These include the ocean view, the shipyards, and the Coronado bridge. The course offers a good challenge, with one of the toughest holes being the par-3 seventeenth hole. The other pluses are a super-friendly shop staff and a sweeping panorama of surrounding hills and vineyards. San Diego Golf Courses. However, over time the total number of courses has risen to 72, and among these, there are many which are exceptional. Large oaks, small greens, and barrancas everywhere you look, easy to walkbut enticingly dangerous to play from the rear tees. Ravines, barrancas, and small glimpses of the Pacific through the dense vegetation lull you into a complacent reverie if you're not careful. There are no homes in play on the course, the practice facility is top notch and the clubhouse is efficiently sized compared to some of the more opulent area clubs but has a solid restaurant menu for lunch or dinner with many local beers. Youll have to be very careful approaching the green as there is a pond very close by. The Grand also features an enormous clubhouse with top amenities and a plush practice area with bunkers, chipping green and a double-ended range. Let's take a look at the best public and private golf courses San Diego has to offer. That's the hardest shot in golf, the 40-yard bunker shot, because you can skull it over the green or catch it fat." The 14th hole, left, and 10th hole, right, of the Torrey Pines South Course . A longtime host of the LPGA's Kia Classic, it's a favorite stay-and-play experience for couples when combined with the newly renovated Park Hyatt Aviara Resort. Fairways are tight, greens are tiny, bunkers are difficultclassic in every wayand the terrain imparts a majestic solitude in places. It weaves you through a wind-swept forest one minute and flings you out by crashing surf the next. Yale Golf Course New Haven (No. Like its sister course, the North is a gem, with spectacular views and immaculate conditioning. The Mountain West provided a taste of madness as No. The little negative feedback received stems from course construction, where temporary holes were created to make up the numbers. In the golf course building boom of the past two decades, monster courses (under the guise of the "PGA championship" moniker) were built faster than $600,000 tract houses in San Diego County. Reset Search Filter. The Aviara course features unusually large greens. Pelican Hill Golf ClubPelican Hill aficionados like to say that this Newport Coast club, featuring a pair of spectacular Tom Fazio layouts, is southern California's answer to Pebble Beach. And because it's a members-only club, the pace of play tends to be superb. For dinner, to briefly escape Pebble's madding crowds, consider a 25-mile jaunt down Highway 1 to Big Sur's magnificent restaurant Cielo (at the venerable Ventana Inn). Costa del Mar Road, Carlsbad; 760-438-9111; www.lacosta.com. When you call to make your reservation, our staff will ask the number of players in your group and the day and time you would like to play. There is a collection of reputable San Diego golf resorts, but the municipal roster is also one of the best in the country. 12. Opened in 1991 before the Ryder Cupand dubbed Looney Dunes for the mishaps therethe Ocean Course has the highest combination of Slope Rating (155) and Course Rating (79.6) in America. From here you can expect frequent elevation changes which will test your skills. Today the best of the desert are still La Quinta and PGA West, 13 miles southeast of Palm Springs, featuring a bevy of designer courses by Dye, Palmer, Nicklaus, Weiskopf, and Norman that will knock your socks off. Overlooking the Batiquitos Lagoon just a hundred yards or so from the Pacific Ocean, the course moves up and down hills and around seven lakes, presenting an unforgettable variety of lies and scenery. Always in top condition, and with newly redone greens, RBI is fairly open and short (6,587 yards from the back), which makes it a great option if you're traveling with less experienced players, yet it's challenging enough for mid- to low- handicappers. The greens are in great shape, and the course demands a nice variety of shots, including a few blind ones and uphill approaches. Originally, the construction team mistakenly doubled the size of the front nine greens. . This is most apparent on the front 9 which are not up to the conditions we would expect of such a course. Cypress Point Golf Club in Pebble Beach, Calif., and the Los Angeles Country Club were selected by Billionaire.com as two of the 10 most exclusive golf courses in the world . About National City. The pros have moved on but it nevertheless has a bright future. Rancho Santa Fe Golf ClubAlthough it's a members-only club, guests of the plush Rancho Santa Fe Inn have access after 1 p.m. There are also a handful of highly reputable military golf courses. Coronado Golf Course. Designed in 1975 by William Bell Sr, Torrey Pines South is the most famous San Diego golf course. It is pretty level, very few bunkers, and mostly short fairways, it is perfect for someone just wanting to hit a few. The hardest San Diego county golf course is Torrey Pines. The San Diego golf directory includes golf courses from San Marcos, Escondido, Carlsbad, and 22 other cities or towns. 