Classic Golf at Rancho Bernardo Inn - by Martin Olivera - This is the only San Diego track to have hosted both, PGA and LPGA tour events. But being the venue of high-level professional golf should not intimidate you if you are not an experienced player. The beauty of this classic tree-lined design is that regardless of your golf ability you still will have to think your way around the course, sometimes over creeks, brooks and fountains, and quite often around, under, over and through pines and eucalypti. But once you realize the lack of trickery and hidden hazards of this meticulously maintained San Diego golf course all you really have to do to score well is execute a simple golf shot. Read on...

Torrey Pines Golf Course - A Major Muni With Style - by Martin Olivera - You don't have to be a golfer to appreciate the magnificent views at the Torrey Pines golf courses in La Jolla, California, just 20 minutes north of downtown San Diego. All you have to do is stand in the veranda in front of the Pro-Shop to get a sample of what those venturing onto the Torrey Pines North and Torrey Pines South courses enjoy every time they play a round of golf at these San Diego Gems. These seaside courses meander along the San Diego coastline, and are bordered by deep canyons with thick vegetation and abundant wildlife. High cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean provide the breathtaking views for which Torrey Pines Golf Course is widely known. Read on...

Aviara Golf Course - Golfing Back to Nature - by Martin Olivera - Sometime during your round of golf at the Aviara Golf Club you will feel like you are playing through a botanical garden. The abundance, variety and beauty of local vegetation is, in my honest opinion, unparalleled in San Diego county golf. This is the only golf course in San Diego designed by Arnold Palmer. This 18-hole championship, 7,007-yard, par 72 layout with some ocean views was built around the natural topography of three valleys and a lagoon. Read on...

La Costa Resort and Spa and Golf and More - by Martin Olivera - When you first drive through the entrance at the La Costa Golf Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, just 35 minutes north of downtown San Diego, you feel like you are driving into a Spanish colonial town of old. As you drive on, however, instead of finding a "padre" by the road you are greeted by one of their many San Diego golf resort employees that will help make your San Diego golf vacation at the resort an unforgettable experience. Read on...

Maderas Golf Club - Golf at the End of the Valley - by Martin Olivera - What makes Maderas Golf Club stand out is its meticulously superb Troon golf course conditioning and first-class service. Personal attention to the guest is given from the parking lot to the first tee and everywhere in between. It's no wonder this San Diego golf course was voted #1 Golf Course in San Diego County and # 6 Golf Course in California in the 2003 and 2004 Zagat Survey; and rated four and a half starts by Golf Digest in 2004. Maderas is definitely one of the top "must-play" golf courses in San Diego for both residents and those visiting San Diego with golf in mind. Read on...

Riverwalk: A River Runs Through It - by Martin Olivera - The word "strategic" is widely used in golf architecture to indicate the smart placement of bunkers, trees or hazards, which are a golf course defense against the world of titanium and hi-tech golf equipment ... ah, yes, and the golfer. But here I'll use this same word to describe the location of the Riverwalk Golf Course: in the heart of Mission Valley and its hotel and restaurant "alley" along Interstate-8, just a few yards away from Fashion Valley shopping mall, and just a few minutes drive from downtown and many centrally located tourist attractions like SeaWorld and Balboa Park. It's the nearest regulation length golf course to the airport. Read on...

Del Mar National Delight - by Martin Olivera - Perhaps "elegant" is the adjective that best describes this San Diego golf course, available to the public since 1999 and located 20 25 minutes north of downtown San Diego. The Meadows Del Mar Golf Course, now known as Del Mar National Golf Club, is the first and only Tom Fazio designed golf course in San Diego. Read on...

Steele Canyon - Panoramic Golf - by Martin Olivera - The views are magnificent and this immaculate San Diego golf course is something to write home about. This fabulous golf course in San Diego, just east of downtown San Diego has some of the most dramatic elevation changes you'll ever see. Designed by the legendary Gary Player and recognized with the prestigious "Four Star" rating by Golf Digest Magazine, Steele Canyon is composed of three distinct nine-hole courses: Canyon, Meadow and Ranch and some of the best 27 holes of golf you'll ever experience. Read on...

Ye Auld Course At The Firth Of Otay - Now SALT CREEK Golf Course - by Martin Olivera - Well, not really. No such a thing as the "Firth of Otay". The only water you will find at the foothills of Mount Miguel is in the form three lakes and drainage channels in and around the wetlands of a protected wildlife reserve. But when you play this Auld Course in east Chula Vista you WILL get that Scottish feeling of being on the links. It does bring a little piece of Scotland to Southern California, even if the sea water is somewhat far away and there is not one wind-swept sheep in sight. This John Cook and Cary Bickler collaboration offers golf players a natural setting like no other in the area. Read on...

Arrowood: Riparian Golf In Oceanside - by Martin Olivera - No, you don't have to look it up. I did it for you. It means "golf by the river bank." One more proof that golf can be part of a sensitive environment. Not only golf can coexist with nature, golf -- if you ask the purists -- IS indeed part of nature. At least it should feel that way. Well, okay, there is titanium, synthetic balata and other high tech stuff that come with it these days. But when it comes to sports that blend natural environments and a ball, golf reigns supreme. You WILL get this feeling at the Arrowood golf course. Read on...

Pala Mesa Resort - Unwind - Get Away From It All - by Martin Olivera - The invitation is to unwind and get away from it all with a fabulous San Diego golf vacation. That's what the Pala Mesa Golf Resort has been promoting in its 40 years of existence. Built in 1964, just north of San Diego in the foothills of Pala Mesa land, by the Old Highway 395 and in the heart of north San Diego wine country, this magnificent and somewhat secluded San Diego golf resort is truly a call to peaceful relaxation. Read on...

Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club - Local Golf History Still In The Making - by Martin Olivera - The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the foremost golf authority in the country. Not only it oversees the rules of the game and the conformity of equipment, but also organizes -- annually ? the most important national tournament: the United States Open. In addition, this supreme institution organizes twelve other golf competitions, all of them aimed at identifying the best golfer in those different categories. Ten of them are dedicated to amateur golfers only. Read on...

Barona Creek Golf Course - Challenge Your Senses - by Martin Olivera - The 15th tee is at the highest elevation on the course and offers a magnificent panoramic view of the lakes at the bottom of the valley and the Barona Hotel and Casino. You can't help but pull your camera out of your golf bag and snap your own postcard. This San Diego golf course has earned some very noteworthy distinctions: Top-5 Daily-Fee Golf Course in California, Top-100 Modern Golf Course in America by Golfweek Magazine and Top 10 New Golf in America by GOLF Magazine. Read on...

Coronado: A resort Municipal: Riparian Golf In Oceanside - by Martin Olivera - Sounds like an oxymoron: A resort municipal golf course? I doubt any other municipal golf course can claim this so convincingly. Not even its cousin Torrey Pines, a few miles up the coast. It doesn't matter whether you are the die-hard muni golfer who plays "the course as you find it and the ball as it lies", or the high-end resort type who enjoys the amenities of first-class service. Read on...