San Diego plans for golf improvements at Torrey Pines

Last Updated on May 1, 2025

With a rise in popularity and revenue at the north and south courses, Torrey Pines Golf Course is set for some major improvements.

The Torrey Pines Golf Course will get notable improvements in the coming years, according to the city of San Diego’s 2024 Golf Division business plan update, as the city reports more than a $14 million profit in golf course revenue.

The update, released in October, is the first revision since 2012; San Diego currently operates three golf complexes: Balboa Park Golf Course, Mission Bay Golf Course and Torrey Pines.

Torrey Pines is an award-winning golf complex containing two 18-hole golf courses, the North and South courses. It’s the second-searched golf course in the country and home to the upcoming annual Farmers Insurance Open, part of the PGA tour.

“The tournament infuses additional revenue into the local economy by typically hiring more than 200 vendors, recruiting more than 1,100 volunteers and attracting fans from all 50 states and 17 countries,” the plan states, estimating the total economic impact to San Diego County at $67.5 million.

Torrey Pines also hosted the US Open in 2008 and 2021, which in turn increased demand for tee times at the courses.

Since the city’s last business plan update, golf participation is up 53 percent nationwide, according to the report, with female golfers increasing to 26 percent of participants.

In San Diego, the Golf Division issued 41,039 new resident ID cards in Fiscal Year 2024, up from 37,711 the year prior.

Residents with active cards have access to 70 percent of tee times at Torrey Pines.

At the North Course, the city projected 82,800 rounds played for FY 2024 but recorded 93,932 rounds; the South Course had 81,835 rounds played out of a projected 64,000.

The city’s Golf Division reported a $14,123,429 profit in FY 2024.

Upgrades and fee increases

City staff has initiated upgrades at all courses. At Torrey Pines, the improvements aim to replace the existing clubhouse and maintenance facilities, including demolition of the current structures and relocation of the putting greens.

The new clubhouse will include the golf shop, cart barn for 150 golf carts and office space for Golf Division staff.

Staff has reviewed proposals and selected an architect and is working to finalize a contract. A further timeline is not yet available.

Fee increases for city courses went into effect Jan 1, capped at 3 percent for residents and 5 percent for nonresidents.

At Torrey Pines, the fee for 18 holes for a resident on a weekend has risen from $64 to $66 at the North Course, and from $85 to $88 at the South Course.