His affection for Honma Golf is understandable. Clubs from the BERES line, with smooth metals dyed silver, gold, and red, look more like pieces of jewelry than they do sporting goods. It’s Moon’s job, as the company’s ecommerce and customer service manager, to sell those clubs, although that title doesn’t fully capture his role running Honma Golf’s three-person Carlsbad operation. 

Founded in Japan in 1959, the company developed a devout following, mostly in Asia, for its meticulously designed and unusually sophisticated golf clubs. They aren’t manufactured so much as they are crafted, but for decades that luxury went largely unnoticed in North America. In an effort to grow in Western markets, Honma Golf setup shop in Torrance in Los Angeles County, then Cyprus in Orange County. Finally, in 2019, the company landed in Carlsbad, known as the “golf equipment capital of the world.” 

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That may sound like a roadside oddity or an obscure Guinness World Record, but in Carlsbad the moniker is serious business. A block from Honma Golf is Titleist’s Carlsbad office. TaylorMade and Callaway are headquartered on the other side of Palomar Airport. That makes three of golf’s “Big Four” brands within two miles of each other, and you can’t swing a club without hitting dozens of smaller companies like Cobra and Honma. “It’s good to be in the mix with the big companies,” Moon says. “We’re not moving any time soon.” 

According to a report from the city’s economic development division, there are no less than 116 firms in the sports innovation and design industry cluster, which includes the city’s world-renowned golf equipment manufacturers. “We’re claiming over 2,300 employees in that sector, which is more than six times the national average,” says Bret Schanzenbach, president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. “It also generates good income—averaging $130,000 per employee per year in annual earnings.”

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Callaway and TaylorMade together earn over $5 billion annually, or about $5 for every golf ball the world manufactures in a year. And the story of selling golf balls is inextricably linked with the story of Carlsbad.

Long a farming town, Carlsbad didn’t incorporate until 1952. Its population as of the 1960 census was just over 9,000, and not many people outside of San Diego County had heard of the town until the La Costa Resort, opened in 1965, began hosting the PGA’s Tournament of Champions in 1969. A 34-year-old Gary Player, at the height of his legendary career, fended off the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Lee Trevino for the trophy that year.

“I believe it is the way courses should be set,” Player told The New York Times after his victory at La Costa, now known as the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. “It’s as fine a course as I won on.” High praise from a man who had taken the crown at the British Open nine months prior. La Costa would go on to host the tournament for the next 30 years, and the city grew around it.

That’s due in large part to Ely Callaway and Gary Adams. A textiles executive from Georgia, Callaway brought his fledgling golf club company to Carlsbad in 1983. A year later, Adams came to town with TaylorMade, a company he started in Illinois that had some success hawking “metalwoods,” a departure from the traditional all-wood sets. 

In 1991, Callaway took the novel idea a step further and invented the Big Bertha driver, the first made entirely of stainless steel. The club head was massive yet light in the hand. It felt like the future, because it was. The story of golf—and Carlsbad—became centered around engineering, research and development, and technological advances. It mirrored the digital revolution rooted in Northern California. The Bay Area had Silicon Valley. Carlsbad had Titanium Valley. Honma Golf resides on Innovation Way. 

“If you’re a golf company, do you want to be based in Illinois, or are you going to go to a place like California where you can golf year round?” Schanzenbach says. Carlsbad has “infrastructure, plus the weather, plus the quality of life, and the ability to bring in top [golf] professionals to your facility to test out your equipment,” he adds. “You want to bring them to a place where, afterwards, you can go out to a really nice course with beautiful weather and treat them.” 

But the local industry has hit the rough in recent years. According to the city, employment in the sector declined 16.3 percent between 2018 and 2020, a trend that started back in 2013, despite overall golf participation being up 30 percent since 2016, according to the National Golf Foundation. While the weather in Carlsbad is still perfect, some of the factors that fueled its explosive growth, especially cheap land and plentiful labor, are today tilting against it.

“Coming out of Covid, one of the biggest things we were hearing from our membership was the challenge with finding and then retaining talent for their companies,” Schanzenbach says. “I know TaylorMade has done a good job with it. But [for] the middle-tier companies, it’s hard.”

Honma Golf felt this firsthand.

PGA tour pro Justin Rose signed with the company in early 2019, and a few weeks later, he won the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego. Honma was finally making inroads in the US, then Covid hit. “All the momentum stopped,” Moon says. 

Sales slumped, then the company struggled with staff turnover and recruiting executive and marketing teams to achieve its goals in North America. The realities of high costs, intense competition, and hiring challenges set in, but Honma Golf is undeterred. By reorganizing its marketing team and refocusing on its core market segment of golfers interested in premium clubs, the company feels there are better days ahead. “2025 is going to be a good year,” Moon predicts.

It’s a retrenchment not unlike Callaway Golf’s. In September, the company announced it was spinning off Topgolf, the chain of entertainment-focused driving ranges it acquired just four years earlier. The company wants to focus on its traditional golf equipment and apparel business, the one based in Carlsbad—the one that helped make Carlsbad. 

After Covid’s industry-wide disruptions, the future of the local golf manufacturing industry is coming into focus. So far, it looks a lot like the first 40 years: You can’t play golf without Carlsbad.

The post How Carlsbad Became the Golf Equipment Capital of the World appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Monster Jam

January 4-5, 11-12 | Snapdragon Stadium

After the new year, a few things go like clockwork. The holiday decorations are put away, the rest of the country gets jealous of our weather, and Grave Digger comes to town. Monster Jam may seem like a minor event, but it sells millions of tickets each year and in San Diego it fills two weekends of events and competitions at Snapdragon Stadium. Tickets start at $44, and festivities kickoff early with a Pit Party, where fans can see the massive trucks up close and meet the drivers and crews. 

