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"I'm not sure that the most talented player I saw wasn't myself." |
-Johnny Miller |
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 You've already read what we consider to be the best things about golf in Southern California. But our opinions are only worth so much - we figured that talking to 20 of the Southland's best players and industry leaders would provide even more reasons to believe there's simply no better place for golf than right here. "I haven't found any place as great to live and play golf as here. I grew up in Colorado and lived in the Lake Tahoe area. For four or five years, I was in Sorrento Valley and Diamond Bar. Now, I'm in Cardiff and I just love it. Riviera is one of the best courses. Even during the L.A. Open there in 2005 when it was rained out - it was still so much fun." - San Diego's Chris Starkjohann, 2007 SCPGA Player of the Year "You can't beat the weather in Southern California. That's the best thing about golf here. It's really hard for me to move somewhere else - I get to practice 360 days of the year. My family, my friends and my golf coaches are all here. Virginia Country Club is one of my favorites; that's where I practice and play out of." - John Mallinger, PGA Tour player and Escondido native "You can play a golf course near the ocean in the morning and then get on more tree-lined fairways on an inland golf course later the same day. We also have some of the most prestigious private country clubs like Riviera and Bel-Air, along with our fair share of golf courses at the century mark." - Russ Onizuka, PGA director of general operations at Beaumont's East Valley Golf Club and the 2007 SCPGA Public Course Merchandiser of the Year "Playing Torrey Pines in college, the greatest thing was being on the fourth tee on the South Course, where you get a view of the ocean. Seeing the water shimmering under the sun ... it's always so pretty." - Dale Abraham, PGA instructor at Beaumont's East Valley Golf Club and 2007 SCPGA Inland Empire Section Teacher of the Year "That's the great thing about golf here: There are so many golf courses that are worth playing and fun to play. Any time you get out at Torrey Pines, I think it's great; there aren't too many courses like that. There was an IHOP right by Alta Vista in Placentia. My dad and some friends and I used to go there for dinner sometimes. It was always nice. It was a fun course to play, too. They treated me really nice." - Orange native and PGA Tour player Hunter Mahan "From a business perspective, having a 12-month golf season and being so close to all the manufacturers like Callaway and TaylorMade is a wonderful advantage. I get to see a lot of equipment before people in the rest of the country do, and I get to have some input as to what's needed in the marketplace - and what's missing - particularly from a woman's viewpoint." - Susan Roll, co-owner of Carlsbad Golf Center and 2007 SCPGA Clubfitter of the Year "I'm partial to courses I play and practice at. I play at the Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe and the Farms. I like those courses a lot. I think the 2nd hole at Torrey Pines is a fun golf hole, where all the other holes kind of just beat you up." - Rancho Santa Fe's Phil Mickelson "Alhambra Golf Course, of course! Also, the weather here is phenomenal. I don't know any other place where you have so many days to play." - Jerry Wisz, PGA director of golf at Alhambra Golf Course and 2007 SCPGA Senior Player of the Year "Playing golf with my dad as a kid [is my best Southern California golf memory]. He's a big golf fan. I played Balboa Park a bunch, I played Torrey Pines a bunch - I just enjoy it down here. We came two or three times a year on vacation. Whenever we could, we came down." - Craig Barlow, PGA Tour player "I think the best hole would be the 10th at Riviera. I like options on a golf course, and No. 10 has a lot of options." - Two-time major champion and Mission Viejo native Mark O'Meara "We're fortunate to see so many PGA tournaments here with the [Northern Trust] at Riviera Country Club, the Buick Invitational and the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and the Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach on the Champions Tour. Oh, and the ability to play a practice round with Tiger Woods." - Justin Hicks, PGA professional at San Diego's Stadium Golf Center and 2007 SCPGA San Diego Section Player of the Year "One of my best memories is from when I moved up from the 12-year-old division in junior golf to 13 and got to play Wilson and Harding at 18 holes instead of nine. I think I went 89, 99 and shot about 90 in the third round, but it was neat to move up and play with the big boys." - Duffy Waldorf, Santa Clarita resident and PGA Tour player "I'll go out and play as a single a lot. Any time I get hooked up with whoever out on the golf course, it's always somebody fascinating. They're either in the movie industry or an athlete, or pursuing a dream. Whatever it is, it seems like I've met some really cool people all over Southern California." - Sheila Kelliher, Quartz Hill resident and RE/MAX Women's long drive champion |
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