A Tuesday afternoon in San Diego

[Andrew Buck]

Is walking up to Torrey Pines as a single my best option for one good round of golf?

[Ryan Taylor]

Yes

[Andrew Buck]

Yes

Odds I get on one of the two courses pretty high if I show up a little afternoon?

[Jud_T]

If you have time, IMO my one round near San Diego begins and ends at Barona Creek.

[Andrew Buck]

Thanks for the suggestion Jud.

I will be heading east to Mexicali that night for meetings Wednesday and Thursday, so that might work.  A little off the path, but at least it's east.

[Pete Lavallee]

Torrey aerated just recently, so as always Barona is a great choice!

[Andrew Buck]

Thanks for the tip ... Is walking allowed at Barona?

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

Barona is your first choice and you can walk.  It is a huge property, but the local college teams plus a few others walk and play it from the tips.  If missing abundant fairways, always carry a club because there is an abundance of rattlesnakes, but they will run away as long as you don't surprise them.  Greens have been very good and fairly firm all year, so you should enjoy their challenge.

[Frank Sekulic]

Andrew,

 I am off on Tuesday if you are looking to play with a fellow GCAer.

[Andrew Buck]

frank, I would love that, I will shoot you a PM.

[Tim Leahy]

Another option would be Coronado if you want the SD experience. Great views of the city and marina. Have breakfast at the Hotel Del.

[Andrew Buck]

Barona is your first choice and you can walk.  It is a huge property, but the local college teams plus a few others walk and play it from the tips.  If missing abundant fairways, always carry a club because there is an abundance of rattlesnakes, but they will run away as long as you don't surprise them.  Greens have been very good and fairly firm all year, so you should enjoy their challenge.

Hmm, leaving a golfball and stroke and distance sound better than rattlesnakes to me.

[Pete Lavallee]

Because they are an Audubon certified golf course they have to capture and release any rattlers that they find. The kids who park the carts love to grab them by their tails; I've seen them catching at least a 5 footer like that just off #15!

[Andrew Buck]

Because they are an Audubon certified golf course they have to capture and release any rattlers that they find. The kids who park the carts love to grab them by their tails; I've seen them catching at least a 5 footer like that just off #15!

I have such a snake phobia I may be riding or heading to Torrey Pines.

I know it will be fine, but the thought of walking through a tee to green path to be greater by a coiled rattler feels counter productive to an enjoyable day af golf.

[David Stamm]

Maderas might be an option as well. The Grand is worth looking at at least once as well. Both are pricey and really don't provide real value for money, but may still check off your own personal boxes on what's important. Torrey will not be cheap and for a non resident, IMHO, will not provide value for money for an out of town visitor. IIRC, the South will run you close to $200 and the North about half. I like the North (I think it's better than the South), but in reality, it's a $40 course.


If you're going to spend that kind of money, you might as well at least consider Maderas and The Grand.

[Jud_T]

Andrew,

I'm not a huge fan of snakes either.  It's not an issue unless you're determined to hunt down balls that are clearly in the gunk beyond the very generous fairways.  Just take a drop and move on....It's like any other desert course in that regard...

[Brian Finn]

I suggest you walk up and play TP North. I understand the objections some have to both courses at TP, but the North is a really enjoyable walk, has great ocean views, and many good golf holes.  Overpriced or not, it still offers a better value than most others in SD county, with Barona and Coronado the main exceptions.  Balboa Park has plenty of interesting stuff to check out as well, and only Coronado can compete on price.

FYI...there are rattlesnakes at TP also, but they are nothing to worry about there or in the desert.  In the event you hear or see one, just use common sense.

[Andrew Buck]

Ended up joining fellow GCA'er Frank at Barona and it was a great time. 

Might of added a few minutes to the round with my excess caution walking down the walking paths from tees to fairways.  Wonderful golf course, company and day.  For $64, we played a great course, and never waited on another group or had a group behind us.  Greens were certainly difficult to judge, and some time on the practice green would have been helpful, as they were much faster than they appeared to me.

Thanks for all the input.

[Jordan Standefer]

Ended up joining fellow GCA'er Frank at Barona and it was a great time. 

Might of added a few minutes to the round with my excess caution walking down the walking paths from tees to fairways.  Wonderful golf course, company and day.  For $64, we played a great course, and never waited on another group or had a group behind us.  Greens were certainly difficult to judge, and some time on the practice green would have been helpful, as they were much faster than they appeared to me.

Thanks for all the input.

Andrew,

Not only is Barona a great course, but their twilight special (after 11am) is a great value.  Some of the best greens in the county.  They just overseeded last month, so I would imagine the course was in good shape too.

[Frank Sekulic]

The course was a little dry in spots but, that is a somewhat common occurrence in early Oct., especially given the unseasonably hot weather in SD over the past month or so.

It is certainly a fun course to play and one that I think is vastly underrated by many.

It was great meeting Andrew and sharing the day with another "architecture geek".

[Keith Grande]

Love Barona Creek.  Played there February on a visit out there, and found fairways with movement, strategically placed bunkers, and undulating greens, at a fantastic price.  Glad you enjoyed it.