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Tomorrow Golf League presented by SoFi

Tuesday, January 7 | 6:00 p.m. | SoFi Center, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Where to Watch: ESPN

Two notable San Diegans are connected to TGL, the interactive, 3-on-3 golf league founded by some of golf’s biggest names, which starts play this month. Agustín Pizá’s San Diego-based design studio created eight of the holes for the new league, which plays on a massive indoor simulator in Florida. And world No. 2 golfer and Scripps High alum Xander Schauffele leads the New York Golf Club, one of six teams competing in the made-for-TV competition.

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“I think it’ll be a lot of fun. Hopefully, people enjoy the entertainment that comes out of it,” Schauffele told San Diego Magazine. Schauffele and his teammates kickoff TGL on January 7 at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN.

San Diego FC First Training Session

Monday, January 13 | San Diego

San Diego FC’s first training session won’t be televised and it isn’t open to the public, but it’s an occasion worth celebrating. After nearly two years of press releases, roster moves, and fan events, San Diego’s newest major sports team is at long last hitting the pitch. It’s the first step toward finalizing its inaugural roster and preparing for its Major League Soccer debut on February 23, in Los Angeles against the LA Galaxy. 

2025 Farmers Insurance Open

January 22-25 | Torrey Pines Golf Course

Where to Watch: CBS

The field isn’t finalized for the annual Farmers Insurance Open, but last year’s champion and world No. 30 Matthieu Pavon will tee off at Torrey Pines Golf Course to defend his crown. Several top golfers will join Pavon, including Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama, and Justin Rose. So far, the field includes ten players in the top-50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, six major championship winners, and five past winners of the Farmers. But San Diego’s Xander Schauffele will no doubt be the fan favorite if he joins the field. Schauffele has won two majors, an Olympic gold medal, and a Ryder Cup, but one thing missing from his résumé is a victory in his hometown. If he joins the field at this year’s Farmers, then Schauffele will try to become the seventh San Diegan—following Phil Mickelson, Scott Simpson, Craig Stadler, Greg Twiggs, Billy Casper, and Gene Littler—to hoist the trophy.

SDSU Women’s Basketball vs. UNLV

Saturday, January 25 | 1:00 p.m. | Viejas Arena

Where to Watch: Mountain West Network

At 12-2 on the 2024-25 season, the San Diego State women’s basketball team has more wins and fewer losses than the celebrated men’s team, and recently opened their Mountain West Conference schedule with a resounding win over Boise State. Adryana Quezada led the team with 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting, a performance that resulted in the senior forward winning the Mountain West Player of the Week. Quazada’s Aztecs wrap up January with a game against another conference foe in UNLV, and great basketball isn’t the only thing they’re offering. The first 1,000 fans get a free replica jersey. 

The post 5 San Diego Sports Events to Watch: January 2025 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

This action contributed to so many memorable moments that July’s rugby match between Fiji and the legendary All Blacks of New Zealand at Snapdragon Stadium must settle for honorable mention. But another “moment” might emerge with time and perspective: When we look back at it, 2024 might be the year that the city finally lays to rest its “small market” reputation. 

Mojo brings indoor volleyball to San Diego

Everyone watches women’s sports, and that includes indoor volleyball. USA Volleyball reported a 9.6 percent increase in membership in 2022-23 alone, and the 2023 Division I women’s volleyball championship between Texas and Nebraska set both attendance and viewership records. Fittingly, the Mojo, one of San Diego’s newest teams, ushered in 2024 by kicking off the inaugural season of the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF). 

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“Options were limited while I was growing up,” says Kendra Dalhke, a Fallbrook native and outside hitter for the Mojo. After 10 years away playing collegiately in Arizona and professionally overseas, she’s “watched San Diego volleyball grow, and it’s so much better now.” Look for more of the Mojo in 2025. After averaging more than 5,000 fans per match, PVF inked a deal with FS1 and FS2 to nationally broadcast games for the upcoming 2025 season.

Padres ace Dylan Cease throws no-hitter

The Padres’ Dylan Cease was already the most interesting man in baseball, then he threw a no-hitter on July 25 in Washington against the Nationals. Cease dominated the Nats and sent shockwaves through San Diego 3,000 miles away. Coworkers shattered the office quiet around noon that day with hysterical cheering. That cheering continued through the season, as Cease’s performance this year helped propel the Padres into the postseason, which set up the next best sports moment this year…

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Fernando Tatís blows the roof off Petco Park in NLDS Game 3

The second inning of Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers started innocuous enough. Padres third baseman Manny Machado grounded a single up the middle. Seven batters later, outfielder Fernando Tatís stepped to the plate with a 4-1 lead and a man on first. He then launched the ball into Orange County. It’s arguably the most triumphant moment in Padres history since Steve Garvey hit a walkoff home run in game 4 of the 1984 National League Championship Series. 

“When I hit it I just blacked out and started screaming at my teammates,” Tatís said after the game. “The energy was through the roof.” The Padres inexplicably failed to score a run in the ensuing 24 innings and painfully lost the series in five games. But for an inning—for an at-bat—the Padres were on top of the world. It shows what could be in 2025. 

San Diego FC sign Hirving “Chucky” Lozano

This year saw San Diego’s newest soccer team inch closer to reality. Their first kits dropped, their development academy broke ground, and fans lined up for season tickets. But there’s probably no bigger news so far than San Diego FC signing its first star player in Hirving “Chucky” Lozano in June. 

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The 29-year-old forward has earned 70 caps for the Mexican national team, and he’s been a prolific scorer wherever his club career takes him. In two stints at PSV Eindhoven, a top Dutch team, Lozano has scored 44 goals, in addition to his 23 goals at Napoli and 31 at Mexican side Pachuca. His cross-border appeal was on full display when hundreds of fans attended a rally at the Rady Shell to welcome him to San Diego.

