Take away the distinctly famous trees indigenous to this insanely scenic corner of Southern California. Remove the stunning Pacific Ocean views, especially the breathtaking panorama from the tee shot on the Par 3 third hole of the South course at Torrey Pines. And finally, wipe away the hard drive of the memories of some of the great moments Californian Tiger Woods authored at the La Jolla golfer’s playground, including one of the most dominating victories in U.
S. Open history. While none of this is possible, given that Torrey Pines is entrenched in the golfer’s mind as a venue with its own distinct look and history, at its core this is a golf course — two of them, actually — for the people, a municipal layout owned, operated and maintained by the City of San Diego.
And even though a tee time isn’t always easy to procure — and far less affordable for non residents of the area — Torrey Pines North and South offer that rare and tantalizing opportunity for the public to play where the pros do their thing. “In my opinion, it’s an absolute bucket list course,” says Cam Stephens, whose company, sandiegogolf.com , helps visiting golfers navigate the terrific options in the area.
“If you think about it, the South has the recognition because it’s a U.S. Open golf course but the North, in my opinion, has better views of the ocean.
You really can’t go wrong on either course. “Other than Pebble Beach, there are not a lot of West Coast ocean view golf courses that the public can play.” From our base in nearby Carlsbad, there was easy access to Torrey Pines and so much more from the area known as North County stretching up the Pacific coast from the city of San Diego itself.
Typical of most coastal towns here, the village of Carlsbad is California cool with plenty on offer for foodies, the craft beer crowd and beach bums looking to hug the coast. But back to the course: As a launching point to terrific golf available in the extreme southwest corner of the U.S.
, Torrey Pines tops the must-play list of most serious players — and for good reason. There is the undeniable scenery, with the Pacific in view in some form from all 36 holes on the property. There is the cache of playing a course that annually hosts a PGA Tour event (the Farmers Insurance Open) annually and has twice been a U.
S. Open venue. And, of course, there is the Woods legacy here.
The California native has won a stunning eight PGA Tour events at the La Jolla locale, none more famous than his tour de force at the 2008 U.S. Open, which he triumphed in a playoff while effectively playing on one leg.
But below the surface of its renown, at its core Torrey Pines remains a muni — the endearing term golfers reserve for a municipal (or city owned) golf facility — which adds to the charm. You could be at Toronto’s Don Valley Golf Club or Mississauga’s Lakeview or any other city-owned, pay-as-you-play layout in Canada, minus the elite history and stunning scenery. And as it relates to the experience here, Torrey Pines is pure golf, stripped of the cushy country club add-ons.
Once you launch the tee ball on the first, the beauty of the site and the course itself takes over. “Torrey Pines is unique in that U.S.
Opens are played there and a PGA Tour event is held there every year,” Stephens said. “But it’s a municipal golf course and they do a wonderful job of maintaining it. It’s not a fancy resort like Pebble Beach.
You can walk out there and push your own golf clubs or carry them and really enjoy yourself on a great golf course.” The memorable moments come early and often on the South course, which plays at a civilized 6,635 yards from the middle tees. The relatively gentle opener offers views of the Pacific off in the distance.
The first two holes, in fact, are framed by “Torreys,” as the locals call the unique evergreen that adorns its logo and most importantly is distinct to the immediate slice of the California coast. Then comes that stunningly picturesque third, a downhill Par 3 that from the tee, appears to have the back of the green tumble right into the Pacific. Throughout your day — we navigated on foot, another bonus as the courses are eminently walkable which adds to the purity of the experience — you’ll see para gliders soaring off the cliffs from the adjacent Torrey Pines Gliderport, another “Insta” moment.
Though both courses get air time during the annual January PGA Tour stop, the South is the more renowned of the two and certainly the most challenging. Designed originally by William Bell Sr. in the 1950s, the South was redone in both 2001 and 2019 by renowned modern architect, Rees Jones.
The result is a course that can stretch beyond 7,800 yards for the best players in the world with more playable distances available for all skill levels. Despite the ocean’s omnipresence, water only comes into play once at Torrey South — and that’s at the 18th where the famed Devlin’s Billabong guards the final green. Like any of the world’s must-play layouts, the South leaves the golf trip junkie wanting more.
And plenty awaits a short drive north. Though Torrey Pines may be the jewel of the public player experience in the region, the San Diego-north-to-Carlsbad stretch offers a terrific tourist experience for visitors — on and beyond the golf course. “When people think of San Diego, they think of SeaWorld and the Gaslamp district downtown but they don’t realize how it’s a fantastic golf market,” Stephens says.
“There’s a golf course that hosts a PGA event and the U.S. Open, there’s Aviara, which has hosted the LPGA, and then you have La Costa, which has hosted more than 30 PGA events.
” And then there are major headquarters of three titans of golf equipment all located in Carlsbad: TaylorMade, Titleist, and Callaway. “I really think it’s a golf mecca,” Stephens said. “It’s a fantastic place to come year-round.
You never need to worry about weather here. People think of Scottsdale (Arizona) and South Carolina and Florida, but this really is a wonderful golf market.” We took advantage of a handful of those layouts on our mini tour, standalone golf stops well worth adding to your itinerary.
The championship layout at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort was a treat on its own, the only San Diego-area course designed by the late, great Arnold Palmer. The resort golf experience here was top notch from arrival, to tee time, to superb conditioning throughout. Billed as a coastal layout — you can see the Pacific in the distance — Aviara’s most prominent postcard moments are the elite conditioning and the landscaped California wildflowers that spectacularly pop on a number of holes.
The Par 72 layout, that can be stretched just north of 7,000 yards, has been a regular host of LPGA Tour stops and offers a top-notch resort golf experience. There is an even deeper big tournament pedigree at the nearby Omni La Costa Resort and Spa, the longtime home of the now gone Tournament of Champions. Billed as the unofficial Super Bowl of Golf from 1969 through 1998, the event featured players who won a PGA Tour event that season and over the years saw greats of the game win at La Costa — from Woods and Phil Mickelson to Gary Player and Tom Watson.
The championship legacy is being renewed after a redesign to what is now known as the North Course at La Costa as the new home to the NCAA Championships. An extensive revamp under the direction of renowned architect Gil Hanse will return some shine to the historic layout and iconic resort. For our money, the stretch of California from downtown San Diego north is one of the best vacation destinations in the U.
S.. From Pacific Beach to La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff, Encinitas and finally Carlsbad, the full-on Cali experience awaits.
Carlsbad Village is certainly a must stop — with its shops, restaurants and beaches and is a good entry point for the North County stops. Whether it’s high-end restaurants, beach bars or a vibrant craft beer scene, there are options and variety aplenty. Some personal faves: The Pizza Port (locations in Carlsbad, Solana Beach among them) for outstanding pie and fresh brewed pints and the craft offerings at the Burgeon Beer company in Carlsbad.
There are any number of iconic beach bars in the area, such as the legendary hangout, The Shanty in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. As cliche as it may sound, don’t miss an opportunity to tuck into a fish taco or three at any number of stops along the coast. San Diego is the unofficial U.
S. home of the surfer style food that made its entry point into California here from Baja, Mexico to the south. rlongley@postmedia.
com.
