If there’s a more beautiful major city in America than San Diego I must have been sleeping like Rip Van Winkle for the last 20 years or so, or maybe living in a cave, as I haven’t seen it. As a long time resident of Southern California, my trips south to old San Miguel are frequent, whether it’s to visit friends or for a specific reason like a Padres game, a round of golf, or a day at the most beautiful track in horseracing. And with each opportunity to visit this buzzing metropolis I get excited. In the last five years San Diego has blossomed into the big city that early squatters knew it could be, but locals had hoped it wouldn’t be, and today San Diego has become “The Hippest City in America.”

 In late July of this year, some 300,000 people descended upon San Diego for three days of unexplainable comic book frenzy during the annual Comic Con convention held at the waterfront convention center. Thoroughbred racing fans are in heaven during the 8-week run at Del Mar Race Track, where the “Surf meets the Turf,” which starts in late July. For two weekends following The Fourth of July, some 20,000 sporting enthusiasts gathered at Fiesta Island for the 55th annual “Over the Line” beach softball tournament where over 1,400 teams competed from all around North America. On August 14th over 2,000 people took part in the 34th annual Midnight Madness Fun Bicycle Ride. Folks from all over SoCal will descend on SD the second weekend in September for the annual Street Scene Festival, where top bands from around the country entertain deep into the night. On the weekend of October 12 - 14, hundreds of thousands plan on taking in the Mirimar Air Show, where the Navy Blue Angels perform annually and this year will be joined by the famed USAF Thunderbirds.  

With each passing year more people move to San Diego, flooding the freeways, morning inbound, afternoon outbound. It now ranks as the 7th largest city in the U.S. with approximately 2.5 million inhabitants who have discovered the wonders of old San Miguel, its original name given by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who sailed into its harbor in September of 1542. It became San Diego in 1602 when Sebastian Vizcaino renamed it San Diego for San Diego de Alcala (St. Didicus). 

In August San Diego will host the Acura Pro Tennis Championships featuring the top female players in the world. The Padres will be seeking the Western Division and National League pennant of Major League Baseball, playing in the finest ballpark in the country, PETCO Park. The San Diego Chargers will begin their pursuit of the Super Bowl in September. And all of this only scratches the surface of the immense pleasures San Diego has to offer. I have not even mentioned some of the most popular activities and sights such as one of the nation’s finest Zoo, home of the first panda born in the western hemisphere, Hua Mei. There is Lego Land, the original Sea World, 70 miles of beachfront, Little Italy. It’s the home of the first female astronaut, Sally Ride. More living Nobel laureates, eleven out of 18, reside in San Diego, teaching and lecturing at local Universities, helping raise research funding for the city’s economic pile driver, biotechnology. Rocky’s serves the best burger on the planet, and it is in San Diego, in Pacific Beach. San Diego is home to the largest wooden structure in the U.S., the prestigious Hotel del Coronado. James Dean and Dennis Hopper got their acting careers started at the La Jolla Playhouse. The north county beach towns of Cardiff by the Sea, Solano Beach, Encinitas and Leucadia are where the hippies of the 60’s and 70’s found solace and peace. San Diego has an average temperature year round of 71 degrees while basking in over 350 days of sunshine. Did you get that? 350! When the Zagat Survey rated the best cities in America, San Diego was first with 80 out of 90 possible points.

 All that considered, San Diego is also a fabulous place to play golf, and next summer this paradise by the Pacific will play host to the 108th United States Open golf championship at fabled Torrey Pines on the bluffs of La Jolla, the first time the USGA has brought its elite event to Southern California since 1948. Sixty years will have expired since Ben Hogan won the Open at storied Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. Well, in 2008 the best players in the world will endure an equally stern examination on the South course of Torrey Pines Golf Links, playing to a beefy 7,600 yards at sea level, with ocean breezes stiffening as each day progresses, yet nary a hint of humidity. The world will be watching, and oh what the world will see!
Tickets to major sporting events, the U.S. Open Golf Championship being one of them, are always a tough ticket. As a golfer or golf fan, if there was ever a ticket you really wanted, it would be next summer when Tiger, Phil and the boys take the stage on the bluffs above Blacks Beach in La Jolla. Not just to watch them display their incredible talents and inhale the buzz of a major, but more so to imbibe in all of the surroundings that dictate a new appreciation for all the good things San Diego has to offer. Actually, you shouldn’t wait for the Open to come to town. Get here as soon and as often as you can!

