Prologue
by Bob Glover
Al Fuller, one of the most active and dedicated long term
members of Vista Valley Country Club, and his wife Helen resigned from Vista
Valley on May
first, 2000. After years in California they returned to Minnesota to be closer
to their family members.
One of Al's many hobbies was writing. Over the years he kept
a log of the activity at Vista Valley from it's inception in 1976 through many
trying years ending in 1997. These memories combined with data contributed by a
number of other long term friends and members were first published by Al Fuller and
Aubrey Woodroof in a book titled "Gopher Canyon - Shangri-La,
A
history of Vista Valley Country Club".
With Al's permission, I have reproduced his chronicle so that it might be available to those members and friends who did not have access to a copy while it was in print. I have taken the liberty of editing the data to conform with the format used in electronic publishing but have retained the material in the unique style of the author. Al's chronicle ended in 1997. I have added comments documenting some of the major events that took place at the Club during the time that I served on the Board in 1998 and 1999 plus a brief description of activity through most of the year 2000.
Vista Valley is one of the most prestigious golf and country clubs in southern California. Visit it today and you will find a beautiful and challenging course set behind a charmingly refurbished club house facility. Those members who have been with the club from the beginning have long forgotten the trials and tribulations which were faced on the path to such a resoundingly successful enterprise.
The struggle to make one man's dream a reality.
In memory of Jim McDonald, his
family and friends.
*******************************
"Gopher Canyon -
Shangri-La"
A history of Vista Valley
Country Club
Foreword
by
Al Fuller
Vista
Valley Country Club almost died aborning. It almost died several more times
during the early years. Its survival and flowering into a superb Shangri-la
for lovers of golf is a fascinating story of triumph over adversity - against
all odds. It is a tribute to the hard work and persistence of the "movers
and shakers" who hung in there and bested every challenge. It is also a
tribute to the members who kept the faith, invested more money when it was
needed, and love their club deeply.
This
chronicle is the product of many contributors. I am particularly indebted to Bill McDonald, Jeanne and Bob Welch, Patti
Morris, Henry Hoxie, Annemarie Cox and Betty Kappas for their file material
and recollections of the beginnings. Tom
Sullivan's files and comments made it possible to reconstruct the climactic
events of 1983 that literally saved the club from an early demise and put
finances on a sound basis for the first time. Many other members helped, with
comments and pictures. Special thanks to Bob
Scudder for the beautiful cover. Thanks to one and all.
This is
not a cold, precise historical document. Some things have been omitted or
glossed over to avoid hurting anyone. I make no apology for errors in
punctuation or grammar, nor for idioms or expressions that don't appear in a
dictionary. I write for the enjoyment of the reader, and myself, in the
"slanguage" of the times (expletives deleted!).
Read this
story. Think about it. Take pride in it. If you are a new or prospective
member, it will give you a good idea of the values you are buying into, values
that don't show on the balance sheet
Dedication
Imbedded in
a rock near the first tee at Vista Valley Country Club is a plaque honoring Dr.
James McDonald, visionary founder of the club. He worked tirelessly in its
behalf until his untimely death in 1990 at the age of 63. This book is
dedicated to him.
In addition
to his wife Jeanne and their five children, Jim had two main passions: - his
career in education, and golf.
In 1952
the McDonalds moved from Minnesota to Vista. Jim taught history and coached
basketball in the elementary schools, and was promoted to Principal. Then in
1961 he moved up to the Fallbrook High School system as Superintendent of the
high school.
Dr. James
McDonald
He built
an excellent team of administrators (including our Joe Rigney) and raised
academic performance to a high level that earned him statewide recognition and
strong support in the community.
Jim
learned to love golf in his youth, and his whole family became enthusiastic
players. In spite of the demands of his professional career, and a back swing that caused pros to shake their heads in disbelief, he carried a 6 handicap
when his love of the game turned into a real passion.
Incredibly, in 1977 at the height of his professional career in education,
he gave it all up to devote full time to Vista Valley Country Club and the surrounding
residential community.
Vista Valley is the
realization of Jim McDonald's dream!!
