With PGA Tour season around the corner, a golf trip to Torrey Pines might be in order

Having just returned from a couple of trips to Southern California, I can tell you that it’s not a bad location for winter golf. In fact, I’m particularly fond of the San Diego area.

One venue that should be on every golfer’s bucket list is Torrey Pines, site of the 2008 U.S. Open where Tiger Woods outlasted Rocco Mediate in a most memorable 18-hole playoff. Torrey Pines also hosts the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open, which is just around the corner (Jan. 26-29), and that means course conditions should be pretty good as it approaches.

Both courses – the North and the South – are great tests with spectacular views as many of the holes are perched on the cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean.

Neither course, by the way, is easy to get a tee time for, but if you stay at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, you have a distinct advantage. The reason is because the Lodge is allocated so many times per day to reserve for its guests. And right now, the Lodge is offering a special deal: Stay there for three nights (at $399) and you get a free round of golf. Heck, the round of golf alone can cost north of $200, plus the Lodge is a really nice resort with great restaurants, a spa and plenty of other cool amenities.

For more information or to book a package, click here.