Torrey Pines North Course

Torrey Pines Golf Course was built on land that served as Camp Callan, a WWII U.S. Army anti-aircraft training center housing up to 40,000 soldiers (1941–1945). After the war, the City of San Diego claimed the mesa and commissioned architect William P. Bell Sr. to design a golf facility. Bell Sr. passed away in 1953 before completion; his son William F. Bell Jr. finished the project. Both the North and South courses opened in 1957.

In 2016, the North Course underwent a $12.6 million renovation by legendary architect Tom Weiskopf. He enlarged greens by 20–30%, reduced bunkers from 60 to 42, and most notably swapped the front and back nines — placing the dramatic ocean clifftop holes as the finishing stretch. The renovation is now widely credited with transforming a beloved but modest public layout into a championship-caliber test. The North Course is part of the same City of San Diego municipal facility that hosts the Farmers Insurance Open (PGA Tour) and has staged two U.S. Opens.

Torrey Pines North divides into two distinct experiences. The front nine (holes 1–9) is an inland mesa layout — solid and strategic but relatively unremarkable visually, apart from the par-3 6th. The back nine (holes 13–18) delivers the full Torrey Pines experience along Pacific Ocean cliffs, culminating in the spectacular 14–15–16 stretch.

The North is more accessible than the famous South Course — wider fairways, shorter rough, and enlarged greens (post-Weiskopf). PGA Tour pros regularly shoot 8–10 under par on the North; the South is one of the ten most difficult layouts on Tour.

Wind is a constant factor on the back nine. Morning tee times offer calmer conditions and better photography light on the clifftop holes. Non-residents pay ~$258–$322 plus a non-refundable $50 booking fee; San Diego residents pay ~$51 on weekdays.

Book from the Green tees (~6,400 yards, slope 125) unless you are a scratch golfer. The Black tees (7,258 yards, slope 134, rating 75.8) are severe and will grind down mid-to-high handicappers.

Hole 15 (signature par 3, 202 yards): play 1–2 clubs less than normal — the downhill grade is significant. Many golfers hit a 5 or 6-iron here.

Hole 16: aim center-to-right on the tee shot. A pull or draw toward the cliff side is the danger. The hole is only ~393 yards — precision, not power, is what matters.

Hole 13 (back nine opener): there is out-of-bounds left off the tee. Aim center-to-right for safety.

Morning tee times avoid both afternoon wind and the marine layer that can obscure ocean views in summer months.