This 9 hole course( par 29, 1468y) has an interesting history.
An important part of San Diego's golf history, Sail Ho was originally the San Diego Country Club. It was actually named the Loma Club, and was built by A.G. Spalding of Spalding Sports. Sail Ho is one of the oldest courses in the county, having been around since the 1920's. Sam Snead used to be the Head Golf Professional while he was in the Navy, and both Craig Stadler and Phil Mickelson played lots of junior golf tournaments at this golf course.
Makeover of little Sail Ho is remarkable
UNION-TRIBUNE
September 12, 2006
As a young sailor in the early 1950s, Dick McGuire first played the Sail Ho Golf Course inside the gates of the Naval Training Center in Point Loma and fell in love with the quirky, nine-hole executive track.
Today, he still chuckles when he recalls the sight of golfers wearing pith helmets, for fear they'd get clobbered while crisscrossing the pretzel-like fairway routing.
“That isn't just a legend,” McGuire said. “That was real.”
Years later, McGuire taught his son to play golf at Sail Ho, where, in fact, the kid got bonked in the head by a ball. He wasn't wearing a helmet.
“I took him to the Navy dispensary just to have him checked,” McGuire, 74, said. “He was OK, no concussion or anything.”
Those are the memories that make golf courses personal to the folks who play them, and so it was with some bit of nostalgic regret that McGuire saw Sail Ho – shooting gallery and all – close two summers ago for a renovation. Like the other neighborhood regulars, he had no idea how the new course would take shape, what it would look like, how it would play.
McGuire, who lives in Sunset Cliffs, has even driven by to stand outside the fence and, essentially, watch the grass grow. Soon, he'll be able to tee it up again.
Sail Ho will reopen to the public on Sept. 30, a lot safer, more challenging and more manicured course than when it closed in August 2004. Sam Snead, the head pro there during his time in the Navy, might not recognize it if he were still alive, but here's betting he would appreciate it. McGuire likely will enjoy it, too.
“I'm looking forward to playing it, at least once,” McGuire said. “I applaud the city for maintaining the area as a park. With the value of the land on the ex-NTC, you could have put a lot of condos in that space.”
The Corky McMillin Cos. have spent about $3.3 million to renovate the 17 acres of Sail Ho as part of its Liberty Station housing and retail development. While other stores and shops are preparing to open in the 95-acre NTC Historic District, Sail Ho, originally opened in 1925, will be the first and is viewed as the cornerstone of the project.
“I hope it's not just another golf course in San Diego,” said Mark Stevens, executive vice president of CSC Golf Management, which will operate the course. “I hope it's something special that people will embrace.”
Stevens and crew had much to overcome, not the least of which was living up to the memories of thousands of golfers who played Sail Ho through the decades. Every great San Diego star, from Gene Littler to Phil Mickelson, competed there. Junior golf was a big part of the fabric, as were the senior men's and women's clubs.
To ensure the hometown appreciation, McMillin hired Point Loma resident and golf course architect Cary Bickler, who had played the course since childhood. Bickler wanted to create nine holes, ranging in distance from 70 to 200 yards from the back tees, that quickened the pulse of golfers of all skill levels.
The goal was to make every tee shot look like a long approach or a short wedge to a championship-level green complex. Bickler has succeeded, marvelously.
On a two-man tour of the course last week, no two tee shots were the same. The course begins with the benign, 100-yard first, similar to the old No. 1. From there, it gets increasingly more interesting.
The 75-yard third looks easy, but a pulled wedge can end up on the roof of the old water tank, a historic marker completely restored by McMillin. The fourth is an absolute gem, an uphill 150-yarder that is beautifully bunkered. Honestly, it looks like a scaled-down version of a couple of holes at Rancho Santa Fe.
From the fourth green, you can gaze to the south to see a sliver of the bay, the city skyline and the jets roaring as they take off from Lindbergh Field.
The fifth, formerly jammed into a corner against the road, is a sinister little down-hiller of 60 yards. Bickler plays tricks with the eye here, making a big bunker complex look like it's immediately behind the green. It's actually set back by about 10 yards, with a little runoff area in between. Either way, a long tee shot produces a very testy second.
All this, and the meat of the course doesn't arrive until the last three holes. The very narrow seventh, 204 yards from the back and lined by eucalyptus, was a favorite of Snead's and Bickler endeavored to keep its character.
The eighth is 183 uphill with bunkers, and the ninth is fun from 157; Bickler produced a “vanity” tee for special occasions, when it can be played from more than 200.
“When even the best golfers come off those last three holes, it's not going to feel like a pitch-and-putt course,” Stevens said.
Stevens, whose CSC also manages Redhawk in Temecula, said he's been in the golf business 27 years and still doesn't quite know what to expect from the public when Sail Ho reopens. The rates seem reasonable: $14 weekdays/$15 weekend for nine holes, with juniors, seniors and Liberty Station residents playing for $10.
He's also hoping to attract regulars to the clubhouse grill, which will feature a breezy outdoor patio between the two restored buildings of the old clubhouse. The large practice green has been restored, and there will be a 12-station practice cage.
A drive around Liberty Station reveals an amazing transformation, all of the Spanish buildings beautifully restored and painted. Old is new again there, and Sail Ho is a beautiful centerpiece.