Featured Stop: Torrey Pines

Whether you’re hiking it or golfing it, you’d be hard-pressed to find a swath of land anywhere in the country that’s orders of magnitude more picturesque than Torrey Pines. High up on the bluffs above the Pacific, you’re traipsing around very rare pine trees in some beautiful, if occasionally moody, coastal weather. San Diego’s average high temp during its coldest month is 60 degrees. Its highest? 70.

When it comes to the championship South course, originally designed by William Bell and touched up by Rees Jones ahead of the last two U.S. Opens, there’s a surprising amount of consensus among the rankers—Golf Digest, GOLF, and Golfweek each have it between 40 and 44 on their respective lists of the top public courses in America. But beyond the numbers, there’s an argument to be made that North is at least on-par for the average golfer, offering more scenic views and a bit less punishing a challenge.

In 2019, the person typing these sentences queued up a little after 5 a.m. to score a spot on the tee sheet. That arrival time was good enough to be just a few people back from first in line and, due to some pairings configurations, first out. Our foursome—a group of three + yours truly—was around 18 in time to meet significant others for brunch.

Six years on, it remains a highly unique and memorable golf experience, owing to the early wake up and the queue and the watching-the-sun-rise-by-the-Pacific-while-you-hit-golf-shots-at-freaking-Torrey of it all, but also owing to the actual golf. Among the most memorable moments: cresting the hill on 10 to reveal the ocean, the tee shot to a green at the par 3 15th that sits well below the horizon, and a back-up-the-hill par 4 16th with a view from the putting surface that is best on course—maybe property.

The golf, all in all, might be the poster child for “it’s all right there in front of you,” a fair and fun test that doesn’t overwhelm the senses and won’t evoke the emotion and awe of some other elite destinations. But these are proper golf courses, and they just so happen to be sitting in the middle of a postcard.

The tricky part is getting a tee time at the San Diego-owned muni, which caters to its home crowd. Whereas the South will cost non-residents $306 on a weekend and the North $194, the same rounds for residents go for $88 and $66, respectively. Ostensibly, tee times open for non-residents up to 90 days out. In practice, you’ll have a very hard time landing one (even with your click-finger at the ready when they go live), let alone enough for a group. Best bet? Show up about an hour before sunrise. You may have to split up the group, but if experience holds, chances are high that you’re playing golf.

San Diego’s golf scene certainly doesn’t end at Torrey, either, which is why the city as a whole feels like one that often sits too low on bucket lists. Find a way to play 18 at Torrey. Hit Coronado Muni, Encinitas Ranch, Balboa Park, or—if you have the time to head inland a couple hours—Rams Hill. And spend your evenings at beachside restaurants or bouncing around a superb brewery scene. Sign us up for all of that.

This piece originally ran in the GTG newsletter. Subscribe here for free and get pricing details alongside the weekly featured stop—plus news on openings, redesigns, and more—in your inbox each Thursday afternoon.