Oceanside’s Caitlin Simmers becomes youngest-ever surfing world champion

When I was 18, I was on my way to failing calculus. When she was 18, Oceanside’s Caitlin Simmers was being carried out of the ocean on shoulders, a posse of friends and family celebrating her becoming the youngest-ever world champion surfer. It’s tempting to call Simmers a prodigy, but her victory at the World Surf League Finals this summer at Lower Trestles proves she’s fully arrived and ready to dominate the sport for years to come.

Alex Morgan calls it a career

Statistically, Alex Morgan is a legend. She scored over 200 goals for club and country. She’s a two-time World Cup champion. She’s an Olympic gold medalist. She’s one of two U.S. women, along with Mia Hamm, to record 20 goals and 20 assists in a calendar year. But how does one quantify the impact of proving women’s soccer is a force in San Diego? Or putting the National Women’s Soccer League on the map? Or rallying a country around women’s sports? Or inspiring young athletes around the world for almost two decades? That’s what made Alex Morgan’s final game, on a hot September night at Snapdragon Stadium, so emotional. She made us believe that greatness was possible and now we must wait for the next hero to take up the mantle. As one fan-made sign put it: I’m not crying, you’re crying. 

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SDSU men’s basketball team hangs another Sweet Sixteen banner

Led by Jaedon Ledee, who won the 2024 Karl Malone Award as the nation’s best collegiate power forward, SDSU beat University of Alabama-Birmingham in the first round of this year’s March Madness. The Aztecs then dismantled Yale in the round of 32 to earn a second consecutive Sweet Sixteen berth. That banner, unveiled at the opening game of the 2024-25 season, hangs among those recognizing the three conference tournament championships since 2018 and their 2023 Final Four appearance. The Aztecs are currently ranked No. 23 and are primed for another tournament run come March. Put simply, coach Brian Dutcher’s program is one of the best in the country.

San Diego Clippers come home

It took 40 years, but the Clippers came back to where it all started. Well, maybe not the original Clippers, but in a major splash the G League, the NBA’s developmental affiliate, moved the Ontario Clippers to Oceanside’s new Frontwave Arena. At their first game in November, the team honored favorite son and former Clipper Bill Walton, who died in May. The tribute reminded us where the franchise name belonged all along. The Clippers’ presence is also a significant recognition of the region’s thirst for professional sports. “Getting the stamp of approval from the NBA is a huge feat,” Frontwave Arena Co-founder and CEO Josh Elias told San Diego Magazine in September. Fans at Frontwave Arena get to see “truly the best players, guys who are hungry to compete and make it at the highest level.”

UC San Diego men’s basketball team earns landmark win in new era

This year’s NCAA tournament will be the first UC San Diego is eligible for. Utah State University has four NCAA tournament appearances since 2019. UCSD competes in the Big West Conference, which includes only one school outside of California. Utah State plays in the competitive Mountain West Conference. UCSD was an 8.5-point underdog in their recent matchup against Utah State. The Tritons won by two. 

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UC San Diego athletics elevated to Division I this year, and the men’s basketball team’s win over previously-undefeated Utah State this month—on the road, no less—is nothing short of a landmark victory. Long known for its academic excellence, UC San Diego is planting its flag at the highest level of college basketball.

Lincoln High School football win second state title in three years

Akili Smith Jr., the Oregon-bound quarterback and one of our young athletes to watch, led Lincoln High to their second state title in three years, but it was never an easy journey. It never is for the school, which serves one of the poorest, most disinvested areas in the county.

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This year, the Lincoln Hornets football bussed to every practice and game because their water-damaged home field was unplayable. They won the state title anyway. 

In 2022, they were awarded a key to the city after an underdog run at their first state title in school history. A year before that, Lincoln players pulled out of a game in protest of racist social media posts targeted at them. Students at Lincoln High achieve so much despite being given so little. Imagine what they can achieve with the resources and investment that they deserve. There may be no brighter light in San Diego sports than Lincoln High School’s football team. 

The post The 10 Biggest Highlights in San Diego Sports This Year appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

This is a moment in San Diego sports, and another big step as the club prepares for its debut in Major League Soccer’s 2025 season. Partnering with Adidas, the team’s new kit is minimalist in design, but big in meaning. They’re ocean views with a side of sunshine. The team’s official colors—chrome and azul—dominate the new threads, with rainbow side stripes adding a splash of energy. DIRECTV, the club’s first front-of-kit sponsor, takes center stage.

“This kit embodies the spirit of our Club and the pride of our city,” SDFC CEO Tom Penn said in the team’s press release. “Few moments are as special as the unveiling of a football club’s inaugural kit.”

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The team says the jersey’s dark blue base (which the team calls azul) draws inspiration from San Diego’s iconic coastal views of sky meeting the ocean, while the chrome (technically not a color but a type of metallic finish) accents reflect the city’s dynamic communities. The gradient side stripes are said to incorporate the club’s community colors, and symbolize San Diego’s diversity.

As SDFC steps into the MLS spotlight, this jersey marks a significant milestone. The unveiling comes ahead of a weekend of celebrations, culminating in the Chrome Ball Cup at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 15, featuring 5 vs. 5 tournaments with cash prizes for the winners.

Fans eager to get their hands on the new jersey can head to Eighteen Threads, the SDFC retail shop at Mission Valley Mall, or hit MLSStore.com. Special limited-edition jerseys featuring an “Inaugural Season” tag and commemorative box are available in-store only.

