"When it is done, it will be epic," Tom Huesgen, the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club's director of agronomy, told the San Diego Union-Tribune in October. He meant the new welcome plaza at the club's entrance. It was the last piece approved and is scheduled to be the last one finished.
That order matters for the season ahead. The Golf Club campus is coming back in stages. The clubhouse restaurant came first, the snack bar follows, and the plaza that ties them together runs into February 2027. Through the holidays, the Covenant's calendar of fixed dates is in the Village, at the library on Avenida de Acacias and at the Inn.
Three projects, finished from the inside out
The Rancho Santa Fe Association's clubhouse work started with problems nobody would see. Chief Administrative Officer Dominique Albrecht told the Union-Tribune that much of the time went into work behind the walls, including repairing wood rot and fixing plumbing. By early October the project had reached what she called the "pretty part," with wood flooring, wall finishes and restroom tile going in.
The campus is moving on three schedules at once:
| Project | What changes | Timing as reported |
|---|---|---|
| Clubhouse and restaurant | New lobby entrance, a more open restaurant built around a central circular bar, and an expanded outdoor patio with decorative tile | Targeted for a fall 2026 opening |
| Snack bar | Enhanced kitchen, upgraded restrooms, and an expanded patio that includes a small upper patio on top of the structure | Golf club aiming to finish by the end of 2026 |
| Welcome plaza | Entry about 10 to 12 feet wider, linking the clubhouse, restaurant, players' clubhouse, pro shop and snack bar, with new landscaping and two new oak trees | Completion hoped for by the first week of February 2027 |
The restaurant kitchen hit the milestones that come before service. At a September 3 update, Association Director of Planning and Development Maryam Babaki said the new kitchen and its top-of-the-line equipment were close to service-ready, pending fire department approvals. The Union-Tribune reported the same week that the Golf Club's administrative staff had moved back into their refreshed offices, which meant the temporary trailers would soon leave the site. In October, the kitchen received a temporary certificate of occupancy from the county, so the team could start prepping and training staff there.
Why the entrance is the last piece
The plaza is the piece members and guests will feel most, because everyone passes through it. The Association board approved the $850,000 project on October 1. The golf club is paying for all of it, and the plan went through the Association's Art Jury, its audit and finance committee, the Golf Club board and a long list of club committees, since it touches nearly every part of club operations.
The new entrance has a practical purpose too. Albrecht said much of the work is required by the county as part of stormwater requirements. The new layout will also cut down the visual clutter of golf carts that greets anyone pulling in. The redesign links a widened cart path, the clubhouse and the snack bar into a single welcome point with a view down the course, framed by the two new oaks.
The February target depends on the weather. Huesgen named the expected super El Niño as his biggest concern, since a wet winter could slow construction. He also said there would be some access challenges while the work is underway. If you have a holiday lunch or a December tee time at the club, give yourself a few extra minutes at the entrance.
The upshot is that the holidays fall right in the middle of the construction window. The restaurant may be serving, the snack bar is still on its year-end push, and the plaza work at the front of the campus runs through the winter months that worry Huesgen most.
The holiday weeks belong to Avenida de Acacias
The Covenant's most complete public holiday schedule this year comes from the Rancho Santa Fe Library at 17040 Avenida de Acacias, which the Union-Tribune's "Love Your Library" column laid out in early November. Add the dates posted on the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club's and the Inn's own event pages, which give the day and date but not the year, and the season runs in this order:
- Thursday, November 19. The Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club holds its Holiday Brunch & Speaker Series.
- Saturday, November 21, 10:30 a.m. Floral arranging at the library.
- Thursday, December 3, 3 to 5 p.m. The library's tree-and-wreath workshop.
- Thursday, December 10, 4 to 7 p.m. The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe lists a Holiday Market in its lobby at 5951 Linea Del Cielo. Admission is complimentary and open to all.
- Friday, December 11, 1 to 4 p.m. The library's Holiday Tea and Tree Raffle.
- Saturday, December 12, 10:30 a.m. to noon. A centerpiece workshop at the library.
- Monday, December 14. The Garden Club's Holiday Wreath Making Workshop, open to members only.
Most of the library's events fall in the first two weeks of December. The workshops build on each other. The tree-and-wreath session on December 3 comes a week before the Inn's market, and the tea and raffle on December 11 is followed the next morning by the centerpiece workshop. If you're planning a table for the holidays, the Saturday centerpiece session lands at a good time.
For the Garden Club and Inn listings, check with each host before you go. The Garden Club's wreath workshop is members only.
Two new tables for the in-between weeks
The calendar has no fixed events on many evenings, and the dining map has changed in two spots, one in the Village and one in Del Rayo.
Paseo Pizza & Gelato, 6024 Paseo Delicias, Unit D. This is the newest arrival in the Village, right beside Paseo restaurant. According to Very North County, the 12-inch pies use Caputo flour, Rega San Marzano tomatoes and Grande mozzarella. The menu runs from a straight pepperoni to the Paseo, with burrata and prosciutto, and the PPG, which layers pepperoni, pesto, stracciatella and hot honey. The shop's menu also includes freshly baked panuozzo sandwiches, salads, starters and gelato. You can dine in, take out or order delivery. Delivery is useful on the nights between workshops and markets.
Its neighbor has a recent story of its own. Jennifer Fields took over the former Rancho Santa Fe Bistro on November 1, 2025 and renamed it Paseo, the Union-Tribune reported. This holiday season is Paseo's first full year, and its corner of Paseo Delicias now offers both a sit-down dinner and a pizza-and-gelato stop.
Parc Lounge, 16081 San Dieguito Road. Over in Del Rayo, Parc Lounge occupies the former Dolce Pane e Vino space. Dolce closed after 15 years, and restaurateur Garo Minassian took over the space on July 1, 2025, according to the Union-Tribune. Very North County describes Parc Lounge as a French restaurant led by Executive Chef Benjamin Navarro. Minassian, who is also behind Parc Bistro in Bankers Hill, calls it a sister concept with its own identity. The kitchen pairs classic French dishes with modern versions, built around the season and local ingredients where possible. Wine is central to the concept, which fits Minassian's background as a sommelier.
These two spots match the season's two speeds. Paseo Pizza & Gelato covers quick Village nights with dine-in, takeout or delivery. Parc Lounge, with its wine-focused French menu, covers the longer December dinners.
What changes after the first week of February
Every project on the Golf Club campus has a finish date before spring. The restaurant was targeted for fall, the snack bar for the end of 2026 and the plaza for the first week of February 2027. If that holds, early 2027 will be the first time the clubhouse, snack bar, pro shop and players' clubhouse share a finished entrance. Until then, the holiday season runs on the library's schedule, the Inn's market night, and the new tables on Paseo Delicias and San Dieguito Road.
If you're thinking about how the Golf Club rebuild and the Covenant's winter calendar fit into your plans here, Ryan Mathys and Tracie would be glad to talk it through over coffee in the Village. Schedule a private consultation and we'll share what we're seeing on the ground this winter.
