Page 45 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

TORREY PINES GOLF COURSE
in La Jolla right; Pebble Beach
Golf Links, below; CordeValle
Golf Club, opposite.
Torrey Pines GC—South
Edging the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla (15
miles north of San Diego), a region with
arguably the best climate in California, this
cliffhanger venue with deep ravines played
host to the playoff between Tiger Woods
and Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U.S. Open
and is an annual stop on the PGA Tour for
the Farmers Insurance Open. Designed by
William Bell, it underwent a major renova-
tion by Rees Jones in 2001, including a
lengthening to 7,700 yards.
Pelican Hill GC—Ocean South
“Re-perfected” in 2007 by the original
designer, Tom Fazio, after it first opened
along the Newport Coast in 1991, the Ocean
South at Pelican Hill GC solidified its claim
as one of the most scenic rounds of golf on
the West Coast. Several holes are literally
steps from the beach while the majority of
all 18 permit panoramic views of the
Pacific. It is a strong compliment to Fazio’s
Ocean North to provide 36 holes of unfor-
gettable golf at Pelican Hill.
PGA West—TPC Stadium
Since opening in 1986, the TPC Stadium
Course has been rated one of the “Top 100
Courses in the World” by GOLF Magazine.
This 7,300-yard challenge, designed by Pete
Dye, hosts PGA Tour “Q-School” Finals
every other year with players having to
navigate cavernous bunkers, the island
green at hole #17, known as Alcatraz, as
well as the menacing water-lined 18th
.
Named “Stadium” thanks to Dye’s ingen-
ious plan to sculpt spectator seating into
the natural terrain, one of the most mem-
orable events here includes Lee Trevino’s
hole-in-one on Alcatraz that won him a
carry-over Skin worth $175,000 in the 1987
“Skins Game.”
La Quinta—Mountain
The Mountain Course (1981) has long been
considered one of the desert’s leading
courses. Famed for its unique Pete Dye
design, playability and stunning visuals,
this ultra-challenging 6,732-yard course
features pot bunkers, rock formations and
well-bunkered greens. From the top of the
elevated tee box of the signature 16th hole,
golfers are treated to a majestic panoramic
view of the course, named one of GOLF
Magazine’s “Top 100 You Can Play.”
Rustic Canyon GC
Soon after it appeared on the secluded
landscape in 2002, near the Los Angeles
and Ventura County border, Rustic Canyon
garnered instant acclaim for its minimalist
design by Gil Hanse. Named the No. 1 “Best
Value in the U.S.A.” by GOLF Magazine in
2010, Rustic Canyon’s 7,028 yards are an
exercise in restraint with flat, wide-open
fairways fading into the native surround-
ings, free-form greens and bunkers
sculpted from the natural landscape to pre-
serve the native barrancas.
Pebble Beach GL
Located along the storied Monterey Penin-
sula, there are few golf thrills like teeing-up
for the first time on Pebble Beach
Golf Links, ranked No. 1 on Golf Digest’s
“America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf
Courses” (2013/14). At the Jack Neville/Dou-
glas Grant design (1919), golfers can feel the
presence of the game’s biggest legends that
have competed in the annual AT&T Pebble
Beach National Pro-Am and five U.S. Open
Championships. Jack Nicklaus said, “If I
only had one more round to play, I would
choose to play it at Pebble Beach.”
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