Vista Valley Country Club
Expands and Renovates with a Mission Revival Style

By David Ross

Just about the time that you open this magazine, Vista Valley Country Club will be beginning its $6 million expansion project—a project that will be completed in 2013.

It will take the country club, located just off Gopher Canyon Road, from 17,000 square feet to 39,000 square feet.

According to General Manager John Ledenbach, a priority during the construction is to keep the clubhouse open and minimize disruption. That is the reason for doing the building in two phases.

The first thing to get out of the way was the parking lot renovation and new landscaping, including a water feature. That work occurred ahead of the construction.

The clubhouse was built in 1979 as a basic facility. This is the first renovation done since then. Everything will be done in a “Mission Revival” style, emphasizing natural materials such as wood and stone.

Phase I will include:
• A porte-chochere, entry and new trophy gallery leading to the dining room.
• Exercise room—featuring a wood panel floor, hand-hewed open beams, mirrored wall and free-throw size basketball court.
• Complete renovation of the men’s and women’s locker rooms—with a manicure/pedicure area for the women.
• New unisex hair salon next to an expanded card room.
• Over the locker rooms will be a new upper floor that will include a weight room and a virtual golf room. Golfers will be able to “play” any existing course that they like on this virtual course.
• They are also expanding all of the restrooms and making them American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.

Houston oilman John Havens and his wife, Terri Havens, who purchased Vista Valley four years ago, and who also own the adjacent Cal-a-Vie health spa, have a passion for antiques. So passionate are they that several years ago they transported and rebuilt, stone-by-stone, a 600-year-old chapel from France to their spa. This passion will translate into some incredible furnishings at the expanded country club. According to Steve Lane, the architect and builder, “The furnishings will be antiques from Europe. They will include hand-carved wall paneling for the formal dining room and wine vaults where guests can store their private vintages.”

Lane says that the idea is to return to the use of natural building materials, such as stone and wood, that was the hallmark of the early California style. This style will shoehorn nicely with the architecture at Cal-a-Vie.

“The Havenses like to build things. They are the one percent that creates jobs. They like to build things in order to create jobs,” he says.

Phase II of the expansion will include:
• Pro shop, featuring an interior heavily influenced with antique inspired cabinetry—it will include a practice putting green and a lounge area with four TV screens.
• Snack bar with kitchen equipment, water and ice machine and a self-serve ice cream machine.
• Expansion of the lounge and a new bar.
• New fireplaces for the dining room and lounge.
• Private dining room with antique paneled walls and ceiling to showcase an antique stained glass panel.
• Renovation of the existing dining room.
• Plus, new offices and an upstairs conference room.

Lane expects that Phase I will be completed in six to eight months. Then, a break will be taken for the 2012 holidays, followed by Phase II. The clubhouse should be completely finished by 2013, says Lane.

“We are creating areas that will be able to host multiple functions—something we do not have the capability to do now,” says Ledenbach.

Long term, the country club will be building on some property that is diagonally located. This will include facilities designed to attract younger families, such as a sports complex with a basketball court, volleyball court, swimming pool, day room and snack bar, along with child care.

“We are trying to attract younger families with kids,” says Ledenbach. Currently the clubhouse has about 300 members. It would like to expand that number to the limit of its major use permit: 450 members.

The Havenses are also planning remodels and expansions at Cal-a-Vie, including remodeling of all of the guest rooms and a transplant of another stone building that was in the same church complex as the transplanted chapel. This will be used as a winery for the hillside vineyard.

Vista Valley Country Club is one of the few remaining private country clubs in San Diego County. So, for example, the dining room and the golf course are not open to the public. However, it IS open for weddings and wedding receptions.

To find out more To call Andrew Williams, Director of Food and Beverage, at 760-758-2800 ext 31 or email awillams@vistavalley.com. Vista Valley Country Club is located at 29354 Vista Valley Drive in Vista or visit www.vistavalley.com.