300 Finley Road, San Francisco; 415-561-4653; www.presidiogolf.com. Goat Hill Park, Oceanside. 3. Designed by Gary Player, its plain to see from the above photo that the Steel Canyon golf course is highly photogenic. Signature Hole: 18th hole which is 421 yards. This is scenic resort golf at its best, and an undeniably luxury experience from start to finish. 3. 5. PGA West (TPC Stadium Course) Designed by Pete Dye to be the toughest golf course in the world, this Palm Springs area legend is actually hacker fun. Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate here back in 2008. Explore the surrounding area to find 29 courses, 36 leagues, and 7 stores. But the course almost straddles the state line, and from the Golden State golf junkie's point of view it deserves to be mentioned with the best of its neighbor to the west. Here is what's new and the best ones to consider to improve your golf. Getting up close and personal with North Americas alpha predator. June 22, 2020. Pasatiempo Golf ClubIf you sense an unapologetic predisposition toward "classic" courses, you're quite correct and need look no further than this sweet masterwork of subtle design, which is right on your way from the San Francisco Airport to the courses of Monterey. Rounds also include a forecaddie. This story was published before Summer 2021, when we launched our new digital experience. Reset Search Filter . May 5, 2021. Amateur qualifying rounds have been held here. The Iconic Torrey Pines Golf CoursesHome of the 2008 and 2021 US Open.Make This Bucket List Dream Come TrueWe have been booking tee times at Torrey Pines since 1992. Aug. 12, 2014 8 AM PT. For prestige and beauty, it's hard to beat Torrey Pines, site of the epic 2008 U.S. Open (which Tiger Woods won on a broken leg) and the future site of the championship . Players are treated to views of the bay, the marina, the Sand Diego skyline and the historic Hotel del Coronado. The par 3s are particularly strong, offering a great variety and one of the toughest holes on the course, the par-3 17th, which can play as long as 242 yards over water. Fazio used his signature bunkering to frame holes and protect greens. If not, expect to pay a premium for green fees. Asheboro, N.C. Yardage: 6,543| Slope/Rating: 138/72.5. Signature Hole: 16th hole which is a par 3. The technical challenge comes from large, intrusive pine and oak trees that pinch fairways tightlyand make straight driving a must. Cinnabar Hills Golf ClubA newcomer to the San Jose area, this engaging two-year-old 27-hole public course has quickly become the pride of the Silicon Valley golf scene. The course was formerly featured in the Farmers Insurance Open which speaks to its pedigree. Steele Canyon Golf Course, located in San Diego, is only one of three San Diego County golf courses to have been awarded a prestigious Four . The Canyon-Ranch nines have the most appeal to visitors, so try and get that routing when you book (the Vineyard nine is dominated by housing corridors). The course is open for both La Costa club members and guests. A respite at the Resort at Paws Up in Greenough, Montana, thats equal parts rugged and relaxing. Carlsbad golf center. On the South, the PGA Tour pros have put together a combined score of 201 over par. The club is a quick ride away from the airport, making it a great opening or closing round to a golf trip. Healthy rough and narrow fairways put a premium on a long, straight tee ball. The script is completely flipped when we look at scores on the South Course. This will be even more pronounced in tomorrow's slate, with winds looking to be brutal as the day progresses. 18. 50-200 Vista Bonita, La Quinta; 800-598-3828. 55-955 PGA Boulevard, La Quinta; 800-742-9378. It is also one of the hardest golf courses in the world to get a tee time. Couples in the mood to splurge would probably put a peaceful stay-and-play here at the top of this list. The course is an easy walk, and it is also an excellent place to rub elbows with local residents and members. Ignore the help and play this gem with your bag on your shoulder. Greens fees: $55-$60. Learn all about disc golf in San Diego. 8. Behind is a beautiful man-made waterfall. Some say it borders on the unfair, like most stadium courses, which are designed to inflict maximum pain on the pros and entertain mere mortal spectators at golf tournaments. 10 Best SoCal Golf Courses. So much of this, fair . The emphasis is clearly on your short-game skills, with approaches over water and handsome bunkering that force you to think hard before you pull the trigger, and menacingly sloped putting surfaces that can make you three-putt in the blink of an eye. 3200 Lopez Road, Pebble Beach; 831-625-2035. Long ranked as one of the premier courses in the United States, The Glass, as locals sometimes call it, can smoothly slit your throat within the first five holes, the loveliest opening stretch in American golf, I sometimes think. Green fees: $119-149, Highly scenic and relatively affordable golf awaits east of San Diego in Jamul. 