Torrey Pines South Course: A Golfer's Guide to the Course
Torrey Pines South is a city-run course that has hosted two U.S. Opens. Here is its history, how it plays and what to know before you visit.
Perched on the bluffs above the Pacific in La Jolla, Torrey Pines South Course is one of the great municipal golf courses in the world. It is owned and run by the City of San Diego, it hosts the PGA Tour every winter, and it has staged two U.S. Opens. This guide to Torrey Pines South covers its unusual history, how the course plays, the holes worth knowing before you tee off and some practical tips for visiting.
It is also a rare thing in championship golf: a course where a local golfer can, with some planning, play the same holes where Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm won national championships.
From army camp to championship course
The land at Torrey Pines has a surprising past. During World War II it was Camp Callan, an Army anti-aircraft training center on the Torrey Pines Mesa that operated from 1941 to 1945. After the war, a 1956 city election set aside roughly 100 acres of the former camp for a public golf course.
The architect behind the original vision was William F. Bell Sr., who, according to the City of San Diego, imagined a "wind and sea swept golf course" but died in 1953. His son, William F. Bell Jr., saw the North and South Courses through to completion, and both opened in 1957. Bell's routing made the most of the cliff edge, giving many holes long views over the ocean.
The South Course changed dramatically around the turn of the century. Beginning with a city improvement program in 1999, Rees Jones redesigned the South, with the work completed in 2001. The project added ten tees, moved four greens and stretched the course from just over 7,000 yards to nearly 7,600. Jones returned to prepare the course for the 2008 U.S. Open and again in 2019 ahead of the 2021 championship, so the course you play today is very much a Bell routing reshaped by the Jones family.
Tournament history
The South Course has been a home of the PGA Tour's San Diego event, now the Farmers Insurance Open, since 1968, when Tom Weiskopf won the first edition played there. Tiger Woods has won that event seven times, and Phil Mickelson, a San Diego native, has won it three.
The biggest moment came at the 2008 U.S. Open, when Woods, playing on an injured knee, beat Rocco Mediate in a playoff. The championship returned in 2021, when Jon Rahm won the 121st U.S. Open. For that event the course played as a par 71 at 7,652 yards.
What Torrey Pines South is like to play
The first thing most visitors notice is the length. Even from the forward championship tees, the South is a big course, and the ocean air can make it play longer still. The fairways and rough are largely kikuyu grass, which grabs the club and makes recovery shots from the rough difficult, while the greens are poa annua, which can get bumpy as the day goes on.
The setting does a lot of the work. Several holes run along the canyon and cliff edges, and the wind off the Pacific is a constant factor. Most golfers find it a fair but demanding test: wide enough to enjoy, long enough to humble, and beautiful enough that a high number rarely ruins the day.
Signature holes at Torrey Pines South
No. 3: the downhill par 3
The third is the hole on every postcard. It plays downhill toward the ocean, typically into the prevailing breeze, with multiple tee boxes and the Pacific spread out behind the green. Club selection here is all about the wind.
No. 12: the tough par 4
A long, narrow par 4 that often plays into ocean winds, the 12th was the hardest hole on the course at the 2008 U.S. Open. Most amateurs will happily take a bogey and move on.
No. 13: the big par 5
Stretching beyond 600 yards from the back, the 13th gained a new tee and two bunkers in the 2019 redesign and requires three solid shots for most players.
No. 18: the finishing par 5
The closing hole is reachable for long hitters but guarded in front by a pond known as Devlin's Billabong, the only water hazard on the course other than the Pacific itself. It is where Woods holed his famous putt on the 72nd hole in 2008 to force the playoff.
Tips for visiting Torrey Pines
- Check the city's booking system early. Because the course is municipal and extremely popular, tee times are competitive. The City of San Diego publishes the current reservation rules, including any differences for local residents, so read them before planning a trip.
- Choose your tees honestly. The South is long. Moving up a set will make the round far more enjoyable.
- Bring a layer. Coastal fog and wind are common, especially in the mornings.
- Avoid tournament weeks. The Farmers Insurance Open is played at Torrey Pines each winter, and the course is closed to public play around the event.
- Do not skip the North Course. Torrey Pines North, the South's Bell-designed sibling from 1957, shares the same clifftop setting and also hosts rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open. Our Torrey Pines golf course prints cover the property.
Our Torrey Pines South print
Our Torrey Pines South Course print is a mid-century style map with every hole drawn and numbered from real map data, so the cliffside routing from the 3rd to the finish at Devlin's Billabong is easy to trace. It comes in 12x16, 18x24 and 24x32 inches, unframed on museum-quality matte paper or framed in black, white or green and ready to hang. It is a great keepsake for anyone who has played the course, attended the Farmers or watched those U.S. Opens. Golf Print House is independent and not affiliated with Torrey Pines or the City of San Diego.
FAQ
Is Torrey Pines South open to the public?
Yes. Torrey Pines is a municipal course run by the City of San Diego Parks & Recreation department. Tee times are in high demand, so check the city's current reservation rules before you plan a round.
Who designed Torrey Pines South Course?
The original course was envisioned by William F. Bell Sr. and completed by his son William F. Bell Jr., opening in 1957. Rees Jones redesigned it in 2001 and made further changes in 2019.
What U.S. Opens has Torrey Pines hosted?
Torrey Pines South hosted the 2008 U.S. Open, won by Tiger Woods in a playoff over Rocco Mediate, and the 2021 U.S. Open, won by Jon Rahm.
What grass is on Torrey Pines South?
The fairways and rough are mostly kikuyu grass and the greens are poa annua.