Torrey Pines -- play it!

[Hawkeye77]

Okay, I admit my golf horizons are somewhat limited when it comes to playing "top courses", so maybe I'm biased from that, or from the fact that, except for three rounds in the Palm Desert area, we haven't played all winter where I come from. And, I don't live on the ocean or near it, so it's not something I'm used to or take for granted. All that being said:

 

1. We were impressed just with the views of the course as we left the parking lot and headed toward the clubhouse and from the balcony behind the pro shop -- started out with a buzz of excitement just being there;

2. If you ever read somewhere that there are "some" views of the ocean, not that many, etc., etc. ------ don't believe it. Except for a few holes on the back nine where it finally disappeared briefly, it was great. Virtually the entire front nine is in contact with the ocean and it's wonderful;

3. The greens had been aerated about two weeks ago, but they rolled pretty well and were way farther along than ours back home would have been. Actually, most of the bumpiness we observed was just from the day's play;

4. Hole No. 3 is amazing and for me, the view up and playing No. 12 was the best for me, really. I loved that hole.

5. Rough was tough and I didn't have a good driving day. Definitely a couple of times had to take my medicine. Grass around the greens could be interesting, hit one out of a deep bunker and just caught the grass between the bunker and green and couldn't even see my ball. Not used to a full blast just a few yards from the hole -- it was fun.

6. Would love to play there again, and probably will next year. Reading the greens was a challenge and we found the "break toward the ocean" to be true 99% of the time, even when there was no way you thought it would break that way.

7. Walk the course, you will really enjoy the walk.

[kencanuck]

+1...played it right after the Farmers Insurance Open...and I agree the walk is very nice and the rough is penal!!!!

Ken

[JackpotJohnny]

If you were here this week , you got beautiful weather.
Glad you enjoyed yourself

[Hawkeye77]

Played Monday, it was perfect, and the people we met on the course were all nice. Great experience.

[teejaywhy]

Don't know how anyone could "enjoy" rough like that.

[bgarcelon79]

Thank you for the review. I'm playing the North Course on 4/1 and it will be my first time. I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks again for the 411.

[Hawkeye77]

I would have been happy to play the North and hope to sometime, but my daughter was still a diehard Tiger fan when he won the U.S. Open at Torrey, and even though she's not a big Tiger fan anymore, there was no way she wasn't playing the South Course on our first trip. Still thinking of the experience (and what I was doing wrong off the tee), even though I'm back home where the snow is trying to melt. Trying not to gush, but playing a storied and extremely interesting layout against the backdrop of the Pacific was fantastic, had to try not to get too deep in the expected golf frustrations so as not to soak it all in.

In the interest of full disclosure, the range is not great. You'll probably have to hit off the mats. Still, I'm assuming the courses were designed in an era when a range wasn't a priority or it was somewhere else and lost to development. We hit the range to warm up, period, not to work on our games, and it was fine, we were in too good a mood to care. Found the putting green to be essential (in hindsight, of course) to getting a better feel for the greens. Wish I'd spent a little more time there before going out.

The restrooms at the pro shop were under repair and temporaries were set up, which I avoid at all costs. The restrooms in the downstairs entrance (to the east of the downstairs bar entrance, can't get to them through the downstairs bar) of the lodge were immaculate, and there's an ATM in the hallway. Always rewarded by exploring the road less traveled.


By the way, my daughter wanted to see the ocean up close, having never been there, and we were running out of daylight, so we went to the gliderport area just south of the course and took the foolhardy goat path (like all the other lemmings ignoring the danger signs posted) down the 300 foot cliffs to the sand below. Aside from legs than were rubber on the way back up, an interesting discovery ------- that area of beach is immediately south of somewhat of an unofficial clothing optional area which we discovered as a gentleman who had been up the the way came walking towards and past us without having gotten dressed before leaving his comrades. Pretty funny, actually, she wanted a picture of her with the sun setting behind her, but refused to turn from the ocean until he was long gone and, having gotten more of a look than I really wanted, I don't blame her. Is it me, or are most nudists more infatuated with their au natural appearance than they should be?

[bgarcelon79]

Ha! I actually read about that online somewhere. I'm from the Bay Area, and to my surprise, there are more nude beaches than one would assume, and some are located next to the more popular, more frequented beach areas. You never know when your going to walk down the beach and happen upon some individuals going au naturel. it's even more surprising when you consider that Northern California beaches are hardly ever sunny, and are overcast 95% of the time.

Thanks for the feedback on the putting green's and range. I just need to warm up, and I'm used to hitting off the mats up here at my home course. I had the opportunity to play either the South or the North but with my 17 handicap, I opted for the North. My friend who lives in the area and plays there often says it's a tad less daunting.

Glad you and your daughter enjoyed the course and had a good time. Have a great weekend and thanks for sharing.

[Hawkeye77]

I had a girlfriend break up with me on April Fool's Day long ago. Glad to see the day can be used productively in the pursuit of great golf.

Enjoy your trip and the experience.

[bvmagic]

Glad you had a great experience at Torrey Pines. I played there the first time in February before they punched the greens. Wasn't planned at all, just had my set and family in the area, so just drove for an hour to be one of the first come first serve tee times on my own. Locals I was paired with were very friendly and gave me good pointers on how to play certain holes. At first I was reluctant to spend $230 to play a course on my own, but I said screw it, can always make more money right? Don't regret it one bit, ocean views and course was awesome. Not everyday you get a chance to play a US Open venue. Thats great you were able to play with your daughter, I hope to play the course with my family someday as well.

[JackpotJohnny]

Hahhaha that's blacks beach...always an unusual experience for out of towers