San Diego Golf Packages and Breaks: Where to Stay and Play
San Diego is the rare American golf city where the bucket list course is municipal: Torrey Pines, two courses on the Pacific cliffs, a US Open venue you can book like a tee time at home, if you know the system. Around it, Carlsbad's resort corridor stacks a Gil Hanse tournament rebuild, an Arnold Palmer design and Fazio luxury within twenty minutes. Here is how the packages work, what they cost in 2026, and how we would build the week.
Photograph: Torrey Pines Golf Course, via Google
Who this trip suits
This is the trip for golfers who want a major venue without a member's invitation, and for groups that need golf, beach and a proper city in one zip code. Buddies trips get Torrey Pines plus a deep municipal and daily fee bench at honest prices; couples get the Carlsbad resorts, where the spa and the tee sheet carry equal billing; and tournament pilgrims get the Farmers Insurance Open every January on the same South Course Tiger Woods won the 2008 US Open on, with Jon Rahm following in 2021. It also suits the no rental car crowd less than most golf cities: the courses spread from the cliffs to the inland valleys, so plan to drive.
The courses to build around
Torrey Pines, La Jolla
The anchor, and the booking puzzle. The South, a 2026 non resident rate of $248 Monday to Thursday and $322 Friday to Sunday plus $48 carts, is the US Open stage on the cliffs; the North is the locals' favorite for views at a softer rate. Public times are released in advance and move fast because city residents play for a fraction of visitor rates. The clean solution is the Lodge at Torrey Pines, the five star hotel beside the first tee, which can arrange guaranteed advance tee times for guests and turns the hardest booking in California into a concierge request.
Omni La Costa, Carlsbad
The resort with the tournament pedigree. The Champions course was rebuilt by Gil Hanse and now hosts the NCAA Championships, which means you are playing the examination paper set for the best college players in America, with peak rates running north of $300. The full Omni resort spreads around it, pools, spa and the second course, and it sits fifteen minutes from Aviara, which makes Carlsbad the natural base for the resort half of the week.
Aviara, Grand Del Mar and the supporting cast
Park Hyatt Aviara's Arnold Palmer design is the most polished daily walk in the county, with visitor rates reported around $290 in season. The Fairmont Grand Del Mar pairs a Tom Fazio course with the most luxurious hotel in San Diego, and the value tier is real: Maderas in the inland hills, Barona Creek beside the casino east of the city, and Coronado's bayside municipal under the bridge, the locals' postcard round. That spread keeps a week interesting after the Torrey box is ticked.
A sample week, and what it costs
| Trip element | The play | Indicative 2026 cost |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 and 2 · Torrey Pines | South one day, North the next, staying at the Lodge for guest tee time access | South $248 Mon to Thu, $322 Fri to Sun non resident, plus $48 cart; North less |
| Days 3 and 4 · Carlsbad | Omni La Costa Champions, then Aviara from the same base | Champions north of $300 peak; Aviara reported around $290 in season |
| Day 5 · the wildcard | Grand Del Mar's Fazio course, or value golf at Maderas, Barona Creek or Coronado | Fazio luxury at resort pricing; the value tier well under $150 |
| Rooms | Lodge at Torrey Pines, Omni La Costa, Park Hyatt Aviara or Grand Del Mar | Five star coastal pricing in season; city hotels soften the math |
Rates verified indicatively in June 2026 from the city's published Torrey Pines tariff and resort and booking listings; everything here is third party pricing that moves with season and demand, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee times · Check resort rates.
When to book, and when to go
There is no off season, only better windows. October to early December gives warm, dry afternoons and softer resort rates; March to June is prime and books accordingly; January and February wrap the trip around the Farmers Insurance Open with green hills and the odd shower. May and June mornings on the coast belong to the marine layer, which is atmospheric at Torrey and gone by lunch. Book the Torrey leg first, since everything else in the county is easier, and if the public sheet defeats you, the Lodge or a licensed broker is the honest fallback. Fly into San Diego International, twenty minutes from La Jolla, and rent a car.
For course depth see the San Diego destination guide and our profiles of Torrey Pines South and Torrey Pines North; for budgeting, the California green fee guide and the California tee times guide cover the mechanics. Traveling from abroad? Our San Diego golf holidays page frames the same trip from overseas, the 7 day California coast itinerary extends it north, and the statewide picture lives at golf in California.
Plan your San Diego golf package
A US Open course booked without the 5am refresh, the right Carlsbad resort for the nights and the value rounds that keep the budget honest: tell us roughly when and who is traveling, and one concierge prices it to the head, with no obligation.
San Diego package questions
What does a San Diego golf package cost?
As of 2026, Torrey Pines South charges non residents $248 Monday to Thursday and $322 Friday to Sunday for 18 holes, with carts $48 per player, and the North course runs meaningfully less. The resort tier, La Costa, Aviara and Grand Del Mar, prices its marquee rounds at roughly $290 to north of $300 in peak season. All figures are third party rates, so always confirm directly before booking.
How do you get a tee time at Torrey Pines?
Three honest routes: book the public window when it opens and be quick, stay at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, which can arrange guaranteed advance tee times for guests, or pay a licensed broker premium. San Diego city residents enjoy far cheaper rates and earlier access, which is why the public sheet moves fast. For a group trip, the Lodge route is the one that removes the anxiety.
Which San Diego resort is best for a golf package?
The Lodge at Torrey Pines for access to the US Open course on the cliffs; Omni La Costa in Carlsbad for the Gil Hanse reworked Champions course, now host of the NCAA Championships, with a full resort around it; Park Hyatt Aviara for the polished Arnold Palmer design alongside; and the Fairmont Grand Del Mar for Tom Fazio luxury inland. All four bundle rooms and golf; the right one depends on whether the trip is about the venue or the spa.
When is the best time for a San Diego golf trip?
San Diego golf is genuinely year round. October to early December and March to June are the sweet spots; January and February bring the Farmers Insurance Open buzz and green winter conditions with occasional rain; high summer is reliable but watch for the marine layer of May and June mornings on the coast, which burns off by late morning. There is no bad month, just busier tee sheets.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Course openings, ranking shake ups and the booking windows that matter. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative rates verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.