All Things Torrey Update

Tod Leonard begins the countdown to the U.S. Open with a look at various aspects of preparations, including this news for anyone thinking of playing the North or South Courses prior to the event:

For golfers who enjoy the North Course, some advice: Play it soon, because after the Buick it won't appear as its normal self for at least seven months.

City Golf Manager Mark Woodward said work on the Open driving range will begin in the days immediately following the Buick Invitational's conclusion on Jan. 27. About 30,000 square feet of sod for the range tee area will be laid in front of the 10th tee and ninth green. Shorter versions of those holes will be available.

On March 1, nine holes of the North will be shut down as corporate villages are constructed. Woodward said the North Course will close completely May 1.

The South Course will be open to the public until May 21. From then on, the maintenance crew will be “dialing in” the conditioning for the Open.

“I've joked in the past that we were going to peak at the last minute,” Woodward said. “But the way things look now, I think we're going to peak in the spring and have really good conditions for the last four or five months.”