Torrey Pines South hosted one of the most memorable U.S. Opens in history — the 2021 edition where Jon Rahm’s walk-off eagle denial on 17 and closing birdie on 18 secured his first major. The course is a municipal track that plays like a championship venue, thanks to the cliffside location, the 7,800-yard layout, and the Pacific wind that affects every shot.
On FSX Play, the officially licensed 4K LIDAR version is the best way to play it in a home simulator.
For the full list of FSX Play courses, see our best courses on FSX Play guide. For a comparison with the FSX Play platform itself, check the FSX Play software review.
What Torrey Pines Looks Like on FSX Play
The 3rd hole is the reason to buy this course. It’s a 140-yard par 3 that plays directly toward the Pacific Ocean, and FSX Play’s 4K rendering makes the ocean look genuinely good — the water moves, the shoreline curves, and the wind off the cliff is modeled in the physics. Stand on that tee on a 4K projector, and you’ll forget you’re in your garage.
The rest of the course is a serious test. At 7,800 yards from the championship tees, Torrey Pines South is long. The fairways are generous — Torrey was designed to be walkable for a municipal course — but the approaches are punishing. The greens are large and firm, with Bermuda grain that affects putt speed and break. The rough is penal. The bunkers are deep.
The back nine is where the course shines on sim. Holes 10-14 run along the cliff with Pacific views on every shot. The 12th hole is a downhill par 3 that plays into the wind from the ocean — club selection is a mystery until you feel the gust. For a similar cliffside experience on other platforms, see our Pebble Beach on FSX Play guide and Pebble Beach on GSPro.
How to Access Torrey Pines South on FSX Play
You need FSX Play software and a compatible Foresight launch monitor (GC3, GCQuad, Bushnell Launch Pro). Purchase Torrey Pines South from the Foresight online store for $40-60. The license key activates in FSX Play’s course manager, which handles installation automatically.
For an alternative, the community-built Torrey Pines South on GSPro is excellent and free with your GSPro subscription. The GSPro version has slightly less polished ocean rendering but accurate LIDAR data and a larger course library.
The Verdict
Torrey Pines South on FSX Play is the best-looking sim version of this U.S. Open venue available anywhere. The 3rd hole alone is worth the $40-60 purchase price — it’s the kind of simulator moment that makes you glad you invested in a 4K setup. If you own FSX Play and want a U.S. Open rotation that includes the 2021 venue, this should be your next single-course purchase.
For the full FSX Play library, see our best courses on FSX Play guide and the FSX Play review. For more California cliffside courses, check Pebble Beach on GSPro and Cypress Point on GSPro.