Get it while it's hot: Torrey Pines

Let the countdown begin: golfers still have until May 21 to play Torrey Pines Golf Course before it closes to prepare for the U.S. Open Championship on June 12-15.

To the envy of many of my peers (golf industry and non), I had the opportunity to play the venerable South Course recently, on a whirlwind San Diego trip sponsored by the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau with a handful of media members from around the country and Canada (teamed with a Winnepegan general assignment newspaper reporter who had never crafted a golf story, it was an enlightening, laughter-filled day to say the least). I was the only one from California; born and raised by the water, I'm a little jaded with the many miles of ocean we have, but the others were mesmerized by the coastal views many of the holes allow. Home to the Buick Invitational each February, the 1957 William P. Bell layout, redesigned by Rees Jones in 2001, hosted the 2003 SCGA Amateur Championship. Read more about the course and what goes into running a U.S. Open championship in the next issue of FORE Magazine.

So here's the thing with championship-prepped Torrey Pines: don't expect to play well. Already at 90 percent tournament conditions, the course is rough. Literally. Unless you hit the ball straight every shot, you're in the thick and sticky kikuyu rough, and with no first cut in the fairways, a ball even an inch off proves to be a nightmare to get out, or even to find. I didn't lose a ball until the 11th hole, a feat I was, quite honestly, shocked at (we had an eagle-eye in our group, our saving grace, who had a fantasmo ability and really a seventh sense to locate our golf balls). A player in another group, however, lost 14 balls, which is not as surprising in person as it may sound. So bring a couple extra sleeves. Let's simplify this even further: to make life easier, just go in with no expectations (or equally thrilling, without the faintest idea of how you'll play, like I do every round...it's my mantra: not only does the element of surprise make things exciting when you have no idea where the ball will go, but if you break 100, you're pumped!); no expectations equal minimized disappointment in your game. You're prepping the wound before it's actually wounded. This course is a humbling experience to say the least.

All that being said, be a part of history and play Torrey Pines while you can (the course will re-open a week after the championship if you can't make it before). Tournament conditions also equal cart path only, therefore beautiful, flawless fairways, vivid colors and a taste of where the pros will be walking and what the'll be looking at in a couple of months. Hitting a good shot out there is exciting and gives an entirely different and newfound appreciation for your game. Players are restricted from playing the back tees, a major hike at more than 7,600 yards, meaning that ego golfers won't slow down pace of play as they try in vain to channel their professional side from way back in the boonies (I can say this because I witnessed it twice, and if there was any inkling of doubt before as to why mortal golfers shouldn't try a tee shot from say, the 614-yard par-5 ninth hole, I can attest that the tees are restricted for good reason). This course is about the experience, the scenery, the stories and memories you'll make. And when you're watching the U.S. Open on television—or in person—in June, you can say, "Yeah, I've played there."

Off the course: great lunches in The Grill at Torrey Pines, challenging croquet matches on the lawn at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, and primo (aka $$$) merchandise in the 4,000-square-foot golf shop, consistenly ranked one of Golf Shop Operations' 100 Best Golf Shops in America.

Don't have too much fun.