The post San Diego FC’s First-Ever Jerseys are Here appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

No. 24 SDSU Men’s Basketball vs. University of San Diego

Saturday, December 7 | 7:00 p.m. | Viejas Arena

Watch: YurView

After beating No. 21 Creighton and No. 6 Houston in a span of four days, SDSU has crashed the AP‘s Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll, landing at No. 24 in the latest rankings. It’s a familiar story for coach Brian Dutcher’s team. After an unremarkable start to the 2022-23 season, SDSU won 25 of their last 28 games to reach the national championship game. Last year, they lost seven games in a 15-game stretch before turning it around to make the Sweet Sixteen.

“When we scheduled this season, I knew I had a good team, but could we be good in November?“ Dutcher said after the recent victory over Houston. “It was a daunting four-game stretch with [Gonzaga], Creighton, Oregon, and Houston. But we played good basketball, and we did what we had to do.” The Aztecs will look to climb the rankings against crosstown rivals USD. 

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San Diego Seals vs. Colorado Mammoth

Friday, December 13 | 7:30 p.m. | Pechanga Arena

Breakout the eyeliner and let your top eight on Myspace know that the Seals are back in action and hosting Emo Night at their game on Friday, December 13. But there’s no reason to be sad about San Diego’s National Lacrosse League franchise. In the five seasons since their inception in 2019, the Seals have compiled a 53-31 record and have never missed the NLL playoffs. (The 2020 season was cancelled due to Covid-19.) Led by captain and star forward Wes Berg, the Seals look to build on last season’s successful 13-win campaign that ended in the NLL semifinals. Tickets start at $21 and the angsty singalongs are free.

San Diego Santa Run

Saturday, December 14 | 8:00 a.m. | 912 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach

Staged by San Diego Running Company, the San Diego Santa Run sees over 30,000 Santa Clauses descend from the North Pole to race through warm and sunny Pacific Beach. It’s why USA Today has named it the “best fun run” in the country, and it immediately precedes the PB Holiday Parade. There may not be a more festive day in San Diego. Registration for the 5K is $55, and includes a Santa suit and a drink ticket, redeemable at Mavericks Beach Club. Kids and pets don’t have to miss the festivities, either. For $35, they can participate in a one-miler. 

2024 DIRECTV Holiday Bowl

Friday, December 27 | Time: 5:00 p.m. | Snapdragon Stadium

Watch: Fox

The 44th edition of the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl has something for everyone. There’s the Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl Parade, billed as “America’s Largest Balloon Parade,” and the Snapdragon Bowl Bash downtown. For those wanting to relive the glory days, there’s a tailgate party, and for those who want to burn off their holiday feasts there’s a 5K walk/run. And of course, there’s the Holiday Bowl game itself, which is typically one of college football’s best matchups of the year and one of San Diego’s great sports traditions.

“Last year’s game was fantastic with a strong USC performance over the highly ranked Louisville Cardinals,” said Jackie Reed, 2024 president of Sports San Diego. “We can’t wait for this year’s game at our new home at Snapdragon Stadium.” Teams will be announced on December 8, but tickets are available now.

San Diego Clippers vs. Memphis Hustle

Sunday, December 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Frontwave Arena

The NBA G League Clippers made their San Diego debut last month, and at 5-3 on the year they’re giving fans at Oceanside’s new Frontwave Arena an exciting brand of team basketball. None of the Clippers are one of the G League’s top-five scorers, yet the Clips are the third highest-scoring team. Led by guard Jordan Miller’s 20 points-per-game, they’re getting contributions from every position on the floor. There are two home games this month to see them in action, but the December 29 game against the Memphis Hustle stands out as First Responders Night. Tickets start at $18.

The post 5 San Diego Sports Events to Watch: December 2024 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Every year, local athletes from the North County down to the South Bay fill the college ranks and are selected in professional drafts. Few areas in the US send as many athletes to the highest levels of sport, and it seems like San Diegans are only getting better and more prominent. Want proof? Akili Smith, a Lincoln High School alum who was third overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft, might not be the best athlete in his family—not if his son, featured below, has anything to say about it.

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As we approach 2025, we took a look at the talent coming out of our city to keep an eye on. Here are 10 young athletes that San Diego (and the country) will likely be talking a lot about in the coming years—if they aren’t already.

Akili Smith Jr.

Football | Senior, Lincoln High School

It’s cliché to say a son stands in the shadow of his father, and anyway, in this case, it wouldn’t be true. The six-foot-five Akili Smith Jr. is taller than his famous dad—taller than almost everyone he lines up with or against—which is the kind of physical attribute that catches the attention of top college football programs. After throwing for nearly 7,000 yards and over 70 touchdowns in three years as Lincoln High’s starting quarterback, Smith Jr. will head to the University of Oregon next year, which is currently ranked as the best college team in the country. 

Zadie Posternack

Golf | Sophomore, Patrick Henry High School

As a freshman, Zadie Posternack qualified for the prestigious national Drive, Chip, & Putt competition played at Augusta National Golf Club. This year, as a sophomore, she became the first girls golfer at Patrick Henry High to qualify for the SoCal Regionals. It probably won’t be long before she’s on the WPGA. Posternack picked up golf just four years ago during the pandemic, and her raw talent has propelled her into an elite class of junior golfers.

Sir Autry

Football | Senior, Hoover High School

The San Diego region has produced famed running backs in Marcus Allen, Ricky Williams, Reggie Bush, and Rashaan Salaam. It’s premature to put Hoover High’s Sir Autry in that class, but he already has a claim to fame: At over 5,400 yards, Autry has more high school career rushing yards than any of his legendary predecessors. A San Jose State commit, Autry will represent San Diego in the Bay Area next year. 