17. Believed to be more . Visit website. Graveyard of the Champions. words by Sophie Mancini, illustration by ahonen & lamberg. Greens fees: $85-$125. Golf was meant to be an Everyman game, and at Torrey Pines that's the name of the game. Gil Hanse has been tapped to extensively renovate the property prior to the 2024 NCAA Men's and Women's National Championships. Operated by the military since the 1950s, the Presidio Club is now a public facility ably managed by the Arnold Palmer Golf Management Company, with particular attention paid to customer service and course maintenance. More recently, renovation commenced on the course in November of 2022. PGA West: Guest greens fees $50-$205. Built in the late 1920s and host site of the original Bing Crosby Pro-Am from 1937 to 1941, this elegant Max Behr course, a tribute to design economy, should be played for reasons of charm and history alonebut it doesn't lack for challenge. Pebble, like St. Andrews, is for true peers of the game. For any golfer, even the top 100 courses in the world are difficult to play. This will be welcome news for many, as some reviews noted that the upkeep of the course had slipped a little. Or cruise north and visit stops like the great vibe at Goat Hill Park in Oceanside or 27-hole Oaks North (near Maderas). I never play The Glass wellbut I also never miss an opportunity to play it. The course conditioning was spectacular when I visited; I wished I had more time to play the attractive Lake course as well. Racing legend Derek Bell discusses the life skills required to get behind the wheel. Several of the holes on the back nine are inspired (especially 14 through 17), and you'd better not count on achieving your handicap on this closing run. And urban golfers have several great options just minutes from downtown. In our GolfPass World Top 100 Destinations, it's no surprise San Diego ranks highly. Torrey Pines, South Course - San Diego, CA. Incline Village Golf ResortChampionship CourseOkay, okayit's in Nevada. Also, in several cases, a golf course will be listed as a redesign or remodel by Dye, rather than as an original design. . Spyglass Hill Road, Pebble Beach; 831-625-8563; www.pebblebeach.com. For prestige and beauty, it's hard to beat Torrey Pines, site of the epic 2008 U.S. Open (which Tiger Woods won on a broken leg) and the future site of the championship, in 2021. Golf Courses. Just grip and rip, and enjoy the lovely view and the deer that come out to watch at dusk. Big names such as Golf Digest, Golf Advisor, and Golf Week all consider it to be one of the top courses in the country. The total package here, highlighted by Fazio's delightful shaping of rugged terrain and generous playing corridors, along with lots of beautification on the perimeter, sets the standard for San Diego resort golf. Nicknamed the Parachute, this is a 450-yard par 4 hole that has a tonne of elevation from the tee. The Bayonet is long and difficult, and a must-play course while you're waiting for your tee time at Pebble. Get exclusive tee times deals in San Diego! Players describe the course as affordable and challenging. Phoenix-Scottsdale Golf Courses Worth The Green Fee, Sanctuary Golf Course: Colorados Most Elusive Round Of Golf. San Francisco GC San Francisco (No. 4. USE OF AND/OR REGISTRATION ON ANY PORTION OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OURVISITOR AGREEMENT(UPDATED 1/6/23),PRIVACY AND COOKIES NOTICE(UPDATED 1/4/23) ANDCALIFORNIA PRIVACY NOTICE. The first nine features tight fairways, lots of mounding, and greens that can fool you every time, while the prettier and even tougher back nine, rising more than 350 feet from the valley floor, features some of the most dramatic elevated tee shots in all of California. 10. As a guest, you can book your sessions up to 60 days before your intended visit date to secure a spot. Each has its own unique look and feel which helps to provide a nice rounded playing experience. December 07, 2011 . 7. Torrey Pines South Course. Top 20 Best San Diego Golf Courses. Located just minutes from downtown San Diego, Coronado Golf Course is a great pick if you are looking for a public golf course. The Greg Nash-designed Crossings at Carlsbad, for example, is an upscale municipal, that features views of both the mountains and Pacific. The longest golf course in the world at 8,548 yards, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain includes a 711-yard par-five (and two more that measure over 680 yards), a 525-yard par-four and a 270-yard par-three. A pair of challenging courses awaits players at TPC San Antonio, with the 7,400-yard Oaks Course co-designed by golf icons Greg Norman and Sergio Garcia being the more sinister sibling. Pebble Beach or Cypress Hill on a windy day? Given its frequent usage at the top level, it should come as no surprise that its a difficult course to play. Greens fees: $225-$250. As you may recall from our previous study, Ohio has the best golfers, but since its absence from the Top 20 for difficulty suggests its courses could be of below average difficulty. It was