The former Morgan Run Club & Resort in Rancho Santa Fe has a new name, an eight-figure facelift, and a very different vibe. Meriwether Companies announced the completion of its transformation of the property into La Valle Coastal Club, a private resort now built around 27 holes of golf, a dozen pickleball courts, padel, tennis, and a wellness center, alongside dining and event space sitting just three miles from the beaches of Del Mar.
Meriwether Companies acquired the resort in July 2023 from Dallas-based Invited, Inc., initially budgeting $25 million for the project before the scope grew to a roughly $50 million overhaul funded in partnership with Sculptor Real Estate, according to PR Newswire. The company describes itself as a U.S. private resort real estate development firm, and it lists the property at 300 acres in its own materials, though earlier reporting put the site at 225 acres. La Valle sits within Whispering Palms, a neighborhood that regional real estate professionals consider one of Rancho Santa Fe's more accessible, low-maintenance residential enclaves compared with the historic Covenant core nearby, according to Compass.
From Whispering Palms Country Club to a Coastal Casual Resort
The property's roots go back to 1965, when it opened as Whispering Palms Country Club with 18 holes designed by Henry and David Rainville. It added an East Course in 1973 and guest rooms in 1975, then rebranded as Morgan Run in 1993 following a Jay Morrish redesign, according to La Valle Coastal Club. That six-decade evolution set the stage for the latest reinvention, which partner Dave Likins said was meant to honor the property's history while reflecting how people want to spend their time today, per PR Newswire.
Meriwether's strategy explicitly targeted what partner David Likins described as a regional market gap for vibrant, family-oriented private clubs in North County San Diego, a positioning the company has called “coastal casual,” Ranch & Coast Magazine reported. San Diego Business Journal's coverage of the same strategy noted the developers prioritized racquet sports, fitness and relaxed social spaces alongside golf, rather than sticking to a formal, golf-only country club model.
Three Redesigned Courses and a Rebuilt Irrigation System
The golf offering now spans 27 holes across three nine-hole courses — Olivos, Cedros and Palmas — per PR Newswire. Olivos was redesigned with routing spanning an additional 20 acres, Palmas received new grassing, routing and a signature hole alongside a repositioned lake, and Cedros got extensive bunker renovations. Golfers also have access to a driving range with 40 hitting bays and a 12,000-square-foot practice putting green.
Underneath the new layouts, ownership overhauled the golf course's entire irrigation infrastructure, from the main pumps down to individual sprinkler heads, converting fairways to Paspalum grass and rough areas to Kikuyu turf, according to FORE Magazine. The magazine's reporting frames the rebuild as a fix for turf inconsistencies that had dogged the property for years under previous ownership. That kind of infrastructure investment tracks with a broader wave of North County club upgrades: Rancho Santa Fe's $9.4M clubhouse revamp at the nearby Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club is nearing its own fall reopening this year.
Pickleball, Padel and a Speakeasy-Style Simulator Lounge
Beyond golf, La Valle has built out a significant racquet-sports footprint: eight LED-lit tennis courts, 12 pickleball courts and two padel courts, per PR Newswire. The club recently launched a new indoor-outdoor bar at its expanded pickleball courts, and a 5,000-square-foot social putting green gives members another casual gathering spot.
Wellness gets its own dedicated space in the Verde Wellness Center, organized around fitness, recovery, longevity and vitality, with reformer Pilates offered in private and semi-private settings, according to PR Newswire's release. For golf and entertainment indoors, the Swing Suite offers a speakeasy-style lounge built around a Full Swing multi-sport simulator, and La Valle is one of just three Southern California venues offering the Lumati Suite. The resort's dining anchor is Gather California Kitchen, which opened as the club's revitalized signature restaurant and social hub, and the property now includes more than 17,000 square feet of private event space.
A Boutique Hotel Component and Local Design Roots
The private club operates alongside Guesthouse, Hotel at La Valle, a 77-room boutique property that Meriwether Companies launched with third-party operator Springboard Hospitality in August 2025 following a $15 million renovation, according to HOTELSMag.com. Registered hotel guests get access to the private club's amenities during their stay, per PR Newswire.
The aesthetic overhaul relied on regional talent: San Diego-based architecture firm Hannah Gabriel Wells was involved in the redesign, according to Ranch & Coast Magazine. Day-to-day operations are overseen by General Manager Fernando Fry, who previously managed the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, a facility that has hosted four U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships, per California Golf + Travel.
Part of a Bigger Portfolio
Founded in 2011, Meriwether Companies focuses on outdoor sports, health and resort master planning, and its partners include Graham Culp, Noah Hahn, Garrett Simon, Mike Burkart, David Likins and Michael B. Schwab, per PR Newswire. Beyond La Valle, the firm's active projects include Coral Mountain Desert Club in La Quinta, California, and Cabo Real Surf Club in Los Cabos, Mexico.
