After three years of playing the NCAA golf championships at the North Course at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, Calif., organizers are ready to take the next steps in creating a permanent home for the sport’s premier college showcase.
“Omaha is the gold standard,” Texas men’s golf coach John Fields, the unlikely figurehead behind this ambitious movement, tells Front Office Sports. “And if you watched Oklahoma City with the women—those stands are full, they’re doing great—that’s become a gold standard, as well. That’s the same thing we’re trying to do with men’s and women’s golf.”
Of course, Fields is referring to the long-term contracts the men’s and women’s College World Series have in their respective host cities—unique deals because most NCAA championships rotate between host cities on an annual basis.
Fields, 67, has become the de facto spokesperson for the NCAA golf championship’s new era since Texas took over official host university duties in 2024, despite the 1,100-plus miles between Austin and Carlsbad.
No Southern California schools ultimately wanted to become hosts during that bid cycle in 2020, so the Longhorns stepped up with a bold vision alongside some powerful partners.
