Torry Pines gets Open

The Legendary Ocean Side Course Continues to Shine

By Rafael Martinez

(page 1 of 2)

For this book we decided to go west for our test drive. My introduction to golf was on a municipal course in Bergen County NJ and as on many muni courses, the wait time and course conditions were less than desirable. So when I found out that I was going to play the South course (home to the 2008 US Open) at the famed Torrey Pines I figured I was going to experience some of the typical municipal course tribulations. Thanks to Torrey Pines Superintendent Candice Combs, I was more than pleasantly surprised. From dramatic ocean views to monster trees, this famed San Diego-area muni will leave you with plenty of memories. Torrey Pines is only the second municipal golf course ever selected to host this prestigious golf event. The Black Course in Bethpage, NY was the first in 2002.

My partner Jon and I decided to walk the course. I guess we felt brave and inspired by the early morning dew. I will tell you that after the 13th hole I was thinking twice about that decision. From the first hole through the 18th you will get your fair share of cardio. I think that even if you shoot in the low 80s, this course will make you think twice about taking your score card home with you. You get blinded by the ocean views and the monster trees that will challenge you to use every club in the bag. Torrey Pines impresses with creative design, the little curves and rises in the fairway that effect your shots and those trees—oh, those trees—constantly forcing you to shoot under or cut around them. On the doglegs, hitting from under a tree is always a possibility. The course is also known for its squirrel population. They seem to come out from everywhere when you get something from the cart.

This is a club that requires some big time patience, given that you must wait at an antiquated glass starter’s booth to get called to the tee box through a device that sounds like a megaphone. All the big time drivers in the world won’t guarantee you a good score here. Torrey Pines is one of those courses you want to be able to say you played. There are those who say it’s overrated, and that it wouldn’t have nearly the same caché if it didn’t get so much tv time. There’s probably some truth to that. But you still want to play it.

Don’t get taken in by those $500-plus-a-night stay-and-play packages at the nearby hotels, thinking you need to lock up a tee time. The Lodge at Torrey Pines, right off the clubhouse, is particularly proficient at building mystique for these “deals.” Truth is, you can walk on Torrey Pines most days and play for around $140. And you can find a great hotel for far less than $400 per night in San Diego. No matter how you plan, it will be worth the trip.