Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course, South Course

What can I say that hasn't been said before but, WoW!!! Got the non-local price of $122 $15cart fee and the four (4) of us headed out to play from the Brown tees @ 3,489/3,526yds / 75.0 / 139 on this former U.S. Open course. Looking behind us at the Pro Blacks tees playing 3,803/3,999yds / 78.8 / 148 was insane for us to even try with 180-200yd carries to touch the fairways.

With five (5) tee box choices, you can work your way down to the Yellows at 2,743/2,630yds but you must challenge your true game here not just an easy score. The starter told us that we were lucky as they just started cutting back the rough -but there were still a few Par 3's that were still 4-5 inches like I found on #8. As excepted were the narrow fairways 30-50yds wide that were cut tight like a 6 o'clock shadow. (no fluffing here) Most sand traps were beyond my 200-210yd carry but there was the roll-out factor that didn't help some of us. Sand traps were more like "Power Traps" as roll-ins would settle in and fly in's ....well let's just say "Sunny side up" was waiting for you. Greens were smooth (9-11) with downhill putting almost impossible to stop and sidehill....just plain crazy.

One of the holes that stands out for me is #3 playing a 159yd downhill towards the light ocean breeze...or so I thought. Eric (local 25-year-old) said, play it 2 clubs longer than normal flat distance, he was right. The breeze coming up from the backside shuts down the distance in a hurry. ( notice the hang gliders...dud) The photo above I believe is of #12 and the shortest Par 5 at 458yds, but watch that crosswind as it's deadly. That #13 Par 5 at 539yds is an elevated green that rejects short shots to the 100yd marker as one of us found out....twice. I'd like to talk about each hole, but just saying, "You have to play it for yourself", is saying it all.

To play were the greatest players have played, is enough to step up and challenge yourself on one of America's greatest courses. The U.S. Open is here again in 2021 and I'll have my scorecard/yardage book while watching from the cheap seats. I ended up shooting 43/44 w/35putts and hit more 3/5 wood second shots than I've ever hit anywhere. My photographer girlfriend took some of the greatest photos on a golf course that I've ever seen.

Very beautiful scenery and worth doing ONCE if you are not a resident or rich.

My main complaint was that the course is being set up for the Buick Invitational in February and it is much too difficult to play for most amateurs. The rough was so high that any ball off the fairway was usually lost. That took a lot of the fun out of it(even the pros would have problems if they did not have thousands of people and professional caddies to find wayward balls for them). If you did find the ball you were swinging in grass 4"+. Also because of the tournament it was cart path only.

The greens are challenging since they are so different than the ones we play in Texas. BIG breaks and very fast. However, they are fairly bumpy which surprised me. I played with some local guys that were cursing the course because of the set-up.

If you are going to play there and you are not almost a scratch golfer, be sure to check that there is no tournament scheduled any time soon. The tournament set-up is too challenging for a teen + handicap. All that said, I am very happy I got to play there and did really enjoy the beauty of the course.