By the time Friday's grand opening for Victoria Lakes rolls around, general manager Otto Kanny might be black and blue from pinching himself so much because opening day has finally arrived.

When Oxnard Mayor Tom Holden steps to the first tee (which used to serve as the 15th hole for the River Ridge Vineyard course) on Friday morning it will mark the end of an odyssey that started in 1994 when the idea of building a second 18 holes at River Ridge Golf Club first began.

Kanny, along with this brothers Kyle and Yosh, the course superintendents, have been there for every inch of a ride that at times Kanny thought would never end.

"Wow, it's finally here," Kanny said. "It has taken 14 years and the learning curve was very steep. As with anything this complex, it involved hundreds of people, and at the lead was the city of Oxnard.

"When I think back on what it was (a closed landfill that was dirt, weeds, ugly and useless), and what it is now (an excellent golf course, 400-plus upscale homes, affordable housing, elementary school and a church), it was worth the time and effort."

From the time Kanny and the other people involved with the project started talking to now, 14 new courses have come online within 45 miles of the River Ridge complex. Four others (Los Robles, Soule Park, Olivas and Buenaventura) have undergone major upgrades.

Through the entire process there were moments when Kanny wondered if the project was ever going to come to fruition. Most of those frustrations were put aside in 2004 when the first nine holes of the new Victoria Lakes golf course opened for play.

By summer 2005, River Ridge had received regulatory approval to build the remaining holes. But because the landfill was involved, the construction involved replacing and burying the entire methane gas collection system. And the drainage and slopes had to comply with the regulators' requirements, so the entire project took a bit longer than anticipated.

"It's been a long haul, but we're almost there," Kanny said. "I think everyone is going to be very happy with the way it has turned out."

The last four holes completed were originally part of the Vineyard course. What were holes 15 through 18 on that course are the first two and the last two holes for Victoria Lakes. Total yardage is 6,834 from the blue tees and 6,334 from the whites.

All four of those holes have been changed from their original design.

Kyle Kanny, who has overseen the project from a construction level since its beginning, has some advice for golfers: Each of those holes is different from the original.

"First and foremost, we have changed the grass on these holes to mirror the other Victoria Lakes holes," Kyle Kanny said. "Second, while we were changing out the grass, we went ahead and made a few changes in how the holes play.

"We added 24 yards to the old No. 15, so it now measures 409 yards from the blue tees. We also expanded and leveled the left side of the fairway and installed three new bunkers in the center of the landing area to create a split fairway."

The new opening hole at Victoria Lakes gives players two fairways to aim at. Go left and the hole plays shorter, but the player must contend with more danger. Aim for the right fairway and there are fewer hazards to avoid, but the hole plays longer.

Otto Kanny said players will realize many of the holes at Victoria Lakes will offer several options.

"I think that is one of the subtle differences between the two golf courses," Kanny said. "You can power your way through the Vineyard, but with Victoria Lakes, players are going to have to think what they want to do from the first tee shot."

Another difference between Vineyard and Victoria Lakes is the types of grass. The fairways on the Vineyard Course were originally seeded Bermuda grass and are now a hodgepodge of grasses. The greens are a combination of bent grass with a lot of Poa annua mixed in.

Victoria Lakes fairways and tee boxes are GN-1 turf and the greens are pure bent grass.

"At Victoria Lakes, the ball doesn't really break as much as it slides," Otto Kanny said. "It's much less severe. At the old course, you might see a 4-foot break on some putts. That is not true at Victoria Lakes."

Kanny believes No. 13, a very challenging par-4, will be the course's signature hole. He calls holes 12, 13, and 14 at Victoria Lakes. "Amen Corner" because they are three very challenging holes.

"It (No. 13) is a great golf hole," Kanny said. "It's a very tough stretch of holes, but I think golfers will really enjoy them."