****************
Violence Spawns a Super Shangri-la
San Diego
County was once a part of the Pacific Ocean, which extended all the way to about
the western boundary of Arizona. Starting about 140 million years ago, huge
granite upliftings raised our area above the sea. Earthquakes and volcanoes
created a necklace of protective mountains to the north and east of us. They
stole rain from the winds off the ocean, and left the area east of the
mountains dry. Over eons of time, this became the Great American Desert.
On our
side of the mountains, the rain water flowed westward to the sea, creating a
gradually descending alluvial plain, carving canyons like our Gopher Canyon,
and rivers like the San Luis Rey.
Fast
forward to the present: This geological evolution has created for us a unique
and nearly perfect climate, not found anywhere else in the United States.
Except for a rare Santa Ana wind, we are walled off from the heat and dust of
the desert. We are also blessedly separated from the smog and congestion of the
L.A., Riverside megalopolis, and we are comfortably away from earthquake fault
lines. We are far enough inland to escape the fog that keeps mornings sunless
on the coast. Our winters and summers are moderated by the sea, and our
rainfall is usually 15 inches or less. The latitude is subtropical - about the
same as northern Egypt and Israel. Gopher Canyon is a quiet pocket, away from
traffic and urban sprawl, but close to shopping and freeway access.
Nowhere in
the world can you find a more perfect climate for year round comfortable
living. Nowhere else in the U.S. can you enjoy good golf and gardening year‑round. Our summers are delightful, with moderate temperatures and
humidity. Coot evening breezes and almost complete freedom from annoying
insects make patio living a real delight. All this is ours to enjoy, while heat
and humidity drive people out of Florida, Texas and Arizona. And of course we
play golf all winter while our friends up north are freezing their buns off. This is truly a super Shangri-la!
******************************
The Luisenos
Native
Americans enjoyed this blessed land at least 10,000 years ago. Two small tribes,
the Ushmongus and the Quechlas, lived along the San Luis Rey River from the sea
to what is now Bonsall. Further east were the Palas, Paumas, Pechangas, Rincons
and Cupenos. These tribes were later collectively called the Luisenos by the
Franciscan padres who established the San Luis Rey Mission. Each had their own
spoken language, but left no written record. They were a simple, gentle people,
without the warlike characteristics of the great tribes of the central plains.
Most of
the villages were located along the San Luis Rey River where water was
available year round. Houses were very simple structures, usually built over a
2 foot excavation, with roofs of wood stakes covered with bark and sod. Every
family had a "sweat house," and a daily ritual was a sauna followed
by a plunge in the river.
They had
no metal tools before the white man came. Their main hunting weapons were the
bow and arrow, and a unique "throwing club." The men usually went
naked except in cold weather. Women wore a short apron front and back, made
from local fibers. The women made excellent baskets, some tight enough to hold
water.
The
Luisenos grew no crops, but lived on what nature provided. Acorns were the most
important part of their diet. They cracked off the shells and ground the meats
on metates (large flat stones with hollowed centers) using manos (hand‑held
grinding stones). The meal was steeped to remove bitterness, and cooked to make
a mush. For protein they had a variety of fauna including deer, antelope,
ground squirrels, and grasshoppers. Yes grasshoppers!
They
believed in one God, and a hereafter. Their most important religious ceremony
was mourning for the dead, which sometimes went on for several days, during
which the body was burned in a pit and covered up. Boys and girls (separately)
were initiated into adulthood in elaborate ceremonies, and instructed at length
about proper social and religious conduct. The rites for boys included drinking
a concoction made from Jimson weed which made them slightly drunk, and was supposed
to induce dreams of the future.
No village
sites have been found in Gopher Canyon, but some arrowheads and pottery shards
were uncovered during the grading for our golf course. Chances are, the
Luisenos spent time there in the fall to gather acorns.