created by William P. Bell and is located on a peninsula, with 18 holes total. But it's earned high praise on GolfPass over the years from golfers who make the drive and find great value and tranquility on a sublime desert design by Tom Fazio. The staff are friendly, the course is always in great condition, and the sites will keep you well-engaged even during slower periods. Greens fees: $110-$130 (includes cart). They made the top 10 list of the most exclusive clubs globally. Built into the canyons of Balboa Park, the course is challenging and fun. The turf is always hard and seemingly unwatered, but that's half the charm of the place. Top 50 toughest golf courses in the U.S. - Golf Advisor. Torrey Pines South, home of the 2008 and 2021 US Open, is on everyone's list. The coursea walker's paradise roams just 6,500 yards up and down the lovely eucalyptus-covered hills of the Presidio, but dramatic elevation changes, smallish greens, and narrow fairways make it a much sterner challenge than it appears on the card. Perhaps all discussions of best golf courses in San Diego, however, start with one of the countrys most storied municipals, Torrey Pines Golf Course, designed by William F. Bell and later renovated by Rees Jones. Pine Glen Golf Course. Do not expect to be dazzled by either the amenities or the staff at this longtime site of the Buick Invitational and favorite of local son Phil Mickelson. The next door North Course, recently renovated by Tom Weiskopf, is more playable than the demanding South, but nevertheless splits duty each year as a host the towns yearly PGA Tour event, the Farmers Insurance Open. The good resort value, homes-free setting and option to add an 18-hole par-3 course afterwards makes this a top-10 area pick. Many claim Maderas Golf Club has the best views of any course in the area. Written By: SoCalPulse Contributor. You won't soon forget it. If you're not awestruck by major championship courses, or aren't in the mood for a supreme ball-striking examination, you may not feel compelled to pay the non-resident, advanced tee time premium for a round, but enough golfers are, and wage battle with the South gladly. Player sentiment toward this course is very high. If you do, youll have a difficult pitching shot to make the green. Its the only Arnold Palmer design in the area, but this course is as much botanical garden as it is golf. 20. In 2020, Golf Pass ranked Old American as the second toughest public golf course in the United States, after a survey of thousands of its users. 8), and a tough finishing holea dogleg par 4 that wraps around water. At 6,590 yards, the course is long enough for big hitters, and fairly open. The Olympic Club (Lake), San Francisco . Hasn't happened yet, but I'll keep trying. This is probably the hardest course in San Diego with amazing vistas. But aside from a similar bluffside setting and its championship tee yardage, the North is very dissimilar from its notorious next door neighbor. While Departures is owned by American Express, the content is independently written by third party writers and creators. One of the ultimate municipal golf experiences in the United States, Torrey Pines South is a big and brawny PGA Tour and U.S. Open venue. Too bad Ralph didn't play golf, because the same can be said of golf in the Golden State: It is plentiful, wonderful, and remarkably varied, ranging from $12 goat farms with world-class views of the Pacific to the most elite public course in the world, Pebble Beach. From U.S. Open venues to ocean-view resorts and courses with spectacular elevated tees, the best golf courses in San Diego area hasyou covered. This Troon-managed upscale daily-fee facility is a top-flight canyon course with a nice mix of long and short holes in lush desert surroundings. Highway 1; 707-785-2468; www.searanchvillage.com. The Legends is a spacious, open layout that provides just the right level of difficulty for a range of abilities. 11480 North Torrey Pines Road. The front nine unfolds with a true links flavor, offering narrow fairways and few flat lies, while the home march leads you very nearly into the marsh itself. Coronado Golf Course. Golfers can choose from a wide variety of portable launch monitor price points and user experiences. The challenging course demands long and short tee shots, a refined short game, and superb . Greens fees are a bargain too: $42-$57. 22 San Diego State sucked the life out of New . Torrey Pines (South Course) Southern California has a well-deserved reputation as one of the best golf destinations in the country. Greens fee for guests: $155. Narrowing down ten of the best San Diego golf courses, not to mention sorting them into any order, isn't easy. For many golfers, the fact it was the stage for the incredible Tiger-Rocco duel of 2008 is reason enough to make the trip to San Diego (I have a relative who had to book a round on the South while in town despite hardly ever playing golf before. Ultimate Value: The best season to play golf in San Diego, The Grand Golf Club at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, has been tapped to extensively renovate the property, Ask GolfPass: Best public golf courses in Naples, A stronger, healthier 2022 golf game starts now, Equipment Report: The 2021 Holiday edition has eyes on these Black Friday golf deals, The best portable launch monitors for golf, Civilians welcome at these top accessible military golf courses, 7 up-and-coming women's golf apparel brands, Golf's newest collectable: custom logoed tees, Golfzon Leadbetter Academy opens at Reunion Resort outside Orlando, What golf's 'Patio-gate' episode of 2023 reveals about the limits of change in a centuries-old obsession. 