Ava Schramm

Field Hockey | Senior, Scripps Ranch High School

The Scripps Ranch High field hockey program is a powerhouse—its students have won 12 CIF San Diego section titles, and this year, they emerged victorious from the prestigious Laurie Berger Invitational and reached the CIF Open Division semifinals. Driving that success in recent years has been Ava Schramm, who was named the Invitational’s Most Valuable Player and who has captained her team through her final campaign as a Falcon. 

Cody Cappelletti

Baseball & Football | Senior, Patrick Henry High School

In the spring, he threw a no-hitter. In the fall, he starred on the football team. Patrick Henry High’s Cody Cappelletti can seemingly do it all, but at the next level, he’ll be focusing on baseball. A St. Mary’s College commit, Cappelletti follows in the footsteps of former Gaels and current MLB pitchers Corbin Burnes, Tony Gonsolin, and Ky Bush. It won’t be any surprise if, in the coming years, Cappelletti is added to the long list of San Diegans selected in the MLB draft.

Caity Simmers

Surfing | Oceanside

An Oceanside teenager is the world’s best woman surfer. That is not an opinion. In September, Caity Simmers became the youngest-ever world champion by winning the Lexus World Surf League Finals. Her victory at San Clemente’s Lower Trestles followed an appearance at this summer’s Paris Olympics for Team USA. Just 19 years old, Simmers has the potential to become one of the most legendary San Diego athletes of all time—not that she’s letting it get to her head. “I wake up everyday in disbelief of my position in life,” she wrote on Instagram after the WSL Finals. “I am thankful for everyone and everything and still don’t know how wave dancing has [taken] me here.”

Brandon Arrington

Track and Field & Football | Junior, Mt. Miguel High School

Brandon Arrington is probably the top high school athlete in San Diego right now. As a sophomore, he won a state championship in the 100 meters and 200 meters. Clocking times of 10.33 and 20.55, respectively, he is one of the fastest humans in the country. The six-foot-two, 180-pound junior is also one the most coveted football players in the nation. Name a top college program—Oklahoma, Alabama, USC, Texas A&M—and they’re recruiting him as a wideout or cornerback or a return specialist. They just want him on the team, and they’ll figure the rest out later. It’s not a matter of if he’ll be playing on national TV on Saturdays, but where. 

Melanie Barcenas

Soccer | San Diego Wave FC

Clairemont native Melanie Barcenas is arguably the most accomplished 17-year-old in San Diego. In 2022, she was the youngest player named to the United States Under-17 women’s national soccer team. In 2023, she became the youngest signee in NWSL history when she joined the hometown Wave at age 15. This year, she started every game at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, logging two goals and an assist. Growing up, Barcenas idolized former Wave teammate Alex Morgan. It won’t be long until Barcenas herself is an idol to many.

Kreet Makihele

Football | Junior, San Marcos High School

If Brandon Arrington is the best high school athlete in San Diego, then Kreet Makihele might be the county’s best high school quarterback. In three years as San Marcos High’s starter, Makihele has thrown for 7,299 yards and 91 touchdowns, with a completion rate of 68.1 percent. These stats are almost without precedent. He’s on pace to exceed 9,000 high school career passing yards, something only two San Diegans have ever done, and it’s not impossible for him to break the region’s career passing touchdown record of 127. 

Mae Kordas

Volleyball | Senior, Cathedral Catholic

San Diego is helping fuel indoor volleyball’s explosive growth, and one of the region’s brightest stars is Cathedral Catholic’s Mae Kordas. A six-foot-three outside hitter, Kordas has contributed to a team that has won four consecutive CIF Open Division championships and helped turn Cathedral Catholic’s into one of the best prep programs in the country. Her hard work and success earned her a seat at Yale, which I’ve heard produced a successful alum or two.

The post 10 Young San Diego Athletes to Watch in 2025 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Coronado Golf Course

Coronado Golf Course, opened in 1957, is one of San Diego’s more walkable courses. Cited as a top SD course by the Golf Channel, the well-maintained public course offers views of the Coronado bridge and boats out on the water. The onsite restaurant serves American bites (including vegan options) for brunch and lunch.

2000 Visalia Row, Coronado

Torrey Pines Golf Course

Consistently ranked as one of Golf Digest’s 100 greatest courses, the challenging Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla hosted the 2021 US Open and puts on the annual PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open. Named after the rare Torrey Pine tree, which only grows along the San Diego coastline and Santa Rosa Island, the course has made its way onto many golfers’ bucket lists.

11480 N Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla

The Grand Golf Club

Located at the luxurious Fairmont Grand Del Mar, The Grand Golf Club and its 50,000-square-foot driving range are open to hotel guests. Three-hundred-and-sixty degree views of each hole are available online, helping give you a leg up if you’re trying to improve your handicap. And if your kiddo dreams of becoming a future Masters champion, this course is the perfect place to take them, as children 12 and under can play and rent clubs for free.

5300 Grand Del Mar Way, Del Mar

Aviara Golf Club

Aviara Golf Club is San Diego’s only course designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer. Situated within Carlsbad’s Park Hyatt Aviara, this layout includes strategically placed bunkers and water features that provide both pretty views and tough obstacles. And, if you’d like to level up your gear game, the course’s TaylorMade Aviara Performance Center allows you to test clubs with 3D motion analysis technology. The club offers both public and resort fees, as well as online course videos that provide insight into hole details and potential strategies.

7447 Batiquitos Drive, Carlsbad

Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Course

Designed by golf course architect William Francis Bell, the Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Course has hosted both PGA and LPGA events. Its 18th hole, surrounded by old-growth trees, is a fan favorite. Golf lessons are also available at the Carlsbad course, whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned golfer needing a couple tips or tweaks.

17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr, Rancho Bernardo

Singing Hills Golf Club

Singing Hills Golf Club supplies golfers with three courses in the Dehesa Valley of San Diego County. The Willow Glen course runs along the Sweetwater River and features narrow fairways, while the Oak Glen course is known for rolling greens and a beautiful, yet difficult, fifth hole. The nine-hole Pine Glen course is ideal for beginners or those looking to squeeze in a quick round. 

