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Getting Better All The Time: Kangen Water Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake

Kangen Water Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake has improved considerably since Enagic founder and CEO Hironari Ohshiro purchased the San Diego area course in 2018 and hired Neil Finch, Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake VP/COO. Under Finch’s watch, and with help from late golf course superintendent, Jim Ferrel, who passed away in December, Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake has impressed and attracted many professional golf events.

Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake recently hosted the Farmers Insurance Open pre-qualifier in January. A U.S. Senior Open qualifier takes place on May 25, when four players will earn spots in the U.S. Senior Open. The Southern California Amateur Championships qualifier follows on June 29.

This year’s marquee event, the San Diego County Open, returns to Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake from October 13-15. As we’ve seen, the tournament has been a longtime launching pad for PGA Tour golfers like Scott Piercy and Mark Wiebe. 2020 champion Sahith Theegala has performed admirably on his PGA Tour rookie campaign and placed third in last month’s highly competitive WM Phoenix Open.

“The golf course is getting tougher and tougher,” Finch says. After recent tee extensions, the course now measures 7,107 yards and is Par 71, with a 74.8 course rating. “That means if you’re a scratch golfer, you should shoot about 4-over,” Finch says. Adding length also helps Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake keep pace with current technology. Many tour pros can now hit balls 320-340 yards with modern clubs.

“To make it a little more impressive and make it a little more championship-esque,” Finch still plans to add new bunkers, update existing bunkers, and expand greens, but as Finch says, “We’ve maxed it out. We’re not going to be able to add any more length.”

Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake is developing a better reputation. Finch notes, “Every time people come to the golf course, they’re asking, ‘What have they done this week?’ That’s a good thing.”

Late course superintendent Jim Ferrel’s valuable contributions helped to improve Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake in significantly ways. To help build on Ferrel’s legacy, Finch recently hired a new course superintendent, Joe Neri, who previously worked at Arrowood Golf Course in nearby Oceanside.