 If golf is your pleasure, this slice of golfing heaven will do you right. While Torrey Pines South is the reigning king in the golf course collection of San Diego, it is not so easy to get on since it is a city owned municipal course, similar to Bethpage Black in New York, which was host to the 2002 Open. Locals get the preferred tee times and rates, but visitors can gain access by arranging a stay at the beautiful Lodge at Torrey Pines or by arriving before dawn, signing in and waiting to hear your name over the loud speaker. It’s every golfer’s dream to play where the big boys play, especially one that hosts a major. It should be mentioned that the North course at Torrey is a delight as well, and both courses play host to the annual Buick Invitational, which by the way has been won five times by SoCal’s own Tiger Woods.

Just up I-5 from La Jolla is the marvelous and luxurious Four Seasons Aviara, where many a heavy hitter will be staying next June. Resting atop the hills in Carlsbad overlooking Batiquitos Lagoon, the five-diamond award winner is regarded as one of the premier golf destination resorts in the Southwest, and one of the reasons is their meticulously well-groomed Arnold Palmer signature golf course. With large greens, ample fairways, beauty at every turn, the best 18th hole in San Diego and an immaculate clubhouse, Aviara is a must play. Inland in Poway is another stunner, Maderas Golf Club, a Johnny Miller – Robert Muir Graves collaboration that has been rated the #1 golf course in San Diego by the Zagat Survey the last four years. Maderas has one of the longest par threes in the county, the 280-yard downhill, 14th. The 7,115 yard, par 72 course meanders through live oaks, sycamores, creeks and elevation changes, and is tucked neatly into an upscale community of luxury homes and estates which are perched high on the hills, leaving the course to flow smoothly through its natural setting.

One of San Diego’s hidden gems is in the town of Lakeside, about thirty minutes from downtown on Wildcat Canyon Road. Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino is home to what many locals have lauded as their favorite course. It’s a Gary Roger Baird design, but the true architect is an accomplished young designer, Todd Eckenrode, who sculpted beauty out of rolling hills with a routing that is superb. Barona is a stern test when played from the tips, a distance of 7,088 yards, and the course will play host to the Nationwide Tour Championship this fall, which is quite a distinction. One hint for the first timer, work on your putting before you play because these greens are slick and perfect. Afterwards you can relax and enjoy a little gaming in their newly built hotel/casino, complete with a private high roller room. If you’re looking for something really special, plan on a visit to the Grand Golf Club just 15 minutes from downtown.

 Formerly named The Meadows Del Mar and Del Mar National, it is now a resort and private golf club where being a guest of the resort or the Hyatt Manchester downtown will grant you playing privileges, if membership hasn’t been purchased. If you can pull it off, playing The Grand.GC is immensely worth it. I have never had anything but great experiences at this Tom Fazio masterpiece, and with the enhancements that the resort has undergone, investing in one of their fractional properties is very tempting.

One of my favorite tracks in the San Diego area is Mt. Woodson Golf Club, not all that little but shorter than most, playing to a par of 70 and barely 6,100 yards. But don’t let the numbers fool you. Mt. Woodson will demand accuracy as you filter through hills dotted with massive white boulders. It incorporates hints of an amusement park as you cart ride across some of their wooden bridges that connect over barrancas, especially the ride from #10 green to #11 tee, which may require seat belts. Mt. Woodson will please the accomplished as well as the non-golf addict because it is definitely fun and more challenging than the yardage suggests. If you venture to Santee, you will discover one of San Diego’s most respected courses, Carlton Oaks, a devilish Dye design, the only one in San Diego County, that is more traditional with tree lined fairways, plenty of deep bunkers and the architect’s signature railroad ties framing hazards and sand traps. This 7,220, yard test has hosted qualifiers for the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur and this year will host the Canadian Tour Q-school and the first stage of the PGA Tour’s Q-School. And I believe that is all you need to know to enlist your attention.

If you talk about golf in San Diego, you have to include the granddaddy of them all, La Costa Resort and Spa, the host of the then called Tournament of Champions that evolved into the Mercedes Championships now held annually in Maui, at Kapalua. This 36-hole traditional style course has held serve in San Diego for what seems like ever. The La Costa Resort recently underwent a masterful $170 million renovation bringing back the style and charm of the fabled resort. With their world-renowned 90,000 sq. ft. spa, challenging golf courses, first-class tennis facility, superb dining experiences and professional service, La Costa remains atop the leader board.
In August, a much anticipated new layout, The Crossings at Carlsbad will open just off the I-5 freeway close to Lego-Land, one of the most popular San Diego attractions for family fun.

 Operated under the respected Kemper Sports Management Group, who also manages the highly acclaimed Bandon Dunes in Oregon, The Crossings opens to the public August 11th and from where it sits, views of the Pacific lie just beyond the sweeping hills of the course.