3007 Dehesa Road, El Cajon

Mt. Woodson Golf Club

The course at Mt. Woodson Golf Club in Ramona is tough—but you don’t need to worry about having an audience for any whiffs. Each hole is so secluded it’ll feel like you and your buddies are the only ones on the course. Open to the public and surrounded by serene, rocky hills, the club also houses a bar and grill with some of the best prices in town (hello, post-birdie BLT for under $9). 

16422 North Woodson Drive, Ramona

Goat Hill Park Golf Club

Originally built in 1952, Oceanside’s Goat Hill Park Golf Club was one of the first golf courses in San Diego County and began as a regulation-length nine-hole setup. In the early 1990s, it was redesigned into an 18-hole course, enhancing its appeal to golfers seeking a fun time on the links and a laid-back atmosphere.

2323 Goat Hill Drive, Oceanside

August 13, 2024

17 of San Diego's Best Tennis Courts and ClubsRELATED ARTICLE

Admiral Baker Golf Course

Admiral Baker Golf Course, located within the historic Navy complex near Tierrasanta, is notable for its two distinct 18-hole courses—the North and South. The lush fairways and well-maintained greens are complemented by facilities like a driving range and eatery.

2400 Admiral Baker Road, No. 3604, Tierrasanta

Carlton Oaks Golf Club

Once Phil Mickelson’s playing spot in his youth, Santee’s Carlton Oaks Golf Club has hosted a range of golf tournaments and events, including the Callaway Junior World Championships and NCAA Championships. The course tests players with pot bunkers and water hazards while still highlighting the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape.

9200 Inwood Drive, Santee

Maderas Golf Club

Maderas Golf Club is a championship public course that winds through the rolling hills of Poway. Its 40 acres have been recognized by numerous golf publications. Players can rent Callaway clubs and also book lessons for themselves or their little golfers.

17750 Old Coach Road, Poway

Steele Canyon Golf Club

A 27-hole championship course in Jamul, Steele Canyon Golf Club was designed by Gary Player, one of golf’s all-time greats. Three nine-hole courses—The Canyon, The Ranch, and The Vineyard—offer diverse and challenging holes, earning the club a four-and-a-half-star rating from Golf Digest (it’s one of only three golf clubs in San Diego County with that honor).

3199 Stonefield Drive, Jamul

The Crossings at Carlsbad

Named after the bridges designed into the layout, The Crossings at Carlsbad offers a variety of terrains and elevation changes. Each hole features five separate areas to tee off, allowing players to customize both the length of the hole and their overall strategy. There are also stay-and-play rates and tee times for players through specific Carlsbad hotels and resorts.

5800 The Crossings Drive, Carlsbad

Rams Hill Golf Club

Nestled in the Anza-Borrego Desert is the Rams Hill Golf Club, a previously private but now public course that features captivating views of the mountains. The design tests golfers, especially the fifth hole, which includes deep bunkers and sits next to a lake you’ll have to work hard to keep your ball out of. 

1881 Rams Hill Road, Borrego Springs

Encinitas Ranch

Perched on a sweep of bluffs, Encinitas Ranch Golf Course offers magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean from every hole, making it one of the most picturesque courses in Southern California. The course offers rates for the public, with special discounts for Encinitas and Southern California residents. Encinitas Ranch includes the usual driving range and chipping green, along with a putting course that features two sets of six holes, a windmill, and benches if you’d rather crack open a cold one and watch your friends warm up.

1275 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas

The post 15 of the Best Golf Courses in San Diego appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

SDSU Men’s Basketball vs. UC San Diego

Wednesday, November 6 | 7:00 p.m. | Viejas Arena

Quick—since 2018, what men’s college basketball program has three conference championships, five NCAA tournament bids, two Sweet Sixteen appearances, and a Final Four victory? It’s not powerhouse Kentucky, which hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2015, or Duke, which has only two conference titles in that span. 

The answer is the San Diego State Aztecs. Head coach Brian Dutcher has built one of the best programs in the country, and he’s looking to hang even more banners at Viejas Arena this year after recruiting star guard Nick Boyd from Florida Atlantic University. But the Aztecs have a new rival to contend with.

October 24, 2024

The New Era of D1 Athletics for UCSDRELATED ARTICLE

In 2020, UC San Diego moved up to Division I, and, after a four-year “reclassification period,” the school is eligible for postseason play. San Diego could have two teams regularly competing in March Madness, and those teams kick off the 2024–25 season with their matchup on November 6. It could also be the start of a new era in San Diego sports, one where crosstown competition receives national attention. “The respect that we’re getting now at UC San Diego, they recognize that we’re forced to be reckoned with,” UCSD athletic director Earl Edwards told San Diego Magazine.  

San Diego Clippers vs. Rip City Remix

Friday, November 8 | 7:00 p.m. | Frontwave Arena

The wait is over. San Diego once again plays host to professional basketball after 40 long years, and that’s thanks to Oceanside’s brand-new Frontwave Arena. Before the venue’s opening in September, the team behind Frontwave Arena announced that the Los Angeles Clippers’ G League affiliate, the erstwhile Ontario Clippers, would be moving to North County. The now-San Diego Clippers are making their home opener even more special by dedicating it to Bill Walton.

One of San Diego’s favorite sons, Walton died in May at the age of 71. After starting at La Mesa’s Helix High, then playing for UCLA, he had a hall-of-fame career in the NBA and spent six years with the original San Diego Clippers. The game against Portland’s Rip City Remix will include a ceremony honoring Walton’s career and contributions, and the first 3,000 fans will receive a tie-dye t-shirt—Walton was well-known for his Grateful Dead fandom. Fittingly, the Electric Waste Band, a Grateful Dead tribute act, will perform at the pregame Fan Fest. 

