Where would you play? Torrey South, Aviara or Pelican Hill North or South

[venand]

I have a bachelor party coming up in mid-April and I need your help. We are playing a round at Maderas with the whole group of 14 guys one of the days and then 7 of us want to get in another round somewhere in the area. We are staying in Oceanside so we are in between LA and San Diego. Most of you are probably thinking by the title that it is a easy choice to go play Torrey Pines South. I don't disagree with you, but here is why I am asking the question Torrey, Aviara or Pelican Hill?

 

We tried to get an advanced $270 tee time at Torrey and they are all booked for non-residents. (only 6 non-resident tee times a day at each Torrey course) So, we are stuck either getting there at 5:00am to try and beat the dawn patrol or going somewhere else. Many people have assured me that even if we get there early there is a good chance we wouldn't be able to play together and would have to go out as 1, 2's and 3 somes. Oh, and we probably will be drinking a fair amount the night before which doesn't play well into getting up at 3:30am to drive down to San Diego.

 

Because we are staying in oceanside would any of you consider Aviara or one of the Pelican Hill courses over Torrey given our situation? Also, Torrey South is getting aerated the week before. One more ding against Torrey….

 

We want to play a memorable/bucket list type round, but the restrictions on tee times at Torrey are really starting to piss us off…..

[duffer888]

Pelican, Aviara then Torrey. I have not heard a single person say Torrey was worth the price for non-residents.

[venand]

Thanks Duffer. Which Pelican? North or South?

[dirthead]

I played both courses at Torrey earlier this week. I got to the course at about 5:15 am, and was 6th bag in line both days. I was a single, but could have easily gotten a foursome or two off together had I has that many players. It was much easier and less crowded than I thought it would be. Weekends might be a bit different. Torrey South is a fantastic course with even better views. The rough sucks! Sometimes it was hard just finding a ball if was so tall and thick.

[Ranchobob]

IMHO, Pelican has great views but is stupidly overpriced. I live 20 minutes from Pelican and would drive 90+ minutes to play TP South instead.

[ryu123]

haven't played Aviara so can't comment. Played both Pelican Hill courses after their renovation and Torrey south pre-renovation.


My pick based just on golf (& not ease of booking) is Torrey. (But I really liked Torrey north as well.)


For me, the Pelican Hill courses were fine, just a little soulless.

[venand]

Thanks guys. If anyone else has an opinion please weigh in. I should have mentioned we would try and play twilight at Pelican and Aviara so it would cost roughly $160/round, not the rack rates. I called the Pelican pro shop and I was told the Pelican North course had a lot of awesome ocean views, but no holes on the ocean. He also said it was a better course for a longer hitter.

Right now we are going to try and get a tee time a Torrey 7 days in advance with a San Diego friend. If we have any trouble we are going Aviara or Pelican. I still like how Pelican looks from pictures.

Anyone played Aviara?

[cdnrockies]

[quote name='venand' timestamp='1395074116' post='8890089']
Anyone played Aviara?
[/quote]

You won't find a better conditioned course in the area. Not overly long but challenging and fun. Have to hit a variety of shots. Service is top notch. You feel like it's your home course with the way you're treated.

[kekoa]

Well given that Torrey is punching a week before and you are unable to secure times- I would without a doubt drop torrey South. Its a great track and has a lot of history given the PGA tournaments played there but not with the $280 IMO. Its been a few years since playing Aviara, but like it was mentioned above, the conditions and service there are top notch. Of the two Pelican courses- North is a better track with more views of huge mansions. South is shorter with more ocean views. Just be advised that Pelican conditions are not always the greatest for the price you pay. For over $200 in green fees I would expect greens to be very near pure and the last two times playing Pelican- they weren't. Another ding against Pelican is the crappy range.

[DTown3011]

[quote name='venand' timestamp='1394914355' post='8878209']
I have a bachelor party coming up in mid-April and I need your help. We are playing a round at Maderas with the whole group of 14 guys one of the days and then 7 of us want to get in another round somewhere in the area. We are staying in Oceanside so we are in between LA and San Diego. Most of you are probably thinking by the title that it is a easy choice to go play Torrey Pines South. I don't disagree with you, but here is why I am asking the question Torrey, Aviara or Pelican Hill?

We tried to get an advanced $270 tee time at Torrey and they are all booked for non-residents. (only 6 non-resident tee times a day at each Torrey course) So, we are stuck either getting there at 5:00am to try and beat the dawn patrol or going somewhere else. Many people have assured me that even if we get there early there is a good chance we wouldn't be able to play together and would have to go out as 1, 2's and 3 somes. Oh, and we probably will be drinking a fair amount the night before which doesn't play well into getting up at 3:30am to drive down to San Diego.

Because we are staying in oceanside would any of you consider Aviara or one of the Pelican Hill courses over Torrey given our situation? [b]Also, Torrey South is getting aerated the week before. One more ding against Torrey….[/b]

We want to play a memorable/bucket list type round, but the restrictions on tee times at Torrey are really starting to piss us off…..
[/quote]

That right there answers your question. Punched greens = no fun even when playing a great golf course.

I have played both Pelican Hill and Aviara and would go with Pelican 99 out of 100 times. Better routing and the Aviara course felt a lot more resorty to me. Nothing truly memorable about that golf course but really enjoyed both Pelican 18's.

[venand]

Thanks Kekoa and DTown for sharing your experience.


[b]Should we be looking elsewhere for our 2nd round if we are staying in Oceanside?[/b] Are Aviara, Pelican Hill and Torrey the best experiences? We want a course in good shape with a memorable experience.

Right now I am leaning towards Pelican Hill due to our issues with Torrey.

[DrivesFourShow]

Can anyone tell me what date the greens are getting punched? I'm coming from Australia and hoping to play first week of May.

[venand]

Drivesfourshow - North Course is getting punched April 9/10th and South Course April 16/17th. I am not sure if they do additional maintenance, but that is what I know!

[Arizonalefty59]

Torrey South was flawless today, there wasn't one single complaint I could even think of. Didn't hurt that it was only $37, got off at 2 and finished just on time.

[KyleFairway]

I would recommend getting out to Aviara if you can. Torrey is obviously a great course, but if I had a second choice Aviara is definitely a great back up plan. The facilities are much better than Torrey Pines. If you are worried that Aviara will be too much of a resort course, you should play it from the Palmer Tees. The 18th hole at Aviara is arugably one of the most difficult finishing holes in San Diego. If you need any more information on about planning a trip to Torrey or about golf trips to San Diego, visit my website: [url="http://playtorreypines.com/"]http://playtorreypines.com/[/url]

[DrivesFourShow]

[quote name='venand' timestamp='1395087902' post='8891983']
Drivesfourshow - North Course is getting punched April 9/10th and South Course April 16/17th. I am not sure if they do additional maintenance, but that is what I know!
[/quote]

Thanks for that. Any idea of the recovery time in that area? How will they be looking by 9th May?