Total
Indian population of San Diego County was about 30,000 when the first white men
came to stay in 1769
(about 4000 were Luisenos). Today there are only about 1000 on
reservations in the county. The destruction of the Indian population and culture
is not a pretty tale
***************************************
The Missions (1769-1834)
Spain
ruled Mexico, and aimed to augment its empire to include what is now Texas,
Arizona, New Mexico and California. The Franciscan padres were sent not only to
convert the "heathens" but also to solidify Spain's claim to
California. They were always accompanied by a garrison of soldiers to protect
the padres and to help herd the Indians into the missions, The San Luis Rey
Mission was established in 1798. From that moment, contrary to popular legend, the
Luisenos were doomed.
Being
closest to the mission, the Ushmongas and Quechlas were the first to be
uprooted from their villages and herded into mission compounds, where they were
exposed to diseases against which they had no natural immunity. Measles
epidemics hit twice. Syphilis was spread rapidly by soldiers preying on the
Indian women. Infected at birth, 3/4 of the babies died in their first or
second year. Because of the mortality, the padres and soldiers carried out
raiding parties, bringing back 100 or more Indians at a time. An auxiliary
mission was established at Pala to expedite recruitment, and to plant the area
to corn and beans..
Using
virtual slave labor, the missions became large commercial enterprises. At its
peak, Mission San Luis Rey had 27,000 cattle 26,000 sheep and several thousand horses. They sold lots of
cowhides to American and English ships stopping at west coast ports, and grew
big crops of wheat, corn and beans. But events in Mexico brought the missions
to a sudden demise,
In 1821, Mexico threw off the yoke of Spain, and sent a
Mexican governor to California. Attempts to establish Mexican law were resisted
by the padres, who avowed continued loyalty to the king of Spain. In 1834, the
Mexican governor secularized all the missions and forced the Franciscans out,
leaving the Indians to shift for themselves.
Confused
between two cultures, they fled the missions into a bewildering and hostile
environment, taking with them the foreign diseases to infect their non‑mission
neighbors.
After 60
years of high mortality, few of the mission survivors understood the old tribal
ways, and their tribal lands had been greatly changed by large scale cattle and
grain farming. And to make matters even worse, they were hit by another wave of
oppressors:
***********************************
The Big Ranchos
Mission
lands and other assets were handed out as grants by the Mexican governor to leading
Mexican families, politicians and friends. Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor,
ended up with the biggest handout himself - the 133,000 acre Rancho Santa
Margarita. He sold it later for $2,437 to settle a gambling debt. Most of it
eventually became Camp Pendleton,
When it
was obvious that the Americans were going to take over California, Pio Pico
handed out grants to practically all who asked (except Americans). A total of
800 grants covering over 8 million acres of the best land were recorded. The resulting
large ranchos of most interest to us were:
Rancho
Guajome, 2200 acres, 547 of which is now Guajome Regional Park, on the south
side of highway 76 on the way to Oceanside.
Rancho
Buena Vista, 1200 acres, which is now in the city of Vista.
Rancho
Vallecitos de San Marcos, 13,300 acres, part of which is now the city of San
Marcos.
**********************************
Rancho Guajome
The story
of Rancho Guajome is particularly interesting. It was originally granted by
Mexican Governor Pico to 2 Indians (who were former neophytes of Mission San
Luis Rey).They sold it for $350 to Abel Stearns, a wealthy rancher who had
married into a prominent Mexican family (Bandini). Then along came an
enterprising young American army lieutenant by the name of Cave Couts, who also married a Bandini daughter. Stearns gave
Rancho Guajome to the couple as a wedding present.
That
started Couts on the road to riches. He managed to buy both Rancho Buena Vista
and Rancho Los Vallecitos de San Marcos, and put all three ranchos together
into a large cattle empire. His cattle undoubtedly roamed Gopher Canyon.
Couts
built a 22‑room adobe hacienda on Rancho Guajome, lived there in baronial
splendor, and entertained lavishly. One of his guests was Helen Hunt Jackson, who was shocked by the way the Indian laborers
were treated, and was inspired to dramatize their plight in her famed novel, "Ramona".
Fast
forward to the present: The hacienda was just recently restored to its 1860's
splendor, and is well worth a visit. You can enjoy a guided tour with a
knowledgeable docent (11:00a.m. or 2 p.m. on Saturdays or Sundays).
