The beastly 612-yard par-5 13th hole at Torrey Pines South Course proved to be the toughest for the average player, where scratch golfers gained 0.90 strokes per round. Things don’t get much easier from there, as the very next hole, the 434-yard par 4 14th, is the third-hardest for the average Joe, where they lost 0.83 strokes to scratch golfers.
Torrey Pines has two 18-hole golf courses, North and South, both designed by William F. Bell (son of noted course architect William P. Bell ). The South Course was redesigned by Rees Jones in 2001, and is now 7,802 yards (7,134 m) in length from the back tees with par at 72.
The Torrey Pines golf experience: What to know and how to get a tee time
The South Course is significantly tougher than the North Course at Torrey Pines thanks to elevated, small greens and deep bunkers. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Torrey Pines Golf Course is a 36-hole public golf course in La Jolla, CA (par: 71; yards: 6,647). Green fees are between $43-$202, seven days a week
It annually ranks among the hardest holes on the PGA Tour (it was No. 1 in 2019), with only about one-third of players hitting the green in regulation.
KikuyugrassKikuyugrass (overseeded with ryegrass) dominates the rough at Torrey Pines, and it even has burly basher Bryson DeChambeau contemplating a strategy for handling it.
The North Course is shorter and less expensive than its brother. For many, it is more scenic than the South, having more picture-perfect opportunities along the track. The North Course is more popular for the less-experienced golfer but will still put up a good fight for the better ones.
municipal golf facilityTorrey Pines Golf Course is a 36-hole municipal golf facility on the west coast of the United States, owned by the city of San Diego, California.
Torrey Pines may be best known for Tiger Woods' success here – it is where he won the Junior World championship and eight PGA TOUR titles, including his dramatic playoff win over Rocco Mediate in the 2008 U.S. Open – and the three Farmers wins by San Diego's native son, Phil Mickelson.
3.5 inchesCut For Tournament Play: Tees & Fairways 7/16 inch; Greens 1/8 inch (9.5 feet stimpmeter); Rough 3.5 inches.
It is very difficult: Extraordinary length, narrow fairways, deep rough, punishing bunkers and multi-tiered greens make it one of the toughest layouts anywhere. And you can't argue with the theater of 2008 or the champion it identified. On both counts Torrey gets an A+.
Dress code is pretty lax, and fivesomes are permitted. (We were behind a fivesome during my round on the South, which took about 4:40.) That said, the staff at Torrey Pines was exceedingly friendly, which can also be said for much of the tourist and service industry around San Diego.
It's $128-$160 for nonresidents and $44-$58 for locals. So, still want to play Torrey Pines? For more information, click here. And to make sure you don't miss a shot of the 2021 U.S. Open, check out our viewer's guide here.
Everyone says you have to play the South Course when you visit Torrey Pines. We found the North Course to be more playable, with better views, more thrilling holes and a better value.
In addition to the North and South courses, facilities include: Driving range. Practice putting greens.
Congratulations to Torrey Pines South for being ranked #5 on a list of America's 30 best municipal golf courses!
Before we dig into the performance data, it’s important to understand a few things about Torrey Pines and the South Course. The course itself is a beast, playing 7,652 yards for the 2021 U.S. Open, with a slope and rating of 79.0 and 151 for the tournament, meaning a scratch golfer could expect to break 80 about 25% of the time in the U.S.
Arccos compiled data from 2,097 user rounds at Torrey Pines South Course and compared their performance to that of a scratch golfer. The average handicap of players who made up the over 2,000 rounds is 9.54. Players shot an average of 88.35 and lost 13.1 strokes to a scratch golfer.
The data illustrates that difficult shots, like bunker shots from 25-50 yards (-0.46), putts from 50+ feet (0.26), and approach shots from 200+ yards (-0.72) aren’t quite so penal for the lesser-skilled players when it comes to strokes gained.
Nick Heidelberger is the Editor of GolfLink. He has a degree in journalism from the University of Idaho and has been an avid golfer for more than 10 years. In the years prior to joining GolfLink, he worked for the New England Section of the PGA of America.
Torrey Pines Golf Course Information. Designed by legendary course architect William P. Bell and completed by his son, William F. Bell, Torrey Pines opened in 1957. It offers two 18-hole Championship courses - the North and South courses.
Now an impressive 7,804 yards in length, the Torrey Pines South Course has been selected to host the 2021 United States Open Championship. . Torrey Pines is a municipal course, owned and maintained by the City of San Diego.
