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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
CALIFORNIA | GOLF
Native American kiicha SHEREL PURCELL
Tee Off in Temecula Breathtaking course preserves Native American artifacts By Sherel Purcell
S
ET IN CALIFORNIA’S SOUTH
Temecula foothills, about 75 miles southeast of Los Angeles, Journey at Pechanga (meaning “at the place where the water drips”) is one of the most ecologically sensitive golf courses in the country. This beautiful course winds through natural canyons, over hilltops, past streams and around massive boulders. It’s also ranked by Golfweek as
one of the 30 best courses in California. “The construction of the Journey at Pechanga golf course was controversial,” says Paul Macarro, cultural coordinator of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. “Initially, the golf course builder wanted to clearcut our sacred trees, but we held firm.” The Pechanga, who have a great respect for trees, managed to save their giant coastal oaks along with their “grandmother” sycamore tree. Thankfully, all the conditions to
honor sacred natural items were finally met, including ancient granite and the ancestral “kitchens,” large boulders with built-in mortars where Native American women ground the insides of acorns and other grains and seeds into meal. The replica kiicha, the small dome houses made of twigs and vegetation, serve primarily as a barrier between the course cart paths and the remainder of the Pechanga Band’s sacred land. The result, ironically, is the best and arguably the most natural-looking
feature of the Pechanga resort complex. The course offers clear views of the surrounding, boulder-topped hills, as well as an open-air dining option bordering the course fairways appropriately called Journey’s End. The nearby hills do more than offer a great backdrop; they also provide six holes of challenging and scenic elevation. Meanwhile, closer to sea level, the other holes — no two are alike — offer water hazards, deep sand bunkers and historical, natural artifacts that determine the