Rancho Guayome adobe hacienda, restored west facade, 1996
While you're in a touring mood, also stop and see the Rancho
Buena Vista hacienda, a real gem right in the heart of Vista (640 Alta Vista Drive, open 10 am to 3
pm, Wed. through Sunday). And Just around the corner at 651 E. Vista Way you'll
find the Vista Historical Museum (open Wed. thru Sat, 10 am to 3 pm. You'll
find it loaded with Indian, mission and rancho memorabilia.
Rancho
Buena Fista
Fast
backward to the 1860's: Operators of the big ranchos needed lots of laborers,
and they were easy to acquire at very low cost. Destitute and sometimes
starving Luisenos worked for little or nothing but rudimentary food. Those
still living in the old tribal way were run off if they stood in the way of
rancho operations. The worst example was the forced removal of the Cupeno tribe
from their cherished Agua Caliente (hot springs) to the Pala reservation. The
degradation of the Luisenos was almost complete, but they had yet another trial
to suffer:
**************************************
The American Invasion
U.S. army
units blazed a trail across the desert and through mountain passes to win
California from a weak Mexican government. By the time California became a
state (1850) a trickle of American covered wagons was following the army trail
into southern California. The trickle became a steady stream when gold was
discovered in Julian. Arrival of the railroads changed the stream into a flood.
The
newcomers brought with them a hatred of Indians from battles with tribes of the
plains. Following the slogan "the only good Indian is a dead one"
they moved in on the dwindling Luisenos and gobbled up more good land,
sometimes with the shedding of blood. The introduction of cheap liquor was a
tragedy as big as the disease epidemics. Indians jailed for drunkenness were
balled out by opportunistic settlers in exchange for three years of indentured
labor.
Most of
the big ranchos had a relatively short life span. The U.S. government had
agreed to honor the Mexican land grants, but rancho owners were required to
prove their claims In court, which was time consuming and expensive, and some
didn't make it. With statehood came real estate taxes, which proved to be too
burdensome for the low yield agriculture of the ranchos. Owners sold off land
to the incoming settlers to pay taxes and court costs, and simply to cash in on
the demand for good land. Incoming settlers acquired mostly small acreages and
planted them to citrus and other more intensive crops, supported by increasing
use of irrigation.
Real
estate promoters and newspapers extolled the virtues of southern California.
The Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe railroads fought a price war during which
the price of a ticket from Chicago to the west coast went as low as $1.00!
Indian rights were further buried under an avalanche of land hungry newcomers.
Remaining tribal villages were gradually shifted to federal reservations
(mostly on poor land).
One of the
early visitors to Gopher Canyon back in stagecoach days was a preacher by the
name of Bonsall.. He liked it so
much that he stayed and built a house on what is now Little Gopher Canyon Road
in1879. Now a well known landmark, it is owned and occupied by Joe
and Marie Mullin.
Rev.
Bonsall also started a church and school. The original school building, now
over 100 years old, can be seen on the Bonsall school grounds, and is used regularly
for community meetings. It is fitting that Bonsall was named after its
distinguished pioneer citizen.
Homesteaders
started farms in Gopher Canyon in the 1880s and 1890s. An old
county map (circa 1910) shows four owners in the area eventually bought by
Jim McDonald.
The
depression in the l930's brought foreclosures and falling land prices. People
with money began to buy up the small parcels and put them into larger units.
**************************************
The Hoxie Ranches
George Hoxie, a Southern California Edison
executive, bought 500 acres north of Gopher Canyon Road in 1931, built a home
on Little Gopher Canyon Road, and planted all those big old eucalyptus trees.
His son Steve and a brother bought another 1000 acres when Steve got out of the
navy after World War II. They built a house on what is now Hoxie Ranch Road
just east of our club entrance, and produced Polled Herefords, citrus fruits
and vegetables. Then in 1953, Steve
Hoxie bought another large parcel including what is now Vista Valley. They
raised horses there. Steve's son Henry hunted
deer there, and found many arrowheads and other Indian artifacts.