 Space does not permit for all of the other worthy golf courses to receive mention but they include the likes of Riverwalk GC located downtown by Qualcom Stadium, Encinitas Ranch, Eagle Crest, Sycuan Resort, Pala Mesa Resort, Arrowood GC, Salt Creek (formerly the Auld Course), Carmel Mt. Ranch, Steele Canyon, Temecula Creek, Rancho Bernardo Resort, The Vineyard and Twin Oaks. When planning a golf trip, or vacation to San Diego, check out the San Diego Visitor’s Bureau website for information and then call Golf America Travel at 602-264-2833 or log onto www.golfamericatravelclub.com to book any trip at a discount, to save on last minute tee times, and get more information on golf in the “Hippest City in America.”

Once you have gotten your golf fix, throw on your casual attire to take in the pleasures of San Diego after dark. One of San Diego’s hottest attractions is its nightlife, the most popular area in town being the Gas Lamp Quarter, named because at one time it represented one quarter of the city, the poorest, and it was lit by gas lamps. Some call it the Gas Lamp District, or the Gas Light Quarter, but whatever you call it, it’s a lively street scene with great dining experiences and fun lounges and bars that fill immediately after a Padres game. For someone like myself who lives in Newport Beach, some 90 miles up the coast, getting to and about this part of San Diego is a breeze. Unlike Los Angeles and Phoenix, public transportation in San Diego flows conveniently and often. Trains drop you right downtown and bright red trolleys, buses and popular bicycle rickshaws get you to wherever you need, all about the Gas Lamp Quarter. Some of my favorite spots are Maloney’s the Irish Pub, the Yardhouse, Croce’s, The Shout House, Dick’s Last Resort and Confidential.

San Diego is also hip because it has the little neighborhoods, and in this case it includes small beach towns that warrant attention. While the Gas Lamp, Little Italy and downtown areas bustle, especially with the recent welcoming of Stingaree, a very hip NYC style club and Anthology, a classic supper club, there are so many trendy, cool, local hang outs and eateries that should not be missed, especially along the beachfront, the likes of world famous Lahaina the beach bar, The Pennant, Nick’s at the Pier and the ultra hip Tower 23 in Pacific Beach (PB). Del Mar is where the ponies run, and it has the legendary Red Tracton’s, Bully’s North, The Brigantine, The Fish House, plus Pacifica across from the recently renovated Epazoti. In La Jolla, San Diego’s Beverly Hills, George’s at the Cove has been a landmark establishment that also just went through a $2 million enhancement with a view of the Pacific that is priceless. Next-door is Azul, another gem.

Finding the best places to stay in San Diego isn’t difficult, and when you are the Hippest City in America, the choices envelop every variety. Staying downtown starts with the Hyatt Manchester on the harbor. This magnificent hotel offers a panorama of Point Loma, Coronado and the harbor. Directly across the harbor is the aforementioned Hotel del Coronado, a historical landmark. There is also the new W Hotel that just rocks. The Keating is an insane place to stay with a lively crowd and great nightlife at Minus One Bar. For sheer luxury and relaxation, check into L’Auberge in Del Mar. An often overlooked hotel is the 270-room Catamaran on the water in Mission Beach. And don’t forget the previously mentioned and deeply loved Four Seasons Aviara. There are also abundant smaller hotels and motels, too many to mention here, and there are plenty that won’t max out your credit card.

Wil’s Lucky Seven The Best of San Diego

Best Golf 1) Torrey Pines, South Course 2) Barona Valley Ranch 3) Four Seasons Aviara 4) The Grand Golf Club 5) Maderas Golf Club 6) Carlton Oaks Golf Club 7) La Costa, Original Course   Best Restaurants 1) A.R. Valentien at Lodge at Torrey Pines 2) George’s on the Cove, La Jolla 3) The Palm, Downtown 4) Bella Luna, Downtown 5) World Famous, on the ocean in Pacific Beach 6) Azul, La Jolla 7) Pacifica, Del Mar Best Hotels 1)Stingaree, Downtown 2)Tower 23, Pacific Beach 3)The Belly Up, Solano Beach 4)Croce’s, Gaslamp 5)Lobby bar at W Hotel, Downtown 6)Bar West, Pacific Beach 7)Anthology, Little Italy Best Place to have a cocktail! • Tie - Top of the Hyatt, Hyatt Manchester, Downtown • George’s at the Cove, La Jolla Best Time to Visit! Anytime - all year round. Certainly in summer when the racetrack is open in Del Mar. The town is hopping.