7,258 yards (6,637 m) Course rating. 75.8. Slope rating. 134. Torrey Pines Golf Course is a 36-hole municipal golf facility on the west coast of the United States, owned by the city of San Diego, California. It sits on the coastal cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the community of La Jolla, just south of Torrey Pines State Reserve.
Torrey Pines has two 18- hole golf courses, North and South, both designed by William F. Bell (son of noted course architect William P. Bell ). The South Course was redesigned by Rees Jones in 2001, and is now 7,802 yards (7,134 m) in length from the back tees with par at 72.
Torrey Pines is a featured golf course in the 1990 computer game Links: The Challenge of Golf, Microsoft Golf 2.0 (1995), Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 . Scott Peterson, previously on death row for the murder of his wife Laci, was arrested in the parking lot of Torrey Pines in April 2003.
The 19th hole at the Lodge at Torrey Pines. The Lodge at Torrey Pines is steps from the putting green and has a great bar for after the round. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor. All great rounds of golf must have a fabulous 19th hole. At Torrey Pines, it's the Lodge at Torrey Pines, a classy operation.
Open as well as the annual PGA Tour stop, Torrey Pines South is one of the most scenic, popular and difficult municipal courses in the country. Stan Badz/US PGA TOUR.
2021 rates for Torrey Pines South: South are $202 weekday and $252 on holidays and weekends. You can save money during twilight ($122-151), which begins between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. depending on the time of year. Torrey Pines North: $128 weekday, $160 weekend.
Lastly, there are some walk-up times reserved each morning (the first 30-60 minutes) on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you're planning a long weekend San Diego golf trip, consider making your Torrey Pines tee times for the weekdays and saving the resorts for the weekend.
Tee times can be made up to 90 days in advance, and if you're hoping to play on the weekend, we'd recommend calling ahead as much as you can. (That said, it's not as tough of a tee time to get as Bethpage Black or St. Andrews .) Don't expect dynamic pricing or last-minute deals like most other courses around San Diego.
The 'muni' side of golf at Torrey Pines. San Diego is well known for its luxury golf and spa resorts, so thanks to properties such as the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, Park Hyatt Aviara and Omni La Costa, expectations for visitors are very high when it comes to service, conditions and amenities.
Most tee times are only available via a telephone tee time lottery which takes place every day at 7.00 p.m. for tee times 7 days ahead. In theory, all phones in the world have an equal chance of a “lucky ring" and a confirmed tee time in this unique Torrey Pines lottery.
Torrey Pines succeeds because of its location - the greater San Diego area. The year round weather is almost always cooperative and having a metro base population that clearly is interested in golf helps matters considerably. It also helps that Torrey Pines has the logistics to stage major events.
The green has three bunkers on the right beginning about 20 yards short of the green while there are two on the left starting about 15 yards short of the green. There is a bunker at the rear. The green is shallow and has some good inner contouring.
Reviews for Torrey Pines (South) Description: Torrey Pines is situated on cliff tops some 20 minutes to the north of San Diego and is one of the best municipal golf facilities in the USA. Written by: Top100 Aggregated Rating Rating: 6.7 out of 10 Reviews: 20.
Rees Jones then completely rejuvenated the South course in 2001 at a cost of $3.5 million, moving four greens, almost doubling the number of bunkers and adding ten new tees, taking the championship yardage to a staggering 7,607 yards.
As pointed out in other reviews, there is a high degree of redundancy at Torrey Pines South, designed first by William Bell, touched by others, but basically redone by Rees Jones. Mr. Jones has built several wonderful courses, but they do all reflect a similar style in terms of bunkering and green shapes.
Television exposure has helped a good number of courses gain wide global visibility. The South Course at Torrey Pines is one of the leading beneficiaries. There's little doubt golfers throughout the globe will long remember the incredible putt Tiger Woods holed at the 72nd hole of the '08 US Open to tie Rocco Mediate. The event was indeed memorable but the totality of compelling architecture at the South is lacking.
This Torrey Pines hike takes you to the best of the park – you experience get great ocean views, hike through unique geological formations, get a glimpse of the world-famous golf course, hike on an antique version of the Pacific Coast Highway, and of course, get see the Torrey Pine. The Torrey Pine is the rarest pine tree in ...
As you’re hiking Torrey Pines, remember that the environment is fragile, so please stay on the trail. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is one of those once in a lifetime destinations, I highly recommend this hike!
You don’t need any special hiking gear for Torrey Pines, you can get away with workout clothes. If you’re thinking of swimming, the hike does go down to the beach at one point. If you’re not from the area, you might not know that the Pacific Ocean is usually pretty cold.