An overlooked and sometimes ignored sibling has emerged from the shadow of her more famous and photographed sister.
Get the camera. It’s time for Torrey Pines North’s coming-out party. After the makeover, her new look is stunning.
Though it’s a 36-hole public facility owned by the city of San Diego, Torrey Pines Golf Course is best known for its challenging South Course, which became a must-play for many golfers around the country after Tiger Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate. The South Course also has been chosen to host the 2021 U.S. Open.
But now it’s the North Course’s turn to bask in the La Jolla sunlight and media spotlight. The North recently reopened to the public after a nine-month, $12.6 million renovation under the guidance of architect Tom Weiskopf.
Both the South and North courses will again be used during the Farmers Insurance Open (Jan. 26-29), a PGA Tour event at the site for nearly five decades, and Torrey Pines operators hope the public will now want to play all 36 holes as well.
Herman Parker, the City of San Diego’s director of parks and recreation, said the goal of the North Course renovation was “to create a course that was not quite as difficult and challenging as the South, but actually complement it” with a design appealing to golfers of all abilities while capitalizing on the scenery of a property on the coastal cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
“We believe we have achieved that,” Parker said, adding he hopes that golfers who play the North for the first time after the renovation will tell their friends: “Play both courses; they’re both spectacular.”
After a project led by Phil Mickelson fell through because of state fair practices regulations, the city of San Diego chose a bid presented by Weiskopf Design Group and Wadsworth Golf Construction to upgrade and update a classic William F. Bell design that opened in 1957.
“It’s a special piece of property, and I tried to bring the North Course into the 21st century,” said Weiskopf, 73, a former tour star whose firm has designed and renovated more than 60 courses since he ended his playing career in the early 1980s. “My job was to protect and enhance it. I think everybody is going to enjoy this golf course. It’s playable; it’s maintainable; it’s memorable.
“Is it a redesign? Is it a restoration? Is it a refurbishment? I like to think with what we did, it’s a redesign. Every tee was redesigned. Every green was redesigned. … Everything we did in the redesign was to bring it up to current standards. It’s now a top-of-the-line golf course.”
The most prominent change on the North is the reversal of the front and back nines. The old No. 1 is now No. 10, and the old No. 10 is now No. 1. The switch was made after Weiskopf discussed the proposal with city golf officials and local players.
“I fought hard for it, because I thought it was very important,” he said. “Everybody liked my idea of switching them because the old front nine is the more iconic of the two nines from the standpoint of its locations of golf holes on the ravines overlooking the ocean and looking back down the beach south to San Diego. It leaves you with a much more positive, memorable experience when you play the nines that way.”
The fairways have also been widened, by 24-26 yards, on average, and the greens have been enlarged by 20-30 percent, to an average of 6,000 square feet. The putting surfaces also have less back-to-front slope, more subtle contours and more distinct quadrants divided by gentle spines and ridges. All have been reconstructed to USGA standards, with poa annua grass replaced by bentgrass, and every green has been fitted with a SubAir system that can pull moisture out of the surface after heavy rains or add water to irrigation during hot weather.
To speed up play, Weiskopf reduced the number of bunkers from 60 to 42, with 21 on each nine. He said the traps are “larger, length- and width-wise, but not overly deep,” making them easier from which to play. Most of the changes are designed to reduce the difficulty for amateurs, who play an average of 80,000 rounds (including 9-hole rounds) on the North each year.
“What really drove the design was the 80,000 rounds – not the fact the Farmers (Open) plays one round here every year,” Weiskopf said. “We have to get people around (faster) here. Bigger greens, multiple tee locations, better bunkers – that drove the whole situation.
“The statistic I’ve always designed against is this: There are 25 million golfers in the U.S., as defined by the National Golf Foundation as anyone who plays at least six rounds. Ninety-two percent of the 25 million do not break 90. Fifty percent of that 92 percent (or 11.5 million) do not break 100. Eight-and-a-half percent (or 2.1 million) break 90 but not 80. And one half of 1 percent of 25 million, or only about 125,000 – assuming they play by the rules – break 80. It’s a very hard game.”
To make the North more playable for the aforementioned 92 percent, Weiskopf built many fairway bunkers beyond the landing area of the average player and softened playing areas near some greens, replacing deep rough with closely mown areas.
“My philosophy is to put the penalties on the sides of the holes – either in the landing areas or sides of the greens,” he said. “Penalties are not directly in front, so people can play by missing the ball in front of these greens and still have a good pitch or a chip and even a long putt. It’s less challenging than having to put the ball in the air all of the time.”
Weiskopf also added one of his favorite course elements – a risk-reward par-4 – by shortening No. 7, the old 16th, to tempt players of all abilities, regardless of which tee box is used: 322 yards from the tips to 233 from the forward tees.
“Every one of my courses has at least one drivable par-4,” he said, adding that he “stole” the idea from the Old Course at St. Andrews, which has four of them.
The natural beauty of the venue has also been enhanced, with several holes featuring dramatic changes. The 17th (formerly No. 8) has been converted from a 436-yard par-4 to a 520-yard par-5, and the 18th (formerly No. 9) has been changed from a 548-yard par-5 to a 486-yard par-4. In addition, the downhill par-3 15th (formerly No. 6) and uphill, dogleg-right par-4 16th (formerly No. 7) – both showcasing ocean views – have been improved significantly. There are now six tee boxes on No. 15, where the green’s slope has been reduced and now features a split-level surface to help slow down hot tee shots.
“What a hole!” Weiskopf said excitedly during a late November showcase. “You look at the backdrop, you see La Jolla, you see the pier, you see the surf, you see hang gliders coming at you. … It will rival No. 3 (on the South Course). No, I think it’s better than that one.”
On No. 16, the green has been lowered 10-12 feet and now has a “bowl effect” so approach shots left and right of the green will bounce onto the putting surface.
“It was not a good hole, in my estimation,” Weiskopf said. “We made it much better.”
That can also be a blanket statement for the entire North Course renovation.
“Our purpose wasn’t to make it equal (in difficulty) to the South,” Weiskopf said. “It’s for those who come out to play it; and we want them to come back and play.”
BY THE NUMBERS
5: Number of tee boxes, from 5,197 to 7,258 yards, compared to four previously.
6,000: Average square footage of greens, compared to 4,500 before.
20: Acres of fairway, compared to 19.
72: Acres of rough, compared to 78.
42: Number of bunkers, compared to 60.
$40, $50: Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday green fees for San Diego County residents.
$100, $125: Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday green fees for non-residents.
