I was nevertheless shamefully close to euphoria as I pushed through the heavy mahogany doors to present myself at The Spa Desk.

“What,” the receptionist asked in perfect monotone.

“Warrick. Massage,” I answered.

“Here,” she said, handing me a bill for $28 for spa use and $59 for my 30-minute rubdown.

“There must be some mistake,” I said, shaking my head. Our package included free use of the spa, except for “personal services” such as massages. “Yes,” another, more loquacious attendant confirmed, “it’s free, just go in.”

I began with the eucalyptus-scented sauna--and ended there, so soothing and pore-friendly were its aromatic effects. By the time my masseuse, Monique, found me sliding off one of the straight-backed chairs under the “Massage Clients Wait Here” sign, I was ready for bed. But bubbly Monique beckoned, and I followed. The massage was energetic and efficient--it took 29 minutes exactly--and ended with Monique sitting me up on the table, all the better to get me to the door, apparently.

Since the golfer was semiconscious, and I was cranky because I was only able to get a half-hour massage, we decided to order a light dinner, with one wine and one tea, from room service. Although the meal was extraordinary--two creamy broccoli bisques paired with lobster-heavy seafood Louis salads--so was the price: $69.

But the next morning, when we awakened to birds chirping and half a dozen cottontail rabbits munching behind our tiny patio, our budget-breaking meal was forgotten as we took our seats in the Brasserie restaurant at a cozy, sunbathed table overlooking the first hole of the South Course. Had we not been on the Discover La Costa plan, we would have paid $14.50 apiece for the buffet. Since it was free--and we’d pledged not to eat again until dinner--we did not hesitate to spoon up huge helpings of perfectly cooked oatmeal, perfectly sauced eggs Benedict and perfectly folded apple crepes.

Because our package also included free use of the tennis courts (only the clay and composite surfaces were open; the grass courts were matted with mud), I stopped in to sign up for a clinic with one of the pros. The woman in the pro shop looked me up and down and asked me my rating.

“Oh, I’d rate myself an intermediate, I suppose,” I said, sliding my hand along the sleek aerodynamic curves of my black racquet.

“No, no. Are you a 3 or a 4 or what? For the clinic, you have to be at least a 3.5. Are you?”

I hadn’t a clue but insisted on enrolling anyway. When I showed up a half hour later for the session and saw “students” delivering serves at warp speed, I took myself to a court far from public view and hit a few balls against a backboard in grateful anonymity.

Although the stated purpose of the special rates is to introduce guests to the “newly renovated” North and South golf courses, none of the three employees we asked seemed to be aware of any renovations.

But the golf-lover husband, who had played here before, noticed several areas of mild disruption. The Dick Wilson-designed courses, which have hosted the PGA Tour’s Mercedes Championship (formerly called the Tournament of Champions) for decades, now are being prepped for February’s international competition, the World Golf Championship Andersen Consulting Match Play.

The courses--both open to Discover guests--are similar in difficulty. But for PGA-level courses, La Costa is not the most challenging place pros will play. Still, pros look forward all year to the Andersen event because only tournament winners from the previous 12 months are invited to compete.

That the preparations include an occasional drive-by by a backhoe or a pile of sod here or there is of less concern to golfers than the rest of us might assume. “No, no,” insists the golfing husband. “This course is fine, just fine, a little soggy but fine for the price.” The price, normally $120 per round, plus $20 for the cart, plus $6 for a bucket of driving-range balls--for us all free--was indeed right.

After two such rounds in two days, we sat down for a self-congratulatory farewell dinner at La Costa’s top-rated seafood restaurant, Pisces. There, we spent as much as we probably ever have spent for a single meal. But from the wilted spinach and applewood-bacon salad prepared table-side to the lighter-than-air wild berry dessert souffles, it was worth every cent.

As we prepared to leave--and lingered to savor each final scene--I opened the French doors to the velvet lawn behind our patio and found that seven cottontails had returned to say goodbye.

The golf lover leaned against the doorway and sighed. “Maybe we can come back before the New Year . . . do you think?”

Subject to availability, the special Discover La Costa package expires Jan. 7--my husband’s birthday. What do you think?

Warrick writes for The Times’ Southern California Living section.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Budget for Two

La Costa, 2 nights: $425.60

Massage: $59.00

Parking: $16.00

Dinner, room service: $69.82

Lunch, golf course snack bar: $6.50

Dinner, Pisces: $95.75