David Manes and Brian Oblak will never be mistaken for Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate.  After 5 years of golf trips from the Midwest to PGA West in LaQuinta, Brian and I got together at Torrey Pines last week. 

Brian is a “golf junkie”  in LA.  He called last week during the Farmers Insurance Open (can we still call it the Buick Championship?) and said he had to play at Torrey right now while the golf course is still in tournament condition.  So, I got on the phone Friday night, asked for the 1st possible twilight time on the next Thursday, and voila, we’re on!

The golf course was just as we hoped.  Fairways are firm and narrow, greens are lightning fast and it only seemed like the rough was up to our knees.

Tiger and Rocco sure made it look easy!

Some facts and myths about golf at Torrey Pines

Over the past couple of years it really hasn’t been too much of a challenge to get on Torrey Pines.  San Diego residents can call 7 days in advance and request a tee time at Torrey Pines.  If you’re a visitor or don’t live in the city, you can reserve up to 90 days in advance for an additional fee.  But, if you show up and just give your name to the starter, chances are really good that they can get out a single or a two-some within an hour.

Torrey Pines is an amazing benefit of living in San Diego for golfers.  The greens fee for yesterday’s twilight round on Torrey Pines South (teeing off at 1:10) was $37 for a San Diego resident green fee.  My guest’s non-resident green fee for Torrey Pines South was $110.  The highest fee for the South Course is $76 for residents and $229 for non-residents.

Twilight fees on the North are $24 resident and $60 non-resident, while the highest weekend fee is $50 and $125.

Over the past decade the USGA and PGA have made commitments to hold their championships at public golf courses.  Pebble Beach has been a part of the US Open rotation for many years.  Recently Whistling Straits has hosted two PGA Championships.  But these are golf courses attached to resorts and cost in excess of $450 for 18 holes.

Torrey Pines joins Bethpage Black, a state park about 25 miles east of Manhattan on Long Island, as “true” public golf courses that have hosted the US Open.  Harding Park in San Francisco and Chambers Bay in Washington are slated to join this short list. 

The sunsets in La Jolla and Del Mar are spectacular too

Have you ever noticed that golf courses tend to be built in beautiful places?  Few are more spectacular than Torrey.  After golf we walked over to The Lodge at Torrey Pines for a quick drink and a snack.  It was a great place to watch a sunset.

The real treat though was dinner at Jake’s Del Mar.  A short drive down from the Torrey Pines cliffs, Jake’s sits on the ocean at 1660 Coast Boulevard.  We shared some very tasty Calamari and Ahi Poke rolls, and finished with burgers.  The setting is a personal favorite in Del Mar, and after the sun sets, Jake’s lights the beach for a beautiful night time experience.

Being a downtown realtor, my blog is often fixated on places and events in this area.   But it’s only 25 minutes up to this golfer’s paradise.

Let me know about your golf experiences in San Diego.