The last
purchase included quite a few structures. There was a barn near where our
maintenance shed is located. There were also two small houses on the east side
of the creek below our # 3 green. The story goes that a bachelor gentleman
built the first one, and then acquired a girl friend (widow of his deceased
brother). In keeping with the
social
niceties of the times, he didn't just move her in with him, - instead he built
her a second house, identical to his!
Up near
our # 8 tee was another old house, with beautiful weathered siding, that was
still there when Jim McDonald acquired
the property. His wife Jeanne planned
to use the siding when they built their house. Someone liked it too, and
offered to buy it, but the offer was refused. A few days later the siding had
mysteriously disappeared. Then somewhat later when Jim took another look at the
house, he found a group of hippies around a fire they had built on the living
room floor, drinking wine. He ran them off, and a few days later discovered a
plot of marijuana growing nearby!
Also on
the property above # 8 was an old abandoned mine that had been worked with
Chinese laborers for tourmaline. Jim had the main shaft covered up, but told
Jeanne that there was another hidden entrance. The area is now dedicated open
space.
Near the
rock wall on the right side of our # 13 fairway was a small house, built in 1927. Also nearby was
a barn, and a garage containing a large built in safe (nobody knows what
treasures it once held!). Over where our # 14 fairway is now, there was
another, smaller house. Nearby was a small old adobe structure, once used in a
bee and honey operation.
*************************************************
The Morris & Mullendore Ranches
Morris Ranch
Oliver Morris, deceased husband of our
social member Patti Morris, was co‑owner
of the Bel Aire Hotel and a good friend of the Hoxie family. He too became fond
of the area, and bought several parcels in the canyon in the early 1950's, that
included the large home on the south side of Gopher Canyon Road that burned to
the ground in the 3000‑acre fire in 1985. That fire approached the western boundary of our golf
course, and came close to burning Patti's home on the other side of the road.
Patti still owns 230 acres on which she holds an approved final parcel map that
calls for 90 lots of I
to 4 acres each, which should produce many potential members for our club when
developed.
The Mullendore Retreat
George Mullendore, Chairman of the Board of
Southern California Edison, was a close friend of the Hoxies and the Morrises.
He spent several social weekends with them in the canyon, and fell in love with
it. He persuaded Steve Hoxie to sell him the large parcel including the Vista
Valley area, and used it as a weekend retreat, living in the small house to the
right of # 13 fairway. His farm manager lived in the smaller house on # 14.
Mullendore loved his "quiet time" In the canyon,
away from the telephones and corporate pressures, but his wife disliked being
separated from her bridge groups and the supercharged social life of Los
Angeles. That's what brought him to a decision to sell out.
North county population was growing rapidly in the 1960's, and
golfers were finding it difficult to get good tee times at the few available
courses. There was no private golf club in the area. Jim McDonald decided to try to do something about it.
****************************************
Taking the Plunge
Steve Hoxie was Chairman of the Fallbrook High
School Board of Trustees, where Jim was the Superintendent, and they were good
friends. Steve told him about the large tract in Gopher Canyon that he had sold
to William Mullendore.
Jim took a
look, and got excited. He called in Ted
Robinson, who told him it could be made into a fine golf course, Jim showed
it to nine of his friends, and wrote them a proposal. Every one responded
enthusiastically with a $40,000 check, and Gopher
Canyon Associates was born. The group included Jim and his brother Bill
McDonald, Joe Rigney, Steve Koval, Norm Sullivan, Joe Harvey, Dick Ring, Roger
Engel and Bill Hartley.
A year of
negotiations followed. In 1969 Gopher Canyon Associates bought 347 acres from Mr.
Mullendore for $347,000. After more planning, Bill McDonald bought an
additional 80 acres, and pledged more capital and loans to the project. Gopher
Canyon Associates was converted into Shangri-La
Development, a limited partnership. The general partner was Amorient
Properties, Inc., owned by Bill
McDonald. Ted Robinson was hired to design the golf course, and the rest of
the land was platted for 126 homesites of I to 6 acres each.
