Operators of Warner Springs Ranch Resort have signed a deal with pro golf hall-of-famer and broadcaster Johnny Miller and his namesake course design firm for upcoming improvements to the North County property.
Financial terms and specific planned improvements were not disclosed. A resort statement said Johnny Miller Design Group “will provide expert knowledge on the redesign of select components” at the property’s Warner Springs Ranch Golf Club, where Miller will add his name.
“We hope to host champion level events here once the updates are complete,” Miller said in a statement from Warner Springs Ranch Resort. Officials said the partnership could also lead to future creation of nine additional holes at the property, which currently has an 18-hole course.
Operators said Miller has signed an ongoing deal to continue improvements already initiated by the property’s owners. The family-run design firm includes Miller’s sons, Johnny Miller Jr. and Andy Miller, who have worked together on several high-profile design projects nationwide.
Operators said Miller’s improvements will begin immediately, and visitors will begin seeing enhancements later this year.
Miller was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998, culminating a pro career that included 25 PGA Tour wins. He has been a TV golf analyst for 28 years, currently with NBC Sports.
The resort has been undergoing improvements to its golf course and other facilities for the past several years under its current operating team, which includes leaders of San Diego-based Pacific Hospitality Group Inc. The company acquired the historic property in 2013, and reopened the golf club and an on-site restaurant and clubhouse in November 2015.
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More recent improvements have included upgrades and reopenings of equestrian facilities and a fully stocked gas station and convenience store, with the renovation and reopening of historic cottages on the resort property.
Officials said the next phases of renovation are set to include an art gallery and studio, featuring works of local artists, more updatings of cottages and other overnight accommodations, and the reopening of the property’s hot-springs pool complex.
The 2,500-acre resort, located at 31652 state Route 79 in the unincorporated community of Warner Springs, is operated by Warner Springs Ranch Resort LLC. The team includes Managing Member William McWethy Jr. and Fred Grand, president of Pacific Hospitality Group.
McWethy and Grand are both also principals in Pacific Hospitality Group. The company was started in 1986 and also operates properties including Hacienda Hotel and Old Town Tequila Factory in San Diego’s Old Town, and Salt Creek Golf Club in Chula Vista.
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