If you really like golf then San Diego is the place for you. There are two reasons for that. One is the high number of high-quality golf courses that can be found here. The other is the temperate weather the region enjoys. There are probably more golf-able (is that a word?) days per year here than in most other places. And then there are all the great things you can do in the area between golf games.
Alright, so there are three reasons why this is such a great golfing location. To get you started exploring San Diego via its golf courses, here’s a list of the best golf courses in San Diego.
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Balboa Park Golf Course
The Balboa Park Golf Course is a good course with some challenging deep roughs. If you like, you can play more than 18 holes. There is also an executive course, just nine holes long, with some nice hilly fairways and smooth greens. The clubhouse serves some good fish tacos. If you really want to improve your game, there are even weekend clinics with golf pros. The Balboa Park Golf Course is the oldest public golf course in Southern California.
Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Course
The Rancho Bernardo Inn is home to an 18 hole championship course that is well worth your time. This golf course will give you an experience that is both enjoyable and memorable, as you’d expect from a course that is a regular host to PGA and LPGA games. The course is challenging enough to keep even experienced players thinking. It’s got elevated tees, too, so you’d better know to play off of one of those.
Admiral Baker Golf Course
This place has two 18 hole courses with some interesting challenges while still being the kind of place that beginners can enjoy. The Admiral Baker also has a performance center with a golf simulator, a 12 hole course, and a place to practice your short game, so if the weather turns bad, you can still salvage some sort of golfing experience. Members of the military can expect a good discount.
Riverwalk Golf Club
Riverwalk has a par 72, resort-style golf course. It has some nice tree-lined fairways, surprisingly scenic water features, and more than 60 bunkers. There are multiple tees on each hole, so you’ll be sure to have a game that’s both fun and challenging no matter what your skill level. It also has a short game area and driving range that are lit at night, so you can work on your game whenever you find the time. The learning center has programs for both adults and for kids that are taught by professional golf instructors. The dining in the clubhouse is well worth checking out as well. You can easily get to the Riverwalk Golf Club from the trolley line.
Steele Canyon Golf Club
If you want some really incredible scenery while you play, you should go to the Steele Canyon Golf Club. There are 27 holes in all. The lower ones are spread around a vineyard. The rest are spread across the hillsides surrounding it. Some of them are quite high up and offer some great views. Two of the greens are right on the edges of great big cliffs, so you’d better not hit to the right. A lot of people really enjoy the Canyon-Ranch nine.
Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake
This is another course that you go to for the scenery. And that shouldn’t be surprising, because it was designed by Ted Robinson, the famous architect. It has no fewer than three waterfalls, six lakes, colorful bluegrass fairways, and hundreds and hundreds of trees. It’s an 18 hole, par 72 course. Coincidentally, there are also 72 sand traps. You can also get private lessons with PGA professionals.
Coronado Golf Course
The Coronado Golf Course has been a favorite of local golfers ever since the 1950s. There’s nothing particularly challenging about it, but it’s a solidly enjoyable course with some excellent greens. In fact, Golf Digest has placed it high in the national ranks for the high value and low cost. Not only that, it’s got some incredible views of the Bay, the bridge, and the San Diego skyline.
Maderas Golf Club
This one is something of a hidden gem of a golf course. It’s nestled in the foothills in a natural setting that seems far away from any sort of civilization. Despite sitting a mere few minutes from Interstate 15, you can’t even hear any traffic noise. The hills, waterfalls, plants, and so on make for a very picturesque setting. The course is rather unique, too. Some of the holes pose challenges unlike those you’ll find in any other golf course. (Watch out for that dogleg on hole five.)
Singing Hills Golf Resort
There’s a lot to explore at the Singing Hills Golf Resort. It has an 18 hole par 3 course and not one but two championship courses as well. Each of these courses has a creative, tricky layout that will keep you coming back again and again until you beat the challenges they pose. And because it’s a resort, you can even make a little vacation of it, staying at the resort while you sample everything that Singing Hills has to offer.
Torrey Pines
It is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the very best public golf courses in the nation. Indeed, it’s a regular stop for the PGA tour. The South Course is incredibly difficult. Expect some challenging par fours and even some insane par fives. The fairways are narrow, so you’d better be able to drive straight. They’re also long so that straight drive had better be pretty powerful, too. The North Course is a lot more playable. The greens are both shorter and wider, and players with less experience will have much more fun on this course. Both courses are built along the cliffs that tower over the ocean, giving you an incredible view wherever you go.