This intrepid fearless group, with no prior
experience in real estate development, had launched a major project involving
large financial commitments and risks, that would transform bucolic Gopher
Canyon into a "Shangri-la " for readers of this tale. Little did they
know how tough the Job would turn out to be!
The years
between 1969 and 1976 were busy and often frustrating ones, as the developers
began to butt heads with county and state bureaucrats, seeking approval of a
special use permit for a golf course, a final parcel map, a grading permit, and
a charter for a not‑for‑profit country club.
Jim McDonald and his family moved into the
house off our # 13 fairway, and lived there three years. The little house on #
14 was the first home of their daughter Joanie when she married Ken Brower, and
their daughter was born there.
*************************************
A Club is Born
The
official birth date of Vista Valley Country Club was November 15, 1976, when
its Articles of Incorporation were approved by the state Department of
Corporations. It didn't come easy, and it wasn't clear‑cut.
The state
required that all proceeds from membership sales be impounded in an escrow
account until enough money was in hand to complete the project. Further, if the
facilities were not completed within the projected time frame or the cost of
completion was going to be significantly higher than projected, prospective
members were to be notified and given a chance to withdraw their deposits from
escrow, with interest!
The first club Board of Directors included Jim McDonald, Joe Rigney and Steve Koval, with Jim as President. A little later Bill Hartley, Forrest Scrape and Duke Snider (baseball hall‑of fame) were added.
The club
was set up as a separate, independent entity, with no control by or special
privileges for the developer group as soon as a board of directors could be
elected by the membership.
Recognizing that a successful club would be essential to a
successful real estate development, Shangri‑La agreed to deed the land
for the golf course to the club for the princely sum of $1 as soon as 200
memberships were sold!
The first
offering circular presented to prospective members included the following:
450 golf
memberships offered. The first 200 charter memberships were priced at $4000, with exemption
from transfer fee when first resold.
Estimated
total cost of the golf course and clubhouse was only $1,460,000 (which would
soon prove to be grossly inadequate).
Course
construction was expected to begin 4/l/77, with completion by 7/l/78.
Amorient, a
company owned by Bill
McDonald, loaned the club $75,000 for organization
and promotional expense, and pledged an additional $200,000 loan as soon as 200
memberships were sold. Southwest Bank pledged a $400,000 loan, to be available
at the same time as the Amorient loan. These total borrowings, together with
$800,000 from the sale of 200 memberships, were expected to cover the total
construction cost.
********************************
A Fast Start
Publicity
about this new private country club hit a very receptive market. Southern
California was in the midst of a major real estate boom. Retirees with money
were escaping the Los Angeles concrete jungle and the winters of the Midwest,
swarming into north county, building luxury homes amid avocado groves, and
looking for a good golf club like they had enjoyed back home. By July 5, 1977,
in only 6 months, 183 membership deposits were in escrow, and more were coming
in every week. The membership price was raised to $6000, and another 50 were
made exempt from transfer fee.
By mid 1977,
final golf course plans of Ted Robinson were approved, and contracts for its
construction were ready for signing. A very happy ground breaking ceremony was
enjoyed by many members on August 14.
The club's first hole‑in‑one was recorded at the
ground‑breaking ceremony. The "hole" was a washtub set on top
of the ground. Tom Sullivan's shot went in on the first bounce, That stellar
shot has never been officially recognized!
Optimism was rampant. Membership was over 200. The contract
was signed with Siemens Contracting, Inc., to build the golf course for
$761,000 including irrigation. All systems were GO!
Well, ‑
not quite:
Prodded by neighbors who worried
about the potential traffic, and by environmentalists who decried "the
rape of the Valley," the county Planning Commission refused to issue the
required Special Use Permit for the golf course!
***********************************************
Bureaucratic Roadblocks
The club appealed
directly to the Board of Supervisors, resulting in a special meeting in San
Diego November 30,
1977. The large room was packed with angry club members. The
Planning Commission made its negative report, and added that the club had
already moved 100,000 yards of dirt without a grading permit!
With the
future of the club in serious jeopardy, Jim McDonald made a spirited
presentation of our cause. After a lot of haggling between county staff and the
Supervisors, and a rising tide of protest from club members, the whole thing
was laid over for a future meeting. Members went home dejected and emotionally
drained.
