Morgan Run Resort & Club at home in affluent ZIP code.
By Jeff Neuman
The three laws of real estate are, as everyone knows, location, location, location. For all its amenities and charms, it’s the location of Morgan Run Resort & Club that makes it distinctive. Nestled in the central valley north of San Diego, in the town of Rancho Santa Fe, Morgan Run is an oasis of luxury in the midst of a sea of … well, luxury.
“The beauty of moving to San Diego,” a recent convert notes, “is that you never have to explain to anybody why you’d want to move there.” The area boasts the nation’s best weather (if you happen to like comfortable temperatures and days without rain), abundant outdoor activities, culture, shopping, and less congestion than the nearby sprawl of Los Angeles. Hollywood stars have long embraced Rancho Santa Fe, enjoying both the quiet and the proximity to the Del Mar Race Track. In 1924, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford bought an 800-acre parcel there, on which they planned to build their dream getaway, though they divorced before the home was completed. Bing Crosby helped expand the popularity of the area when he moved there in 1934; the first six of his celebrated pro-am golf tournaments were held at the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club.
LOW-KEY COMMUNITY
Today, the community — the second-wealthiest ZIP code in America according to Forbes — is still governed by many of the rules and restrictions placed on the town when it was originally created: there are no streetlights or sidewalks; no roads wider than two lanes; and housing lots are at least two-and-a-half acres in size. The result is a quiet, exclusive enclave of privilege and privacy.
Morgan Run fits in well with the low-key nature of the surrounding community. Tucked into the Whispering Palms neighborhood, the low-slung gabled clubhouse sits unobtrusively behind a clock tower at the end of a quiet street. Fanning out from the central building are several simple two-story structures that contain the resort’s guest rooms, 65 doubles and six suites, many fronting on the golf course and affording sweeping views of the property and the hills beyond.
Though it functions as a resort for visitors and conferences, Morgan Run is very much a community lifestyle club, with members from the area who take advantage of its sports, fitness, spa, and dining facilities. On most Wednesday nights, the club’s Rancho Grill is filled with diners enjoying the weekly prime rib special; the Grill’s regular offerings are original yet unfussy, catering to the tastes of visitors and members alike. A wine list filled with California favorites is offered, with many available by the glass.
Beyond the tall glass windows of the dining room lie the putting green and the golf course. Built in the 1960s as Whispering Palms Country Club, the facility now offers 27 holes of championship golf, which were renovated by noted architect Jay Morrish. The configuration of three nines makes it easy for members to slip in a quick half-round after work in the summer, and minimizes waiting at even the busiest times. Each of the nines is routed alongside or across the San Dieguito River at some point, and several lakes add to the challenge of the course, including at the signature eighth hole of the North nine, a formidable par-3 of 196 yards (170 from the white tees) played to an elevated green with a falloff to the water on the right. The eighth on this most popular of the three nines is part of a three-hole loop that lies on the north side of Via de la Valle, accessed by tunnel from the main grounds of the property. Director of golf Gary Sowinski oversees the operation, which includes a 20-station practice range, two putting greens, and chipping and bunker practice areas.
GEAR UP, OR DOWN
The more vigorous pursuits are not ignored at Morgan Run; 11 tennis courts, including seven lit for evening use, cater to the family who plays together. The club has an active junior program in both tennis and golf, and runs instruction and competitions designed for players of all ages and abilities.
A vital aspect of the Morgan Run experience is the spa. Under the direction of Kim Brown, who’s been with the club since 2002, the spa offers hot stone, aromatherapy, trigger point, and reflexology treatments, along with facials, waxing, body scrubs, and peels. “The members have really responded to the treatments,” Brown says, “and word is getting around that you don’t have to go all the way downtown to find great spa services.”
One indication of the importance of the spa is the major project undertaken in the summer that will significantly expand the spa and fitness facilities, even at the cost of a few guest rooms. The plan for “The Retreat at Morgan Run,” expected to open in summer 2007, calls for the incorporation of treatment rooms and facial/manicure areas into an integrated facility that also will feature a 2,200-square-foot leisure pool with a waterfall and pool slide, a 25-meter, two-lane lap pool located near the hot tub/Jacuzzi area, and a 3,000-square-foot “fitness arena” with spin and cycle area, elliptical trainers and Stairmasters, treadmills, free weights and benches, flat-screen TVs and stereo, and an area dedicated to Pilates and stretching classes. The new and expansive men’s and women’s locker rooms will each have Jacuzzis and saunas, with room for about 500 lockers. This state-of-the-art plan underscores Morgan Run’s determination to provide the highest quality experience for its member community and resort guests. “I’m most excited that we’ll be able to offer total spa amenities,” Brown notes. “You’ll be able to exercise, shower, then get a massage, sauna, Jacuzzi, all under one roof — and there’ll be a quiet room where you can relax after your massage, sit, eat fruit, read magazines, and make a slower re-entry into the outside world.”
SOMETIME FOR EVERYONE
Looking for the best time to visit? The busiest time at Morgan Run is during the San Diego County Fair at Del Mar Fairgrounds, just a mile or so down Via de la Valle from the club’s entrance. Running from early June into the beginning of July, the Fair has something for everyone, with live entertainment, rides and attractions, a flower and garden show, photo exhibits, livestock competitions and dog trials, and hip-hop dance and a cappella singing contests. Or come a few weeks earlier, for the Del Mar National Horse Show — a highly competitive event in this horse-happy region. Or later, for the thoroughbred season at Del Mar’s racetrack — “Where the turf meets the surf,” as Bing Crosby crooned — which has racing from July to September.
But truly, San Diego is one of America’s great year-round destinations. Bring your golf clubs, your tennis racket, and your sense of adventure, and you’ll find Morgan Run to be a most hospitable home away from home.
Jeff Neuman is co-author of A Disorderly Compendium of Golf (Workman Publishing Co.).
MORGAN RUN RESORT & CLUB
Location: Rancho Santa Fe, California.
General manager: Jim MacDonough.
Membership directors: June Toohey, Chris Rucker.
Member relations director: Jamie Schaible.
Executive chef: Brian Green.
Spa director and therapist: Kim Brown.
Director of golf: Gary Sowinski.
Head tennis professional: Tom Zeman.
Director of resort & conference sales: Shelley Carlisle.
Amenities: 71-room resort and conference center; 8,000 feet of meeting space; 27-hole championship golf course; 11 tennis courts; heated outdoor pool. Rancho Grill. Open seven days a week.
Web site: www.morganrun.com
SALTY OR SWEET?
Overexposure to either heat or cold can cause the skin on your body to become dry, scaly, flaky, and itchy, says Kim Brown, spa director at Morgan Run Resort & Club. Body scrubs remove dead skin, making room for new skin that is silky soft. But do you indulge your body with the pure aromatherapy of a sugar or salt scrub? “While both are very exfoliating, the basic difference is that salt is very detoxifying and sugar is hydrating,” Brown says. She lists the differences — you decide.
BENEFITS OF SALT SCRUBS
• Natural antibacterial qualities.
• Helps detoxify the body and ward off viruses.
• Draws out impurities in the skin.
• Encourages skin to renew itself.
• Helps scars to heal.
• Soothes irritations such as psoriasis and eczema.
BENEFITS OF SUGAR SCRUBS
• Very hydrating.
• Less abrasive than salt.
• Great for sensitive skin.
• Helps with circulation.
• Provides natural antioxidants.
• Leaves no sticky residue.
• Great for shaving.