San Diego Gulls vs. Bakersfield Condors

Saturday, November 16 | 6:00 p.m. | Pechanga Arena

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey

It’s been a tough few years for the Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ minor-league affiliate. They’ve missed the AHL playoffs the last two seasons, and so far this year, they’re last in the Pacific Division. It’s early in the season, though, and the Gulls have an opportunity to turn things around against the Bakersfield Condors when the team hosts Military Appreciation Night at Pechanga Arena. The first 8,000 fans in attendance will receive a Gulls Navy Hat sponsored by Indian Motorcycle of San Diego, and the players will wear special jerseys that honor the armed forces. 

Rady’s Children Invitational

Nov 28-29 | 7:30 p.m. | LionTree Arena

Watch: Fox / FS1

Hours of football and pounds of turkey aren’t the only things you can consume on Thanksgiving. In its few years of existence, the Rady’s Children Invitational (hosted by UC San Diego) has become a premier showcase in college basketball. Staged over the holiday weekend, this year’s edition features Purdue and NC State in a rematch of the 2024 Final Four semifinal, as well as March Madness regulars in BYU and Ole Miss. 

But you’ll have to catch the mini-tournament from the comforts of your couch if you don’t already have tickets. “Selling out the event months before tipoff is spectacular!” Jackie Reed, 2024 president of Sports San Diego, said in a statement. “We are grateful the basketball community and our local San Diego community are supporting this event with so much enthusiasm in our third year.”

SDSU Football vs. Air Force

Saturday, November 30 | Time: TBA | Snapdragon Stadium

Watch: Fox Sports Networks

It’s been a roller coaster season for first-year head coach Sean Lewis. After a blowout win in the opener, the Aztecs football team lost the next three games, then they emerged victorious in two straight match-ups, only to face defeat in the two games following that. At 3-5, the Aztecs will need to go 3-1 the rest of the way to qualify for a postseason bowl game, which would be a huge feat for the rookie coach and his team led by freshman quarterback Danny O’Neil. That’s not out of the question. Three of those games are against opponents with losing records, including Air Force, who the Aztecs will take on at Snapdragon Stadium in the regular season’s final game. “I think we’re really meshing together well right now and getting to know each other better every single week,” Lewis recently said about his team. 

The post 5 San Diego Sporting Events to Watch: Nov. 2024 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Fame came anyway.

Najjar and her brother Sean were students together at Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley. Sean was on the wrestling team before eventually moving into mixed martial arts. “He was like, ‘Come to the fighting gym with me,’” Najjar recalls. She wasn’t very active at the time but was curious about the sport. “I went to my first boxing class and I fell in love.”

Soon, she began helping her brother sell tickets to his fights and promoting his merch while learning to coach. As she improved her skills, she quickly became one of the most sought-after boxing trainers in the area. While Sean now occasionally competes in jiu-jitsu tournaments, Najjar found a space in the boxing world that few women occupy: mitt holding. Ever seen a fighter in training, jabbing at a strike pad while the person clutching the pads deftly matches their strikes and absorbs the impact? Najjar is that person.

Her talents garnered her the nickname “Mitt Queen” amongst her male counterparts in the gym. Now 36, the Carmel Mountain resident counts pro fighters, high-profile athletes, and celebrities among her trainees.

“She made herself into her own. She carried the torch,” says Berlin Kerney, a boxing coach at Bomber Squad Academy in El Cajon. He has known Najjar since she was 18. “I feel like she helped [women] think it’s possible to achieve a level that wasn’t really seen before. There was no market, no spot for a female mitt holder. I see a lot of [women] now doing the same thing that she has done.”

But her rise took time. In 2020, when Covid was keeping us indoors, Najjar quit her job at Louis Vuitton (her other love is high fashion) to begin filming her workouts.

“I cleaned up my whole Instagram, got rid of everything, [and] said, ‘I’m going to stick to just mitt work and I’ll show a little bit of myself,’” Najjar says. “I posted my first video with [pro boxer] Jonny [Mansour], and it went viral.”

She began posting regularly, growing over months from hundreds of views per video to sometimes over a million. It’s easy to get lost in her clips. She’s quick, nimble, strong—often meeting the punches of men nearly twice her size.

As her account took off, she caught the attention of actor Michael B. Jordan, who direct messaged her, asking her to be in the latest installment of the Creed franchise, boxing movies set in the Rocky universe. “I didn’t know who he was,” Najjar says. She had to Google him before responding. “He was like, ‘You’ve never seen Creed? Black Panther?’ I was like, ‘No, I live and breathe fighting.’”

Next thing she knew, she was moving to Atlanta, Georgia for a year to work as a trainer for the cast and play herself, Ann “Mitt Queen” Najjar, in 2023’s Creed III. Pro boxers like Canelo Álvarez, José Benavidez Jr., Florian Munteanu, and Tony Bellew shared the big screen with her, acting as characters or as themselves.

“That’s the cool thing about the movie. All the fighters are real; all the refs are real. All the commentators are real,” Najjar says. “I worked with [pro boxer Terence Crawford] on the movie set. He went 28 rounds straight with me. No budging.”

But being a great mitt holder isn’t as simple as knowing how to catch a punch. One of the most important skills a coach can have, mitt holding requires balance, skill, and the ability to clearly communicate with your fighter as they move around—as well as hours of daily practice. Doing it well is a key step on the road to creating a world champ.

“When you’re the holder, you’re guiding,” Najjar says. She determines her trainees’ combinations—as she calls out movements, they follow her lead.

