By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
The Grand Golf Club has been recognized as a Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 50 Private Facility every year since 2012. Located at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar resort in San Diego, the Grand Golf Club offers a 50,000 sq. ft. driving range, two short game areas and a 7,160-yard Tom Fazio design. The club has 300 members who play about 25,000 rounds of golf per year, with another 6,000 rounds played by resort guests, outside outing participants and limited public play.
Ian Leggatt has been the PGA of America Director of Golf for eight months after stints at some esteemed facilities in the U.S. and Canada, as well as a few years as VP of Golf at Wasserman Media Group. Leggatt also spent 10 years on the PGA Tour, winning the 2002 Touchstone Energy Tucson Open by two strokes over Loren Roberts and David Peoples. He also earned a victory on the Buy.com (now Korn Ferry) Tour at the 2000 Dayton Open, beating Chris Smith in a playoff. He is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Texas Wesleyan University Athletics and the Ontario (Canada) Golf Halls of Fame.
The Grand Golf Club’s expansive driving range is all grass, with mats used in rare situations when either volume or weather demands. The double-sided range has a private member side and another end for hotel guests to use. There are short game areas with two greens on both ends and a private teaching area that’s on the private member side. Each end supports 20-22 hitting stations, and there’s an additional putting green near the first tee.
“We’re about to embark on a big project on the range,” says Leggatt. “We’re building new academy space that will have two hitting bays with Full Swing technology and an indoor putting studio. Also, the private member end of the range will have upgraded short game amenities to provide a better practice experience – new putting greens, bunkers, pitching area. Our members also have their own locker room facilities and members-only gym that we recently upgraded and opened just about a year ago.”
With the current and future upgrades in fitness and golf coaching facilities, Leggatt looks forward to eventually bringing on some TPI-certified fitness instructors who will collaborate with his golf coaches to provide a holistic game improvement experience for their members and guests.
Currently on staff under Leggatt are Eric Nilsson, PGA of America Head Golf Professional, Derek Uyeda, Director of Instruction, PGA of America Member Russell Surber, prominent golf coach Adam Porzak and several other PGA of America Members and Associates who serve as assistant professionals and teach many of the members, guests, women and juniors seeking game improvement for lower scores and more enjoyment playing the game. Golf instruction is also provided by Andy Proudman and Piers Ward from Me and My Golf. There’s PGA Jr. League and after-school junior clinics, quarterly member clinics, weekly women’s sessions and a lot of private lessons.
The Grand Golf Club also offers True Spec custom club fitting services with Master Golf Club Fitter Cale Glover onsite to provide this increasingly vital aspect of player development and golf shop sales.
Leggatt says they host occasional outside events and a robust member tournament schedule, with a major event every month.
For more information on the Grand Golf Club, log on to its website today!
