Now that daylight savings has made our days longer, it means there’s more time to play golf! Here’s my list of the top five courses I wish to play in southern California.
1. Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) – La Jolla, CA
Nobody could forget the iconic moment at the 2008 U.S. Open where Tiger Woods made the birdie putt heard around the world on the 72nd hole to force a Monday playoff with Rocco Mediate. That singular moment gave Torrey Pines Golf Course more aura than it could possibly buy. Outside being a course that hosts a PGA Tour event each year, Torrey Pines offers amazing views of the ocean, where players can see paragliders fly across the San Diego skyline. Torrey Pines is also a public golf course that’s reasonably priced given its rich history and immaculate playing conditions.
2. Fairmount Golf Course – Riverside, CA
Fairmount Golf Course is a beautiful nine-hole track just off California State Route 60, offering players a fun, relaxed experience that can be completed in under two hours. Fairmount also offers all the amenities a golfer could need: a driving range, short game area and a putting green. Given that the Riverside weather is hotter than coastal cities, the window to practice and play golf is wider, which means more time to golf! Players can also enjoy frolicking in downtown Riverside before and after their golf outing.
3. Pelican Hill Golf Club – Newport Beach, CA
Pelican Hill Golf Club is another course with ocean views and great playing conditions, and you’re near UC Irvine and Balboa Peninsula. I could get a green Thai tea from the famous Seaside Bakery and see college students make stupid TikToks, then drive to play one of the most beautiful courses in southern California. Pelican Hill is a great course to escape the hustle and bustle of work life, and enjoy golfing where nature meets the sea.
4. Van Buren Golf Center – Riverside, CA
Van Buren Golf Center makes this list because it was the first place I played golf when I was a student at UC Riverside, and the nostalgia of being back hits home. Van Buren doesn’t have beautiful ocean views or perfect country club conditions, but it’s got what golfers need. Good food, good vibes and a driving range with night lights.
5. Riviera Country Club – Pacific Palisades, CA
Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades is well known for hosting a PGA Tour event each year and will be used during the 2028 Summer Olympics. There’s a few famous holes, such as the short par-4 10th hole, which can fool many pros into getting bogeys or worse. It can also kickstart a round into new life, with an eagle opportunity if you choose to risk it for the biscuit off the tee. There’s also the 18th hole with a green at the base of a natural amphitheater, making for a fun finish if there’s a tournament happening, or if it’s a friendly gathering of friends cheering each other on.
*This is an April Fools’ publication. This article is not intended to communicate any true or factual information about the writer’s article except through humor and/or exaggeration. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental or is intended purely as satire, parody or spoof of such persons and is not intended to communicate any true or factual information about that person.
