In both cases the views of the ocean and the Sonoma hills are inspiring. Golf was meant to be an Everyman game, and at Torrey Pines that's the name of the game. Set in the Barona Valley about 30 miles northeast of the city, this track is worth the drive, especially if you're looking for a secluded getaway with a casino on the premises. In Carlsbad, theres La Costa Resort & Spa, which has played host to numerous LPGA and PGA Tour events over the years. You end the course with quite a sight as well. Green fee: $59-$125. The golf course is also a Bronze Signature Sanctuary Course of Audubon International, and you certainly get that sense of nature when playing it. Tee times deals in San Diego starting from as low as $12. In 2011 the course was renovated which included the addition of four new holes. 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. Signature Hole: 3rd hole which is 383 yards. 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. The course is open for both La Costa club members and guests. Riviera Pacific Palisades (No. Look for the available Hot Deals and save up to 80% off on tee times and receive 100% weather protection guarantee. Players are treated to views of the bay, the marina, the Sand Diego skyline and the historic Hotel del Coronado. 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. Greens fees: $75- $110. Green fees: $165-175, The 54-hole Singing Hills Golf Resort at Sycuan features a really neat setting in El Cajon. Alternatively, if the best San Diego golf courses dont quite cut it, consider enlarging your search and check out our guide for the top golf courses in Californiaas well. Given its frequent usage at the top level, it should come as no surprise that its a difficult course to play. If your group is coming to San Diego in the rainier winter months, you may want to tack on an overnight here to ensure warmth & sunshine for a round or two. 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. Just grip and rip, and enjoy the lovely view and the deer that come out to watch at dusk. Its the only Arnold Palmer design in the area, but this course is as much botanical garden as it is golf. Our community loves the value and experience at these popular and affordable military facilities and even book online. . So much of this, fair . 4h Jeff Passan. 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. The club is complemented by the presence of the nearby Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach. Torrey Pines, South Course - San Diego, CA. Ponants Le Commandant Charcot breaks the ice for an unparalleled polar cruising experience. 18. Carmel Valley Ranch Golf ClubAfter years of tinkering with this controversial, once uncompromising Pete Dye course, first opened in 1981, the current owners have almost got it right. 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. 7447 Batiquitos Drive, Carlsbad; 760-603-6900; www.golfsd.com/aviara.html. Among the golf course closings in San Diego, this likely will be the quietest. San Francisco GC San Francisco (No. Rounds also include a forecaddie. It has 100 plus bunkers and an oak that splits the 1st fairway about 70 yards from the green. The Coronado Golf Course overlooks the San Diego Bay and features over 6,000 yards of space. 9. Signature Hole: 18th hole which is 421 yards. No list of great or difficult golf courses would be complete without historic Shinnecock Hills. 6. Greens feature old-style shoulders that place a premium on approach shots, and the bunkering here can be murderous. Address: 2000 Visalia Row, Coronado, CA 92118. Military golf in San Diego. You're not on the ocean here, but there's no shortage of water, with five waterfalls and three lakes. To experience this Arnold Palmer design at its best, when the rough is high and the greens are fast, time your visit just before or after the LPGA Tour's Kia Classic, in March. You won't soon forget it. The premium is on decisive shotmaking, and the afternoon wind can capriciously determine whether it'll be a good walk spoiled. But that's what makes it fun. The Legends is a spacious, open layout that provides just the right level of difficulty for a range of abilities. Plenty of width with a small pool just short of the green. In short, San Diego has everything the discerning golfer seeks, at a range of price points. A US Open Golf Course in San Diego. Designed by Gary Player, its plain to see from the above photo that the Steel Canyon golf course is highly photogenic. It has earned a reputation as arguably the best value golf course in America, but scoring a tee time here isn't easy. Bay Hill's par 3s might be the toughest on Tour (and they have a huge impact on the Arnold Palmer Invitational) Jason Lusk. PGA West: Guest greens fees $50-$205. 19. #1 HARDEST COURSE EVER MADE! Operated by Troon, Maderas is one of the great member-for-a-day experiences in the west. The Lodge has never looked better, and the new Casa Palmero Spa is nonpareil for soulful pampering after or before a round. 