Playing just 6,339 from the back tees, Del Monte's luscious fairways and greens and directional bunkering give you a blissful break from the nerve-racking accuracy required at places such as Spyglass and The Links at Spanish Bay. 4) Admiral Baker Golf Course (North) - San Diego, CA - 17 minutes from city center - Part of the Metro SD golf courses, Admiral Baker offers two 18 hole courses that are a perfect place to refine your game or even get introduced to the fundamentals. The course was built in 1921 by William Bell of Torrey Pines fame, and Sam Snead still holds the course record. Though technically in San Diego County, Rams Hill Golf Club in Borrego Springs is in no man's land: about two hours from San Diego airport and about 90 minutes from Palm Springs. It was created by William P. Bell and is located on a peninsula, with 18 holes total. With huge undulating greens and generous landing areas that tempt the long player to go for broke, you'd think lugs like me would fall instantly in love with this extremely popular golf course. By contrast, Dye's La Quinta Mountain Course, in 1992 the site of the California State Open, and the slightly gentler adjacent Dunes Course are frequently rated by pros and superintendents as two of the fairest tests in the state. Pasatiempo's only snags can be slow play, due to the course's growing popularity, and a somewhat indifferent attitude in the pro shop. Aug. 12, 2014 8 AM PT. The Lodge has never looked better, and the new Casa Palmero Spa is nonpareil for soulful pampering after or before a round. The landscape is very hilly making shots a lot more difficult than they look at face value. Nicknamed the Parachute, this is a 450-yard par 4 hole that has a tonne of elevation from the tee. Earlier this season, the Lobos swept CSU Bakersfield 8-2 and 10-3, and split with . Learn more about Coronado Golf Course. You could spend a lifetime collecting perfect golf experiences here. You can also visit the Official Torrey Pines Golf Course website. This will be even more pronounced in tomorrow's slate, with winds looking to be brutal as the day progresses. The San Diego golf directory includes golf courses from San Marcos, Escondido, Carlsbad, and 22 other cities or towns. 15. Bay Hill's par 3s might be the toughest on Tour (and they have a huge impact on the Arnold Palmer Invitational) Jason Lusk. The experience is certainly grand at this exclusive Tom Fazio design that's open only to resort guests and members. San Diego is a sublime year-round golf season, but course conditions and overall ratings vary greatly month to month. 8), and a tough finishing holea dogleg par 4 that wraps around water. Words by T. Cole Rachel, Photography by Yagazie Emezi and Joshua Sanchez. Torrey Pines (South Course) Southern California has a well-deserved reputation as one of the best golf destinations in the country. Lane, Hall of Fame boxing referee, dies at 85. Just 25 minutes north of downtown, RBI, as its known to locals, is a gracious, Spanish-style resort. Pacific Grove Municipal Golf LinksFinally, the true "poor man's Pebble," a thoroughly engaging muni linkslands, set on a priceless hook of rock in view of the more famous (and expensive) courses of the Monterey Peninsula, and designed by Jack Neville, the same man who created Pebble Beach Golf Links. These include the ocean view, the shipyards, and the Coronado bridge. It's immensely popular and can host over 80,000 rounds annually, so its conditions might be a step below top resort courses, but the setting and enjoyable layout more than make up for it. 131 reviews of Balboa Park Golf Course "Balboa Park Golf Course is a true muni gem. 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. Its no secret that San Diego has arguably the best weather for golf in the continental United States. The Grove is an absolute joy to play. Rancho Carlsbad Golf Course. Maintenance has improved markedly in recent years, as word of this course has leaked out, and the greens can be lightning fast. 1 Old Ranch Road, Carmel; 831-626-2510. It's always busy, so call early for a tee time. There is sharp disparity in green fees from the resident muni rates to high-end resort golf. And urban golfers have several great options just minutes from downtown. One of San Diego County's most dramatic golf course settings, Mt Woodson Golf Club is set amidst towering ancient oaks, huge granite boulders and sparkling lakes. Golf Digest course panelists comment on America's 20 toughest golf courses. Course conditioning has improved dramatically in recent years, and greens fees are a bargain: $27-$37. It can play as long as almost 250 yards