As 1977 wound
down, the club was fined $500 for grading without a permit.. Construction was
stopped for 4 months, leaving the rough grading exposed to winter rain damage.
Unable to proceed, Siemens pulled out of the contract and sued for $73,000 in
damages. The club countersued for $83,000 in overpayments.
We had one
friend on the Board of Supervisors - Paul
Eckert. Working behind the scenes, he was able to generate more support,
and create pressure on the Planning Commission. Early in 1978 that
truculent bureaucracy produced an onerous list of conditions under which course
construction could proceed, A new contract was negotiated with Fairway Construction
(Hank Gosch), which was the outfit that architect Robinson had preferred from
the start. Construction resumed promptly. And again all systems were GO.
Well almost, but not quite:
The state Department of Corporations refused to release our escrowed
funds from membership sales until the county issued a Special Use Permit! And
because we had missed a construction deadline imposed by the state, the club
was forced to write all members who had placed their money in escrow, giving
them an opportunity to withdraw their money, with interest, if they wished to
do so. Seven of them did. A new construction deadline was set. Construction was
paid for by drawing down all of the promised credit lines.
Construction
ground to a halt when Indian relics were unearthed. Nothing could move until
the club paid $20,000 for the upgrading of a museum on the Rincon Indian
reservation.
********************************************
A Total Commitment
Jim McDonald recognized that the club and
Shangri‑La needed someone on the spot full time. Having talked his
friends into investing their money in the project, he felt a deep obligation to
see it through properly. So he made the fateful decision to resign his fine
position at Fallbrook High School effective in January, 1978. Wife Jeanne was
understandably concerned about the loss of salary, fringe benefits and pension,
but she supported Jim's decision without hesitation.
A meeting
of the county Planning Commission was scheduled for July 7, 1978 to further
consider a Special Use Permit. Jim
McDonald wrote to all club members to be there, and had two motor homes
parked outside the county administration building, to provide coffee, doughnuts
and strategy. After another stormy
session, issuance of the necessary permit was again deferred!
On the
heels of that setback, the state demanded and received the following revised
financial projection:
Membership
Sales to Date (in escrow) $1,145,000
Expected
Additional Sales 23 @ $6,000
50
@ $7,500
50
@ $9,000 963,000
Amorient
Loans 165,000
Bank Loans 700,000
Total Available Funds $3,173,000
Revised
Estimate of Total Construction Cost $2,764,000
Balance
Available for Working Capital $ 409,000
The state refused to accept the projected additional sales of
memberships, and continued to refuse release of the escrowed funds. On top of
that, the club Board was forced to again write members, giving them a second
chance to withdraw their escrowed funds, with interest. Twenty five of them
did!
1979
Bill McDonald came to the rescue: He bought and
paid cash for 25 memberships at $6000 each, with the understanding that they
would be dues free until resold to new members buying property. He also
increased Amorient loans to $430,000. This additional support finally convinced
the state to release our escrowed funds in January, 1979.
Bill McDonald
At that
moment, all who had their money in escrow officially became charter members.
The first official meeting of Vista Valley Country Club took place in Vista on
February 27, 1979. The first Board of Directors elected by the membership at
that meeting consisted of Jim McDonald
(President), Steve Koval, Leo Kubiak, Roy Isbister and Bob Bailey (all for I year terms). Ron Nolf was hired as Course Superintendent, and Joe Gilroy was appointed
our first Course & Grounds Committee Chairman.
The front
nine of the golf course had been seeded to rye grass in December, 1978. The
back nine, still bare, suffered winter storm damage, and there was also some
damage on the front nine. Repairs were financed with an S.B.A. loan. All greens
were ready on the front nine by April 15, 1979, All fairways were seeded with
Bermuda by April 25. Traps were cut in May.
At a
"Media Day" June 27, newspaper, radio and TV people (along with some
club members) played 7 holes and toured the rest, followed by libations and
lunch. Ted Robinson was proud of the
way the course was shaping up. He told the guests "Most courses have I or
2 really fine 'signature holes.' Vista Valley has twelve!." Much favorable
publicity was generated.
