The thing about renovations is that the longer people have grown accustomed to a layout, the more critical they can be. It's not uncommon to hear a local say "they've ruined it" after any remodel, and I know many people who say that about the South Course, but I personally think the Rees Jones design of the South is a masterpiece. But I can understand people who think it's too tough, or that the redesign took away some of the charm of the "old" South Course. At the same time, I always wrote off their complaints to nostalgia. And since I didn't have a long history in San Diego I didn't feel any of that.

But after 14 years of playing Torrey Pines North, I feel pretty attached to it. I thought it was fine the way it was, but I recognized the maintenance and infrastructure issues that needed to be addressed. I was most concerned that the layout would change dramatically with the remodel, but it hasn't. The front and back nines were flipped, so that the North doesn't start with a par-5 and the most scenic holes are now on the back nine.

Nothing wrong with that. The only other major design change was moving the green on the old 8th hole (No. 17) to the left and further back, creating a hole that stretches to around 525-yards but which will still offer great risk and reward -- playing well on TV or with your foursome's long hitters. Like the other greens, the 17th green is huge, but it looks small from the fairway because of the narrow opening and it's depth. It's a brilliant design that takes advantage of the canyon that borders the entire left side of the hole. With trees removed the hole has a real "resort" feel which I love.

In making that change, Weiskopf had to get a shot back to keep the par at 72, and he did that at the 18th hole (old No. 9) where a fairly boring par-5 with one of the worst greens on the course is now a par-4 that can stretch to almost 500 yards. The green is much bigger and wider, with a nice variety of hole locations. It's going to make for a great finish.

The devilish back-left pin placement on the 6th hole

I loved the small greens on the old North; the new ones -- which are 20-30% larger -- seemed gigantic and out of place during my first round. But the fact is, large greens probably make more sense at a municipal layout. And from a pro's perspective, even though the PGA visits only once a year I have a feeling they are going to love the options that the bigger greens bring into play. I'll give you just one example from my first go around, on the 6th (old 15) hole. The back-left pin there was always risky to fire at, even with a short iron. Now, a more pronounced slope with closely-mown grass and no trees in sight make for a downright scary approach shot.

The "no trees" is a theme around the new North, where Weiskopf has removed a large number of trees and brought in some native areas to save on water and add a more open look to the course. And that's probably the thing I like the best about the remodel. The two courses compliment each other very well. Play 36-holes over a single day or multiple days and you're going to enjoy the variety, whether you choose the middle tees at 6,346 yards or the 7,258 yard pro tees. Don't worry, those back tees will likely be "special invitation" as they are on the South, and past experience tells me, don't bother asking unless you play on a pro tour someplace.