over water. Don't worry, we can get you one. The other pluses are a super-friendly shop staff and a sweeping panorama of surrounding hills and vineyards. Admiral Baker features 36 holes and is open to civilians. What started as a simple passion project to make fun golf videos of amazing courses has taken us to place. . Torrey Pines South, home of the 2008 and 2021 US Open, is on everyone's list. At 6,590 yards, the course is long enough for big hitters, and fairly open. Each has its own unique look and feel which helps to provide a nice rounded playing experience. Greens fees are a bargain too: $42-$57. What they're saying: "The elevation changes off the tee box are dramatic as you fire your tee shot through a chute of trees to generous fairways that seem to funnel the ball into play." - StoicGolfer. Notice the amount of green AM tee times. Steele Canyon is a 27-hole facility designed by Gary Player that has a mix of low-lying holes around a vineyard and some that play dramatically high up into the hillsides and offer some marvelous scenery. 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. PGA West: Guest greens fees $50-$205. June 22, 2020. Answer (1 of 6): I don't think you can name one single course that is hardest at all times. Presidio Golf Club. Book a Tee Time at National City Golf Course. Torrey Pines offers a good value if you have a San Diego city resident card. There are also a handful of highly reputable military golf courses. As a venue that often holds competitions, it has a noticeably higher skill requirement than most other courses in San Diego. This previously private, member-built classic that dates back to 1895 is a must-play for any golf enthusiast or student of classic design and club architecture. Northwood Golf ClubWhile you are loitering on the Sonoma coast you have to check this outa true artifact of golf history. Torrey Pines South Course. Every facet of the game seemed to get more difficult. An idyllic Caribbean retreat, the perfect weekender bag, a divine Basque tavern Yankee sage Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that California's superiority came from its abundance of glorious daysit had more of them, in fact, than anyplace else. 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. #1 HARDEST COURSE EVER MADE! How to book a Torrey Pines tee time, Honorable mentions: San Diego's short course scene. 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. 4h Mike Coppinger. Not all of the best golf courses in San Diego are within view of the coast, however. 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. 12. Dr. Alister Mackenzie, a military expert in the art of camouflage and the famed architect of Augusta National and Cypress Point Club, wrought something truly wonderful at Pasatiempo: a smallish (just 6,400 yards) golf course that plays like anything but, meandering up and down gentle hills, with fairways cinched by huge trees and nearly perfect greens. Barona Creek is another course that doesnt need the ocean to be great. 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. Its one of the most beautiful on the course and versatile in its club selection. To many, this will be advantageous over some of the more isolated courses. It has earned a reputation as arguably the best value golf course in America, but scoring a tee time here isn't easy. 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. Fairways are framed magnificently by large eucalyptus trees, and the greens can be extremely fast on a summer day. Greens fee for guests: $155. It spans 350 acres and has plenty of undulation. But that's what makes it fun. I never play The Glass wellbut I also never miss an opportunity to play it. 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. Racing legend Derek Bell discusses the life skills required to get behind the wheel. 21. San Diego's 1st call for Casino Party's since 1993. read more. 10. Nonetheless, its a must-try for avid golfers. Green fees: $250-275. Green fees: Dynamic, $159-229, Set in the luxurious confines of Carlsbad, Aviara Golf Club presents one of the most beautifully landscaped courses in the west (you'll never look at your yard the same). For many years, there were only a few well-recognized courses in the area. The Lodge's famous Tap Room is the best course restaurant in America. Northwest of downtown in Lakeside on Barona tribal reservation, the Barona Creek golf course, designed in 2001 by Todd Eckenrode, made Golf Magazine's most recent Top 100 North American Public Courses thanks in part to wide and firm fairways that are tougher to find closer to the coast. December 07, 2011 . If you do, youll have a difficult pitching shot to make the green. The addition of a new spa and major renovations to guestrooms have helped restore the vaunted reputation Ojai once enjoyed as a love nest for golfing movie stars. Asheboro, N.C. Yardage: 6,543| Slope/Rating: 138/72.5. Location: 7447 Batiquitos Drive, Carlsbad. 