THINGS TO DO
Because San Diego is loaded with attractions for all ages, make sure to take your group to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park near downtown, as well as to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park near Escondido. Despite the shared naming, these places are 32 miles from one another. Both are fantastic venues and offer completely different experiences. Don ' t try both in one day; you ' ll spend more time on I-15 than seeing animals.
With sunshine nearly every day, America’ s Finest City is all about enjoying the outdoors. Take advantage of the 70 miles of beaches.
BUDDY AND COUPLES TRIPS You and your friends will want to include some quieter, more upscale courses while you’ re soaking up the California sunshine. Roughly six miles northeast of Torrey Pines in Del Mar, the Grand Golf Club has matured into an elite course. The Tom Fazio design plays through valleys and hills— with views of scattered mansions— in a serene parcel of land. The course is upscale, fun for every skill level, and perpetually in great shape. Some top Tour pros consider this their home course.
If you’ re a low- or mid-handicap golfer, explore tee times at Maderas Golf Club in Poway, located about a half-hour inland. Yes, it’ s a schlep if you’ re staying along the coast( which you should be). But it’ s one of Southern California’ s best tests of golf, with typically pristine fairways and greens. The variety of holes is fantastic, the scenery is beautiful, and the temperature hovers 15 degrees warmer than along the coast.
Grand Golf Club
And if hiking is your thing, there are three excellent options near the coast. The scenic Seven Bridges Hike through downtown and Balboa Park stretches 5.5 miles and crosses seven suspension bridges. The popular Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is located just south of the golf course. And Annie’ s Canyon Trail sits a few miles to the north, looping around a lagoon in Solana Beach and Cardiff.
GOLF PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE COURSES; ZOO AND ROBERTO ' S PHOTOS: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
32 V IRGINIA G OLFER vsga. org