Mount Woodson Golf Club

Mount Woodson Golf Club occupies rugged terrain in the foothills east of San Diego near Ramona, a rural community known for its granite boulder formations and chaparral-covered hillsides. Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley designed the course in the mid-1990s, carving holes through and around massive rock outcroppings that define the property's character. The routing makes extensive use of elevation change, with several holes playing significantly uphill or downhill across the natural contours. The granite boulders that punctuate the landscape create both visual drama and strategic interest, forcing carries over rock formations and framing fairways in distinctive fashion. The design incorporates these natural features into the playing corridors rather than removing them, giving the course a raw, unmanicured appearance in places. Fairways tend to be generous where the terrain allows, though approach shots often play to elevated or partially obscured greens set among the rocks. Schmidt and Curley, who have designed numerous courses throughout Asia and the western United States, employed a target-style approach here that reflects the property's constraints and opportunities. The setting offers views across the surrounding valleys and hills, with the inland Southern California climate providing year-round playing conditions. The course serves a public daily-fee facility, making the distinctive boulder-strewn layout accessible to a broad range of golfers willing to navigate the hilly terrain.