Bomber Squad Academy strength and conditioning coach Tez Avant says Najjar’s competitive nature is a huge part of what makes her so good at what she does. “If there’s an obstacle, she wants to beat it. No matter who’s there, she wants to try to beat them,” he says. “I think that’s the thing that will keep her thriving.”

Najjar trains four to six hours a day. When she’s not in the gym with clients, she’s running to improve her cardio and posting on social media, hoping to inspire more young women to become holders.

“I was Sean’s little sister, and now, my brother is the Mitt Queen’s brother,” Najjar says with a smirk. Sometimes, a bit of sibling rivalry is all you need to become great.

The post Inside the Ring with Ann “Mitt Queen” Najjar appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

For the first time in school history, the men’s basketball program is eligible for the NCAA Division I basketball tournament. Affectionately and better known as March Madness, it’s the single-elimination tournament for the national championship that pits powerful “blue bloods” like Kentucky and Duke against mid-major “Cinderellas” like San Diego State University and, now, UCSD. 

“I think everybody’s excited about the opportunity to play in the postseason and be in that win-or-go home environment,” Olen said before a recent practice session. “There’s really nothing else like it.” 

In 2020, the UCSD men’s basketball program transitioned from Division II to the Big West Conference in Division I, the highest level of collegiate sports. NCAA rules prohibited UCSD from postseason play during a four-year “reclassification period.” This didn’t stop the team from acting like a postseason team. 

January 22, 2024

San Diego is Basketball City USARELATED ARTICLE

They went 21-12 last season, their best showing in Division I so far, and finished second in the Big West. Had they been eligible, UCSD would have needed to win just two games in the conference tournament to book their first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. 

“I think our guys did a great job during the period where we didn’t have [postseason play],” said Olen, who became head coach in 2013 after serving as an assistant for nine years. “It was a little bit of that light at the end of the tunnel, that purpose at the end, like, ‘This is what we’re working towards, this is what we’re working for.’”

To build on that success, the team will need returning senior Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones to show why he was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team, though Tait-Jones brushed aside the significance of that recognition. “We’ve got a pretty new group of guys coming in, and it’s my last year, so I just want to be a leader out there,” the New Zealand native said. “A goal of ours is to win the league and go to March Madness this year and get out of the first round.” That won’t be easy, not with former Triton star Bryce Pope now at the University of Southern California as a graduate transfer, but the versatile Tait-Jones did rank among team leaders last year in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

When asked if the campus is anticipating the upcoming season, which starts November 6 at SDSU, he beamed and seemed relieved to talk about his classmates rather than himself. “I just saw some students yesterday and they were super excited for the year and they were saying, ‘Oh, we’re going to make March Madness!’ I think there’s a real buzz around campus. I think everyone’s excited for the year and we’re all excited for it.”

This year’s homecoming being the first that revolves around the team’s home opener—the November 9 tilt against Pepperdine—indicates it’s a new era at the school, one that is known far more for its Nobel Prizes than for its championship trophies. (As if the nearby “Nobel Drive” left any doubt.)

The architect of the rise of sports at UCSD is athletics director Earl Edwards. On the job since 2000, Edwards has guided the school’s 23 sports programs from the depths of Division III, where no conference welcomed the school and few others wanted to play it. UCSD was too big, too resourceful, and its teams beat up on schools whose enrollments rarely eclipsed 2,000 students. 

“We had a lot of success [in Division III], but we wanted to be an extension of the university as a whole. Everything we do at UC San Diego is about the pursuit of excellence. So it became more of a discussion of, ‘Why don’t we have an athletic program that reflects that?’” Edwards said, though, like Tait-Jones, he invariably credited others. 

“The students were the ones that created the impetus for Division I because as they looked at UC San Diego, and they looked at other high-profile schools, athletics was the missing denominator. So then students came to us and said, ‘We’d like to move to Division I.’” 

Like a proud parent that refuses to play favorites, Edwards offered highlights beyond the men’s basketball team: The baseball team that won the Big West Conference championship. The women’s rowing team that took second in the Coastal Atlantic Association conference championships and whose coach, Colin Truex, won CAA’s Coach of the Year award. The fencing team that regularly sends athletes to the national championships. 

In all, 21 of the school’s 23 sports teams would have participated in postseason competition last year if not for the NCAA’s prohibitions. But Edwards seemed most proud of the “scholar-athletes,” as they’re called at UCSD, having a higher grade-point average than the school’s general student body. 

But if the poets and quants on campus are resentful of the ascendance of sports, then there’s little indication of it. In fact, UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla was selected in March to serve a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to represent the Big West Conference. It’s one of the most influential governing bodies in American sports. Through Pradeep, UCSD is now a power broker in collegiate athletics. This institutional backing isn’t lost on Edwards. “Now that we’re Division I—looking at the branding, the messaging, the signage around campus—it’s definitely a D-I program in terms of the overall support and enthusiasm,” he said.

Merely getting to Division I was not the goal, though. Edwards wants the school to compete every year for the Big West’s Commissioner’s Cup, which is awarded annually to the university with the greatest success across all sports, and he wants the men’s basketball team playing in the NCAA tournament every year. “I expect that March Madness will be part of who we are,” he said.

It’s an ambitious, if not astonishing vision for a university long perceived as a sleep retreat for academics. Edwards even wants San Diego to one day replicate Philadelphia’s legendary “Big 5” of University of Pennsylvania, LaSalle, St. Joseph’s, Temple, and Villanova which compete every year for the best college basketball team in the city.

Along with SDSU and the University of San Diego, there are now three Division I programs within a trolley ride of each other, and the newcomer to the party is planting its flag. “The respect that we’re getting now at UC San Diego, they recognize that we’re forced to be reckoned with.”

The post The New Era of D1 Athletics for UCSD appeared first on San Diego Magazine.