With 27 holes designed by golf great Gary Player and set in the natural beauty of Jamul, there’s no shortage of great golf holes at Steele Canyon Golf Club.
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But there’s something about the par-5 fourth hole on the Canyon nine that will give you goosebumps, which is what the hole is named.

Golf is booming across SoCal, with many of our courses bustling with play from sunup to sundown. 

And it’s not just here in SoCal. According to the Washington Post, golfers across the country played 10 million more rounds in July than they did a year ago, a 20 percent increase as recorded by Golf Datatech, the sport’s leading independent market research company. In fact, we heard that during the month of August, one San Diego muni saw upwards of 11,000 rounds. That’s a lot of golfers.​

But it’s not just tee times that are on the rise.

If you’ve ever experienced tightness or stiffness during a round of golf, then you’re familiar with the following scenario:

You’re playing well, swinging smooth, about to reach the turn, and then suddenly you tense up and can’t even take the club back without pain and discomfort.

Well, you don’t have to let your good round go to waste.

According to Wade Wilson, a PGA professional at El Niguel Country Club in south Orange County, there are typically three main reasons for taking golf lessons: to learn something new if you've been thinking of taking up the game; to fix something that has gone astray with your swing; and to validate your progress as you work toward becoming a better player.

But Wade is also quick to acknowledge that golf lessons aren't solely limited to learning how to hit the ball or swing the club, they can be about understanding the nuances of the game, learning proper etiquette or mastering the mental side. 

Courtesy of Wade, here are a variety of golf lesson scenarios to help you navigate the process and make educated decisions:

Hey, Southern California golfers, SoCal Golf Insider just kicked off a sweepstakes where entrants have a chance to win a foursome at Indian Wells Golf Resort.

A new golf course just opened for play in Southern California.

While it may have a familiar look, the recently unveiled Rancho Del Sol Golf Club in Moreno Valley is off to a fresh start.

Originally named Moreno Valley Ranch Golf Club, the new track opened on August 26 after being closed for five years. Back then, the Pete Dye-designed project featured three nines, but the new layout offers golfers a completely refurbished 18 holes.

When the 120th U.S. Open tees off at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York on Thursday, it will mark the 12th time the fabled A.W. Tillinghast venue has hosted a major. 

And while there’s no shortage of lore associated with the club’s championship history -- including Pasadena native and longtime Coachella Valley resident Susie Berning’s epic comeback in 1972 and the historic collapse of Rancho Santa Fe's Phil Mickelson on the 72nd hole in 2006 -- it is especially notable that its ties to one of SoCal's most legendary tour players dates back more than 60 years and adds greatly to the club's colorful past.​

With that, here is a look at San Diego native Billy Casper’s breakthrough major championship victory at Winged Foot in 1959 that opened the door to one of the most successful  -- and underrated -- careers in PGA Tour history:

It may be too soon to start making comparisons to Tiger Woods, but 15-year-old junior golfer Luke Powell of Laguna Niguel definitely shares the traits of a PGA Tour player.

“He reminds me of Justin Leonard when we were young,” said Wade Wilson, a PGA professional at El Niguel Country Club, where Powell has grown up playing golf. “Justin was well rounded socially as a kid but he knew at an early age that golf was his thing and he was really good at it. Luke is friendly, engages with people and enjoys conversation, but he is focused on his craft. At the ripe age of 15, he gets up every day and has a plan to be successful.”
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Those attributes have been paying off for Powell in 2020. A sophomore at Capistrano Valley Christian School, Powell competed in two of the biggest amateur events in the state this year, the California Amateur Championship July 27-August 1 at Torrey Pines, and the 121st SCGA Amateur Championship at Goose Creek Golf Club August 17-20 – when he was still 14 years old.