21301 Heron Drive; 707-875-3538; www.bodegaharbourgolf.com.The Sea Ranch Golf Links greens fees: $45-$80. And last, but not least, theres the popular Coronado Golf Course, which is just minutes from San Diego International Airport. The Pines (The International Golf Club & Resort: Bolton, Mass.) Written By: SoCalPulse Contributor. San Diego Golf Courses. We have booked more tee times at Torrey Pines than [] Narrow fairways and carries over native areas make it a test, but with six sets of tees, you can pick your poison. Or cruise north and visit stops like the great vibe at Goat Hill Park in Oceanside or 27-hole Oaks North (near Maderas). 1 955 Fairway Boulevard, Incline Village, Nevada; 888-236-8725;www.golfincline.com. 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. 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. Edgewood Tahoe Golf CourseAnother California beauty although technically just yards over the Nevada line, the redoubtable Edgewood has been quite nicely spruced up by Tom Fazio, the nephew of George Fazio, the course's original designer. 2. Boulders and rock outcroppings along with impressive bunkering and a surprisingly low green fee for this premium market make it worth the drive. Copyright 2023 GolfPass. 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. He's a modern master, and Pelican Hill stands as one of his best. So you could end up spending an arm and a leg if youre keen on going. This will be welcome news for many, as some reviews noted that the upkeep of the course had slipped a little. 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. Ranked as the 5th best disc golf destination in California, San Diego has 6 courses. The demands for accurate shotmaking are strong, and there is little room for error in most places, making for either a challenge you hope to meet or a long afternoon you'll try to forget. Greens fees: $225-$250. GOLF DIGEST MAY EARN A PORTION OF SALES FROM PRODUCTS THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR SITE AS PART OF OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH RETAILERS. Believed to be more . With San Diegos toasty temperatures and calm conditions, its a great place to play golf. This very busy, very picturesque municipal course offers a completely different waterfront golf experience than its coastal cousin, Torrey Pines. 4. Green fees: $128-160 non-resident plus $45 advanced booking fee per player. Hole 12, Par 4: Golf Magazine's "Top 500 Holes in the World," 2000. The turf is always hard and seemingly unwatered, but that's half the charm of the place. California GC . Here is what's new and the best ones to consider to improve your golf. Greens feature old-style shoulders that place a premium on approach shots, and the bunkering here can be murderous. Rates at both the contemporary Bodega Bay Lodge and the rustic Sea Ranch Lodge are more than reasonable, and the greens fees at both golf courses are as well. All rights reserved. 24. Torrey Pines Golf CourseSince you're in the neighborhood, you might as well take in the king of southern California municipal golf: a place that, whatever it lacks in terms of refinements, it compensates for with a pair of terrific, well-conditioned golf courses. The hardest San Diego county golf course is Torrey Pines. With its private club feel, excellent conditions and exceptional customer service, it's no wonder Maderas is on. Designed by renowned golf architect Tom Fazio, it is the only course of his making in San Diego. Take a caddie and enjoy the walk. Among these are 3 courses which have 18 or more holes. As great as San Diego's munis are, the neighboring island of Coronado, its own municipality, has a stellar harborfont course loyalists might call better than anything else in the county. Why wouldnt you? Aviara Golf Club. There is a strong military presence in San Diego of active personnel, retirees and vacationing veterans. Signature Hole: 18th hole which is 421 yards. The premium is on decisive shotmaking, and the afternoon wind can capriciously determine whether it'll be a good walk spoiled. Pete Dye's TPC Stadium Golf Course at PGA West is the (in)famous headlinera sadomasochistic "must-play" tour de force packed with pot bunkers, sand hills, and ruthlessly uneven lies. If the course is booked, consider jaunting over to nearby Sea Ranch Golf Links, another seaside sweetheart that had a devoted cult following as a nine-hole track (it was listed as one of the best in America) until original designer Robert Muir Graves came back and built an equally companionable second nine. Par: 72. 