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Accolade
Long
before his appointment as Course & Grounds Chairman, Joe Gilroy had already devoted many long days of hard labor on the
course. He was responsible for the selection and placement of all those
beautiful big rocks at each tee. He worked his head off, but wouldn't take a
penny for it. He built the bridges across the stream. He fell and broke his
wrist, but that didn't stop him, His death in 1986 was a
great loss to the club.
Joe Gilroy
As 1979 progressed, Bob Wasson came aboard as administrative
assistant, to expedite all parts of the project, and to help generate new
memberships. John Paget, C.P.A., was
engaged to bring all club financial affairs together through 1978 and render a report. Bob Bailey replaced Jim McDonald as President of the club so that
Jim could devote more time to the real estate affairs of Shangri-La. Jim
expressed some of his frustrations:
"For
over two years we have not been able to get final approval of clubhouse plans
from the county. We have $1,000,000 invested in the golf course, and can't
afford such costly delays. And now the county has turned us down on our plan
for 160 homesites; cutting us back to 78 and requiring us to complete a sewer system before
selling lots." (The 78 figure was later reduced to 60!).
President Bailey wrote members:
"We
volunteers, some working almost fulltime have many reasons for frustration, but
none for despair."
In spite
of all the difficulties, member enthusiasm continued strong. On August 11,
1979, a large group of members assembled with palls and spent the day picking
rocks and stones still remaining on the fairways. Sore backs were soothed with
a fair amount of beer.
Final
clubhouse plans were sent to the always difficult county Planning Commission,
along with plans for improving Hoxie Ranch Road and making it the access road
to the clubhouse and the real estate development. That produced one of the most
serious setbacks yet suffered by the club.
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The Big Road Ruckus
Earlier, a
neighbor on Hoxie Ranch Road (not Steve Hoxie) had tried to sell Jim McDonald
some of his property that Jim did not want. The disgruntled neighbor filed suit
and successfully blocked use of Hoxie Ranch Road by the club or the real estate
developer. That forced a change in plans to the much longer and much more
expensive road that was finally built. To increase the financial burden
further, our "friends" on the county Planning Commission required
that the road project also include widening Gopher Canyon Road along our entire
frontage, including the widening of the bridge to the left of # 15 tee!
The total cost of the road project came to over $600,000, of which the club paid $300,000,
with Shangri‑La picking up the rest. Holes # 15 and # 16, already built
as two par fours, had to be redesigned, changing #15 to a par five and # 16 to a par three. That required a
new #15 green and new #16 tees. In addition to all that extra expense, it
delayed clubhouse construction, interrupted play on the back nine, and cost us
considerable clubhouse income.
With no
road and no clubhouse, plans were made to start play on # 15. A double mobile
home was leased for a temporary pro shop there, and Bill Hartley was confirmed as our first head pro. But the persistently nasty Planning
Commission delayed permission to start play until Provision had been made for
adequate off‑street parking adjacent to # 15 tee.
In spite of
all the setbacks, a very upbeat annual meeting was held in September, 1979,
with 260 present for a barbeque in front of the ladies' # 9 tee.
Robert Bailey
The Board of Directors was expanded to seven, with Bailey, Kubiak and Isbister re‑elected, plus Wayne
Shostrom, Ed Snell, William Dick and Del Hartman. Bailey was elected President. Mr. Dick was replaced by Bob Welch a few months later. A
total of 270 memberships were reported sold. The membership price was increased
to $8000, and dues were initiated at $50 per month.
In
December, 1979, a reluctant county finally issued our Special Use Permit and
Grading Permit (with the golf course already completed!). Clubhouse design
(with necessary cost reduction) was complete. Vista Valley joined the Southern
California Golf Association. Dolores
Isbister was appointed to initiate plans for a ladies' activities
committee.
1980 began
with some more storm damage that delayed start of play, and an additional
S.B.A. loan was obtained to finance the repairs. Dues of $125/month, and an
increase to $9000 for memberships were scheduled for June.