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Pacific Drive
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A road trip along California Highway 1 in search of great golf, unique sights and some of the most spectacular scenery in the world
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By
Hunki Yun
It's approaching high noon, and it’s clear that the upcoming duel will be severely
one-sided. It’s me against U.S. Open host Torrey Pines South, and a couple of
minutes before my 12:00 p.m. tee time, the starter says the rough is a healthy
five inches and even locating balls is problematic. “If you can’t find it,” he
says, “no problem. Just drop one—no penalty.” The rough did leave me
feeling as though I were wielding a bag full of pea shooters. Hacking the
ball 100 yards up the hole was a feat—I had never played a course with such a
punitive setup. And the U.S. Open was still three months away, plenty of time
for the U.S. Golf Association to continue to arm the 7,607-yard
layout.
Despite the difficulty, the appeal of playing a U.S. Open course has
packed the tee sheet. It has lured customers like John and Bev from
Pennsylvania. They had driven by several times on previous trips before deciding
to play because of the U.S. Open.
But the rough made for some ridiculous
scenes. Bev’s ball of choice was a Precept—in both pink and yellow. On the par-5
9th, she teed off with a pink model, which she pulled into the rough. She
couldn’t find it, so she dropped a yellow one. She eventually holed out with the
same-color ball she started with, but had to switch colors three times in
between.
There were other muni-golf scenes you won’t find at the Open. From
my room at the Lodge at Torrey Pines next to the 18th green, I watched several
groups finishing. At least one player from each foursome hit into the pond
guarding the green. And nearly every one of them went after it with a ball
retriever. That just doesn’t happen at a place like Shinnecock Hills.
A ball
retriever is a quintessentially muni accessory, and I applaud the USGA for
awarding the Open to Torrey. The act is almost enough to excuse the
rough.
Almost.
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Head to Head:
Scotland vs. Ireland
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 By
George Peper
Take a good look and tell us what is the better destination for golfers: Scotland or Ireland
read more » |
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