Top San Diego Golf Courses

December 13, 2017

It’s no coincidence that San Diego is home to some of the best golf resorts and courses in America. It’s also got the most golf-friendly climate in the United States, averaging between daytime temps of 65 and 77 degrees every month of the year leaving little excuse to not play the top San Diego golf courses year-round.

 

The only problem with all these sunny days is deciding what to do. San Diego has some world-class attractions – the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Coronado Beach, Legoland in Carlsbad, the USS Midway Museum, San Diego Padres baseball and more – so play early to leave yourself more time to explore.

 

The best courses near the city’s downtown attractions include the municipal Coronado Golf Course, one of the best values in the country according to Matt Ginella of the Golf Channel, and the Balboa Park Golf Course, one of the three municipal courses run by the city of San Diego. On the opposite end of the affordability scale sits the North and South courses at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla. Although affordable for residents, Torrey Pines requires visiting golfers to pay one of the highest green fees in America. The famed South course, annual host of a PGA Tour event every February, will host its second U.S. Open in 2021. The North course was recently renovated by Tom Weiskopf.

 

Heading out into the desert surrounding the city, golfers will find more green landscapes. The small town of Ramona has two affordable and fun courses with different personalities – the target golf of Mount Woodson Golf Course (pictured above) and the rolling fairways of San Vicente Resort and Golf Course. For some golf and gaming, head to nearby Lakeside for the Top-100 caliber Barona Creek Golf Course and the adjacent Barona Resort & Casino, or to El Cajon for the 54-hole Sycuan Golf Resort.

 

For more luxurious tastes, staying at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar provides access to a private course, The Grand Golf Club, where Phil Mickelson holds the course record. The 36-hole La Costa Resort and Spa and the Aviara Golf Club & Resort, a Park Hyatt hotel next to a beautifully landscaped Arnold Palmer design, are both located in Carlsbad, which is known as the “Golf Manufacturing Capital of the World” (since more than 35 golf companies including Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, Cobra, and Fujikura shafts operate there). The Crossings at Carlsbad Golf Course and the Maderas Golf Club in Poway are two premium daily fee courses that no doubt get their share of players who work in the industry. Maderas, a Troon Golf facility, uses the new Golf Boards to attract the surfer crowd and millennials looking to play at a some of the top San Diego golf courses.

 

Had enough yet? We haven’t even mentioned two other prime daily fees that are considered some of the top San Diego golf courses – Steele Canyon Golf Club in Jamul and Salt Creek Golf Club in Chula Vista – and three other resorts – the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, Carlton Oaks Golf Club in Santee and the Pala Mesa Golf Resort in Fallbrook. There’s always more golf to play in San Diego, and plenty of sunshine for you to fit in a round (or three) when you’re in town.