25. A wide-left approach is the safe play. Carlsbad golf center. 4. 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. Routed brilliantly over some spectacular terrain (woodland, vineyard, grassland), with excellent views and superfine greens, the course features almost every kind of shot value imaginablea true test of one's range of skills. 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: $175-$200 (includes cart). More recently, renovation commenced on the course in November of 2022. 20. San Francisco 49ers. 10 Best SoCal Golf Courses. 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. Simply put, nothing ranks with the visual splendor and technical challenge of the oft-touched-up Jack Neville masterpiece, symbolized by the new Nicklaus hole at five, which looks as if it has hung above Stillwater Cove forever. Greens fees: $70-$96 (includes cart). Is there a more fascinating hole on earth than the fourththat gorgeous wee par-four, hard by the Pacific, that requires you to bravely fire your shot over an ice plant and then thread an approach into an elongated sliver of a sunken green? . The Grand also features an enormous clubhouse with top amenities and a plush practice area with bunkers, chipping green and a double-ended range. June 16, 2021 at 7:58 p.m. EDT . Greens fee: $115. To our bellies and elsewhere. Its the only Arnold Palmer design in the area, but this course is as much botanical garden as it is golf. The Coronado Golf Course is one of the most popular golf courses in San Diego making its first opening in 1957. 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 greens are fairly fast, the staff are friendly, and if it were not for the slower pace of games, Steel Canyon may have ranked higher. From here you can expect frequent elevation changes which will test your skills. San Diego is also home to 11 leagues and 3 stores that sell disc golf gear. 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. The Olympic Club (Lake), San Francisco . Admiral Baker features 36 holes and is open to civilians. You are eased in somewhat as the difficulty picks up on the back nine. It has 100 plus bunkers and an oak that splits the 1st fairway about 70 yards from the green. 23600 McKean Road, San Jose; 408-323-5200; www.cinnabarhills.com. Aviara is designed by Arnold Palmer who is one of the greatest golf players who ever lived. My only regret was that I had to see it in a hurry and was forced to play much faster than I would have preferred. According to Billionaire.com, the two most exclusive golf courses in California are Cypress Point Golf Club and Los Angeles Country Club. With Aviara's beautifully manicured grounds, expertly landscaped with native wildflowers and attractive water features, you may feel like you're playing in the middle of a botanical garden. The 10 Toughest Golf Courses In America. Signature Hole: 3rd hole which is 201 yards. Let's take a look at the best public and private golf courses San Diego has to offer. 3. 1 Family Golf Destination in the Country by Golf Digest. It may be the private club capital of Florida, but golfers endorse these public-access courses. Torrey Pines South, home of the 2008 and 2021 US Open, is on everyone's list. 5. Plus, it's in good shape for the number of rounds played annually. 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. Fazio used his signature bunkering to frame holes and protect greens. Round Mountain Golf Course - Round Mountain, NV. 50-200 Vista Bonita, La Quinta; 800-598-3828. As long as you're not playing it from those back tees. The pilgrims keep coming in droves, and the answer is an unequivocal "yes." Over the last 30 years, Carlsbad, this sleepy little beach town and agricultural community located 35 miles north of San Diego, has exploded into the golf . Coronado Golf Course. Words by Elissa Polls, Photography and video by Stebs Schinnerer. They're not far off the mark. And finally, there are some municipal courses with coastal views that fly under the radar a bit. The script is completely flipped when we look at scores on the South Course. No list of great or difficult golf courses would be complete without historic Shinnecock Hills. It's possible this little ditty finds you scooping up the last bit of cranberry pie crumbs out of the tray. Fans of Cond Nast Traveler alsorated it as the top golf resort in Southern California.