The Land of Dreams, Torrey Pines

Torrey Pines is a bucket list course. It should be visited and played by every serious golfer or golf fan. It is a destination that has always been on my short list and was  fortunate to have a chance to play there this past March.  Torrey Pines is a short drive due North from downtown San Diego. From the San Diego airport it is door to door around 30 minute drive. During our visit, we traveled south coming in from north of the Los Angeles area. The last few minutes of the drive were truly spectacular as we crossed a long flat stretch of Pacific Coast highway and climbed up past Torrey Pines State Park and onto the property. 

Shoreline views from Torrey Pines State Park which sits adjacent to  the Torrey Pines golf course property

The property sits on rugged cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, majestic is an understatement.  California is known for it's pleasant weather and clear days which holds true for the San Diego area. We arrived at the property right around dusk and had the opportunity to explore the grounds for a few minutes with the remaining daylight. We were treated to grand first views with a sunset over the two golf courses and Pacific Ocean.  

First view of Torrey Pines came at sunset, truly a sight to behold

During our visit we stayed on property for a night at The Lodge and it was an excellent choice. The Lodge at Torrey Pines is a five star experience. The nightly rates are expensive, but you get what you pay for. The lodge has a wonderful rustic feel, as you enter  it's as if you've stepped into a cabin in the woods with high ceilings and a fire cracking in the background. The staff was attentive and the rooms were spacious and well done, I could have not played golf the next day and been truly content. Well, that may be a stretch. 

The Lodge at Torrey Pines is well worth the stay if you are in the San Diego area

Torrey Pines is home to two golf courses the North and the South course. The South Course is longer and more difficult than the North Course. The South Course has  also hosted two US Open's, 2008 and most recently 2021. The 2008 US Open is regarded of one of the great Opens of all time. Tiger Woods won a gritty performance in a Monday playoff against Roco Mediate. The most impressive part of Tiger's victory was the state in which he did it playing on basically one leg with two stress fractures and a torn ACL. As I wrote that I had to try and stop and try and comprehend it, and it is difficult. In addition to the two majors, Torrey hosts a annual PGA tournament with the Farmers Insurance Open which utilizes both courses throughout the four day tournament.

Torrey is a municipal course and one of the finest in the country.  A 2021 Golf.com ranking listed had it at number 5 behind courses like Beth Page Black and Chambers Bay. The course is very accessible, residents of San Diego are able to play for very affordable rates and can play either course between $50 and $70. I paid around $220 for non-resident green fees. Torrey gets a lot of traffic, the South Course gets around 92,000 rounds per year played.

I had a mid morning tee time  on the North Course and was up bright and early hours before I teed off. This gave me plenty of time to further explore the grounds and observe the course operations.  The tee time process at Torrey Pines is a fine tuned machine. The pro shop sits in the front center of the property with easy access to holes 1, 10, and 18 for the North and South course. Golfers are asked to report in ahead of their scheduled tee time. A loud speaker echoing across the outside of  the pro shop announces each tee time and also calls out golfers who have not showed for their tee times. There is a wait list and if a golfer does not show, the spot is quickly filled. I did not see any groups go out with less than four people.  The 92.000 rounds annual rounds on the South Course makes sense now.  Once I hear Markham called over the loud speaker, it was time to give it a go.

The North Course has five tee boxes. The blacks are listed as permission only and carry 7,258 yards. I played the middle green tees which play 6,343 yards. The front nine opens with two straight forward but long par fours providing early tests with long iron approach shots without a sizeable drive off the tee. 

The first hole opens with a long straightforward par 4

The par 3 third is another straight forward hole that provides the first distant views of the Pacific Ocean in the background and a small taste of things to come on the back nine. I found the front nine to be a very solid opening nine but did not think there was any standout or memorable holes I would find myself pondering over ten years later. The ocean views were very limited as holes four through nine stretch more inland and finish back by the clubhouse.  I finished the par 5th ninth with a birdie which was a nice way to head to the back nine.  From everything I had heard and read, I knew the front nine really sets up  to a spectacular back nine holes which offers expanding views of the Pacific and plays closer to the high cliff ledges that Torrey Pines was built.  

The back nine opens with a  506 yard par 5. From the tee box, you can see the blue of the Pacific in the distance. A good tee shot carries over a small hill and you are left with the first special view of the round. This is also the first hole where you have to deal with paragliders which gleam their  way across the outskirts of the course over the Pacific and provide for a memorable approach shot.

Pristine views and a paraglider overhead for approach shot on the par 5 10th

The 11th hole is a short uphill par four. Big hitters may be able to reach the green or come close with an accurate tee shot. Even a wayward tee shot leaves you with a fairly reasonable approach shot, I managed to miss left and find the sand.  The par three twelfth ended up being one of my favorite holes on the course. The hole is a moderate in length par three  which requires carry over a ravine. I hit a shot right at the pin that for about 5-10 seconds after the ball landed and disappeared the thought of a hole in one solidified in my mind.  Even some of my playing partners thought the same.  As I walked to the side of a tee box my shoulders slumped as I saw the ball about 8 feet to the right of the pin. As it would have it, I missed my birdie put.

A near hole in one turned into a missed birdie put on the par 3 12th hole

The thirteenth is a slightly uphill par long par four where staying right to avoid out of bounds on the right. The fourteenth starts in what my mind was my favorite three hole stretch on the golf course.  A dog left par which requires a blind tee shot and then carries back downhill with more ocean views. After your approach shot, the anticipation really starts to build as you approach the signature hole on the golf course. 

An uphill walk carriers you to what I would say is the most spectacular golf hole I have ever played. The tee box looking down provides truly spectacular views of the Pacific and in the distance the surrounding La Jolla and San Diego area.  It was truly majestic overwhelmingly visual golf hole, in a way it did not even feel real. Looking back at the picture, it does it justice in some regard to the true beauty and design of the hole,  but is a golf hole that can only be taken fully  if played. I pulled my tee shot to the left of the green and the green side bunker. The pin was placed towards the front right of the green and I was able to roll a nice chip down close and walk away with a par. 

The signature hole of Torrey Pines North, the par 3 15th, a unforgettable golf hole

 The sixteenth hole carries to another breathtaking view with a uphill dog right. The tips are way up a hill providing a great panoramic view of the surrounding property and peers down right over the ocean. I backed up a nice par with a triple bogey.  Seventeen is a manageable par five followed by a long par four to wrap up the North Course.

Views from the uphill dog right par 4 16th

 It was a spectacular round of golf. The views and temperatures were as nice as you could ask for in a round as a cool crisp morning lead to a warm southern California day with a blue sky that seemed to stretch for miles.  While it wasn't my most crisp round, it really doesn't matter in a place like this.

Torrey Pines is a special place. So much to take and and reflect on from around a twenty period hour in the property: The Lodge, the dinning, the accessibility of the course to the public, the world class golf,  world class views, the majesty of the par 3 15th,  perfect temperatures, paragliders in view on approach shots, and laid back California vibes. Having only played one of the two on site courses, I now have the perfect excuse to return.