9. . It can play as long as almost 250 yards over water. The Willow Glen and Oak Glen courses are fairly similar in quality and style, but if you only have time for one round, Willow Glen has a few more standout, picturesque holes. I've spent two decades doing it, and here's my highly subjective top 25 picks of places you simply shouldn't miss: 1. Park Hyatt Resort Aviara (home of the LPGA Kia Classic), the Troon managed Maderas Golf Course, the JC Resorts group of courses: Rancho Bernardo Inn, Encinitas Ranch and others, Singing Hills Golf Resort at Sycuan, Steele Canyon and The Crossings are but a few of the newly created or redesigned upscale daily fee resort courses now available to . The Coronado Golf Course is one of the most popular golf courses in San Diego making its first opening in 1957. Ranked 5th in the U.S. by Golf Digest, theres a lot to like about Coronado. San Francisco 49ers. Par: 72. Just down the road from La Costa is Aviara Golf Club at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort. All rights reserved. Though the resort seems to be constantly battling the fatigue factor, skipping this terrific Dick Wilson-Joe Lee jewel would be a big mistake. Greens feature old-style shoulders that place a premium on approach shots, and the bunkering here can be murderous. stands Mission Trails Golf Course, 6,000 yards, par 71 . A tour of Phil Mickelson's San Diego, where just about everybody has a Phil tale. Built on the Barona Indian Reservation in 2001, Barona Creek was designed by Todd Eckenrode, who really did craft the course around all handicap levels. And finally, there are some municipal courses with coastal views that fly under the radar a bit. Spread out on 380 acres in the hills north of San Diego, a little over 5 miles from Torrey Pines, the layout dips and climbs through Los Penasquitos Canyon, where Fazio let nature take its course. Bay Hill's par 3s might be the toughest on Tour (and they have a huge impact on the Arnold Palmer Invitational) Jason Lusk. You can try your hand at this challenging . Designed by renowned golf architect Tom Fazio, it is the only course of his making in San Diego. Its courses are famous the world over for their lush greenery, dramatic oceanside vistas, majestic elevation changes and nearly perfect . The pilgrims keep coming in droves, and the answer is an unequivocal "yes." What started as a simple passion project to make fun golf videos of amazing courses has taken us to place. A tricky downhill par 3. Mike and I started this journey in January of 2017. Every facet of the game seemed to get more difficult. Phone: 858-581-7171 or. The Pines (The International Golf Club & Resort: Bolton, Mass.) CNN calls it the second-toughest golf course in the entire world and PGA Tour professionals have called "Carnasty" the . Licking your wounds on the patio of the Lodge at Torrey Pines with dinner and drinks at sunset is a worthy consolation prize no matter your score. Weiskopf, known for his short par 4s, built some of the world's best public and resort courses. Arrowood; Aviara; Coronado; Cross Creek; Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake; Encinitas Ranch; La Costa; Maderas; Mt Woodson; Pala Mesa; Rancho Bernardo Inn; Riverwalk; Steele Canyon; Singing Hills; Temecula Creek Golf Club; The Crossings at Carlsbad; Twin Oaks; Vineyard; San Diego Golf Trail . Greens fees: $70-$96 (includes cart). Which of course means that, at its best, Illinois wasn't at its best, and in trying to find what its best should be, it's had to experience its worst. San Diego rivals Orlando as having the best short course metro area in the U.S. You can play La Loma, a par-3 course right near the airport, or night golf at Mission Bay, a par 58 near downtown. Omni La Costa Resort & Spa (Champions Course) Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Course. Torrey Pines North, extensively renovated in 2016 by Tom Weiskopf, co-hosts the first two rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open with the South Course. Carved through the pine-covered Sierras at a top altitude of 6,500 feet, featuring tight tree-bordered fairways, beautiful turf, and glorious occasional glimpses of nearby Lake Tahoe, this "mountain" golf course became one of my favorites the first day I played it. Marked by staggered and stacked bunkering and tight fairways lined with mature trees, it plays more than 7,000 yards from the tips. A former local, who discovered her deep love for food and hospitality in this Our editors weigh in on their most satisfying dining experiences.