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. Encinitas Ranch has elevated tees as well as some distant ocean views, plus the course is super playable. https://www.youtube.com/mightygoat/join If you enjoyed this video be sure to hit that THUMBS UP, . Greens fees: $65-$180. A first-time traveler to Africa examines the complicated relationship between safari tourism and conservation. Ignore the help and play this gem with your bag on your shoulder. Finishing holes border the lake, and the par-threes are especially challenging and memorable. Northwood Golf ClubWhile you are loitering on the Sonoma coast you have to check this outa true artifact of golf history. Designed in 1975 by William Bell Sr, Torrey Pines South is the most famous San Diego golf course. Call for details 858-289-8208 or book online info@casinoconcepts.net. California is home to nearly 1,000 golf courses, if you care to try and countand that includes an astonishing array of experiences: ocean courses, mountain layouts, desert tracks, famous munis, and private clubs where only God or a member can get you on. Sign me up to receive emails from GolfNow and NBC Sports golf brands. Aviara Golf Resort. Bodega Harbour Golf LinksUp the coast highway in the village of Bodega Bay, where Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Birds, is one of the state's treasures, a marvelously conditioned resort course that, just like a Hitch character, has two distinct personalities. This article couldve literally been written without setting foot on a golf course in San Diego. The former has just 250 members! 13. The Ocean South Course winds through narrow canyons, imparting a feeling of blissful isolation before flinging you down to the edge of the sea and a splendid view of Santa Catalina Island. 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. By Chuck Culpepper. 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. Green fees: $129-149 non-resident. Marine Memorial features a regulation 18 holes and a 9-hole par-3 course. 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. This will be welcome news for many, as some reviews noted that the upkeep of the course had slipped a little. It may be the private club capital of Florida, but golfers endorse these public-access courses. Salt Creek Golf Club in Chula Vista, has one of the best par 5s in the area as well as views of Mount Miguel and the Pacific Ocean on a couple of holes. Words by Elissa Polls, Photography and video by Stebs Schinnerer. Maybe I will just stay home and have a drink. Combine that with a par of 73, and a ridiculous Course Rating of 80, and you've got one of the most consistently challenging courses in the . San Francisco 49ers. Greens fees: $130-$145. Notice the amount of green AM tee times. The topography of the course is very hilly, and the scenery is top-notch, it includes rocky areas, waterfalls, and plenty of wildflowers. Tops in the San Diego area, this pretty golf course is situated in the heart of golf's Silicon Valley, near the manufacturing complexes of Callaway and Taylor Made, among others. 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. Greens fees: $175-$200 (includes cart). Wait until fall, and shoot away. 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. 905 Country Club Road, Ojai; 800-422-6524; www.ojairesort.com. Mike and I started this journey in January of 2017. That being said, the whole experience makes for a luxurious golfing trip that is well investing in. 15. 17700 Arnold Drive, Sonoma; 707-996-0300; www.sonomamissioninn.com. This San Diego area golf course was designed by Dick Wilson in 1965 and it is well known in the golfing world, having been the venue for 37 PGA Tour events. The experience is certainly grand at this exclusive Tom Fazio design that's open only to resort guests and members. The technical challenge comes from large, intrusive pine and oak trees that pinch fairways tightlyand make straight driving a must. By Anngmesa. Signature Hole: 16th hole which is 365 yards. Fortunately, this little slice of Southern California heaven also offers an impressive portfolio of courses. 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. Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate here back in 2008. But the tight doglegs, water hazards, and length of the course (7,087 yards from the tips) can be a serious test for the better handicap player, which is the reason both the U.S. Open and U.S. Phone: 858-581-7171 or. A bargain for locals (who pay a fraction of what out-of-towners pay), Torrey Pines, located along the bluffs above the Pacific just north of San Diego, is the host of the PGA Tours Farmers Insurance Open, and was the site (South Course) of Tiger Woods 14th major win, the 2008 U.S. Open, in which he beat Rocco Mediate in a playoff.