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San Diego
"San Diego. The Sweet Spot for Golf. "
Combining San Diego's year-round, near-idyllic climate – mostly sunny skies and average daily temperatures around 70 degrees – with its resort atmosphere, world-class attractions and 92 championship golf courses of every size, shape and slope, it is not surprising that San Diego was chosen once as “one of the top 50 golf destinations in the world” by Golf Digest magazine.
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Stretching for 70 miles along the Pacific Ocean and rolling into a golden coastal range, San Diego offers 92 outstanding courses in every conceivable setting, from the ocean to the mountains to the desert.Many of San Diego 's courses combine two or three of these settings; such is the diversity of the local terrain. |
Fairways may be lined with palm trees, sycamores or oaks, sit astride ocean headlands, roll through country foothills or wind through scenic wetlands where birds (the winged kind) are plentiful. San Diego features playful resort courses for beginners and full-throttle links for pin-seekers chasing par.
Excellent new golf courses keep expanding San Diego 's roster of accessible public links. Many new courses have recently opened in the county, with more on the way. Golf just keeps getting better in San Diego .
Exceptional Golf, Excellent Access, Affordability
San Diego offers exceptional value to the golf traveler. Here, a round of golf is not the big-ticket, high-pressure extravagance that it is fast becoming common in other golf vacation destinations. Golfers can save money on green fees during San Diego 's warm summer season, the traditional high season for hotels. The value then extends to hotel accommodations in the spring, fall and winter seasons when hotel rates are at their most affordable.
Those who appreciate the traditions of the game, as well as the playing of it, can find San Diego links designed by such golf luminaries as Alister Mackenzie, Pete Dye, Ted Robinson, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Ron Fream, Billy Casper, William Bell and Robert Trent Jones. There are courses with the time-honored feel and playability of mature courses as well as those offering more modern architectural elements. Fairways meander along wildlife preserves and through vineyards or cactus-studded hillsides.
San Diego is particularly rich in coastal valley settings where golf courses double as riparian habitats for native water birds and wildflowers that grow right to the edge of expansive and meticulously groomed fairways and greens.
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San Diego 's ocean-side golf courses are located to the north and the south of the sun-splashed city center. The rolling ocean headlands of North County feature courses both old and new, while courses in neighboring Baja California , Mexico provide an exotic challenge. San Diego 's ocean greens contrast with the sapphire-hued Pacific Ocean as they challenge golfers to maintain their concentration in the presence of head-turning scenery. |
One of the most exciting regions for new golf course development encompasses the canyons and rolling country foothills of inland San Diego . Native woodlands, meandering creeks, mature trees and twisting terrain provide a scenic and divinely peaceful setting for golf. The micro-climates found within these coastal foothills are especially appealing, whether finishing up a twilight round of golf, bicycling between vineyards on a quiet country road or toweling-off poolside as the sun casts its long, late afternoon rays. San Diego 's foothills and wine country serve up a wonderful collection of country inns and resorts alongside a superb collection of golf courses.
Golf travelers who play one day on the ocean, the next in the hills and the next through the canyons will discover San Diego 's specialty: a constantly challenging, always compelling golf experience.
Where Golf is Always in Season
Golf in San Diego County is always a year-round affair. Par for the course, temperature-wise, is 70 degrees with blue sky and plenty of sunshine for every season. Insiders know that San Diego is lovely during the autumn and winter, and golf resorts offer outstanding off-season packages and rates.
San Diego's near-perfect climate and accessibility of varied terrain – beaches, lakes, canyons, mountain forests, deserts and bays – offer a wide range of activities for golfers and non-golfers alike. A broad range of accommodations, including first-class resorts and spas, complements San Diego 's fine dining opportunities, outstanding arts and cultural offerings and world-class family attractions. San Diego also offers a full spectrum of special events year-round.
Discovering the Keys to Par
Golfers understand the value of professional instruction. For high handicappers, there are too many swing nuances to pick up on one's own, and for the low handicapper, there is always a swing refinement, tip to learn or fundamental to review.
A visit to a golf school may be the most important investment golfers can make in their game, and San Diego offers one of the nation's best collections of golf instructional academies and resorts. Even a quick pre-round tune-up under the skilled tutelage of a PGA golf professional can clear a path to par.
Further evidence of San Diego 's credentials as a golf capital is the astounding number of top golf equipment manufacturers located in or near Carlsbad , in San Diego 's North County . Cobra Golf, Callaway Golf, Taylor Made, Titleist and Ashworth are just a few of the major players based in San Diego County . Dozens of smaller, lesser-known companies supply these manufacturers with their components, whether they are graphite golf shafts, club grips, driving range mats – just about everything golfers need to play or enhance their games. Some of these manufacturers offer tours of their facilities and sell directly to the public (at surprising savings).
Starting Time
The bounty of local golf courses means that, in most cases, the visitor to San Diego can arrange tee times upon arrival. For an additional level of convenience, many San Diego companies are available to arrange tournaments for groups and conventions, as well as individual and group tee times. These companies include: American Golf Corporation (619) 297-4431; San Diego Golf Events (619) 232-4707, and Spectrum Golf (858) 509-8558. Golf equipment rentals are available at Polar Golf (619) 291-3186.
For more information on San Diego and a free San Diego Golf Guide, write to the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, 401 B Street, Ste. 1400 , San Diego , CA 92101-4237 or call (619) 236-1212. In San Diego , visitors can obtain a golf guide at the International Visitor Information Center , 11 Horton Plaza at First Avenue and F Street . Internet users can visit www.sandiego.org.
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