Even though I did not see any dolphin swimming nearby or hang gliders flying above my head (unlike on the South course, designed by Quietly), this par 72 is another nice design from the CGX team, with wide (and often slanted and/or undulated) fairways, plenty of small elevation changes, and quite a few challenging approaches to the greens.
My favorite holes are the par-3 3rd, with a downhill tee shot over plenty of bushes, the left dogleg par-4 5th hole, uphill all the way to the green (with the ocean as a backdrop), the signature par-3 6th, with a blind and downhill tee shot and a nice view of the ocean cliffs, and the even more scenic right dogleg par-4 7th hole, with the fairway next to the cliffs on the left, and uphill all the way to the green.
On the back 9 (which is now on the front 9 since they switched it with the back 9, a year later after this version was created), I like the left dogleg par-4 11th hole, with its fairway above plenty of trees on the left, the par-3 12th, uphill to the green (and with the ocean furhter behind), the left dogleg par-4 13th hole, with its downhill tee shot and uphill approach to the green, and the short left dogleg par-5 14th, with another downhill tee shot, a slanted fairway and two big bunkers in front of the elevated green.
Then, after the pretty downhill par-3 17th hole, with a small pond in the middle of the fairway, near the green, and another one on the left, you will have another shot at an eagle opportunity on the right dogleg par-5 18th where, after an uphill tee shot, you can easily reach the green on your second shot.
With quite a few straight holes, and short par-5s, this Torrey Pines North course is not overly difficult and is less scenic than its South version but, thanks to the CGX team and other designers (such as Quietly, for example), I am glad to have a chance to play and... keep both of them !