San Diego, CA: San Diego Polo Club (SDPC) kicks off its 25th season on Sunday, June 12th with the Rancho Santa Fe Cup Tournament presented by Riviera Magazine. Gates open at 12:30 p.m. for two action-packed matches at 1 and 3 p.m. for an estimated 1,500 spectators.
Join in the excitement of Opening Day as ponies and players take to the main field at the San Diego Polo Club located at 14555 El Camino Real on the border of Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe. Tickets are $10 per adult (children under 12 are free), with VIP tickets available for $25, reservation required. Parking is $5 per car and tailgating spots are $25 per car and include entry in the fee.
There’s something for everyone each week at Sunday Polo, with 2 matches, live music, a full bar, bistro, VIP seating, and tailgating on the east side of the field. Spectators and social members (polo club members who are not polo players) come to enjoy the energy, food, music, friends and the thrilling sport of polo. Kids are welcome to enjoy the jump castle, and (for a nominal fee), face-painting, and snow cones in the Children’s Area.
For those not keeping track of the score, there is the annual Opening Day fashion show, this year displaying fashions by designers from all over the globe, and the 7th Chukker After Party presented by FLUXX.
The sport of polo is a high-speed, 4 on 4 game with Persian roots, originally played as a training game for cavalry. The object of the game is for team members to score goals using the agility of their horse and a wooden mallet to knock a small ball into the opposing team’s goal. The full-size field at San Diego Polo Club measures 400 by 160 yards and is equivalent in area to 9 football fields.
Club members hire professional polo player teammates from around the globe including New Zealand, Hawaii, Mexico, Peru and Argentina.
Highlights of the upcoming social season include the “Cigars & Cars” Father’s Day event sponsored by Lincoln, a Chili Cook-off, and a Farm-to-Fork dinner hosted by the Rancho Santa Fe Farmer’s Market. Other fan favorite events include the Bi-plane Fly-In, where several antique planes fly in on Saturday and take off after the Sunday Polo, and the season closing Crash and Burn Party – where each polo player brings a case of beer to commemorate each time he/she has fallen during the season.
In anticipation of its 25th season, SDPC is thrilled to continue in its tradition of giving, by partnering this year with a number of community organizations including the American Red Cross, Kids Korps, TERI Therapeutic Equestrian Program, WiLDCOAST, an Imperial Beach, CA coastal conservation initiative, and Saving Horses, an Alpine, CA Non-profit organization that rescues horses from slaughter and abuse.
What to wear to Polo
Women. Effortless sophistication. Polo is the perfect excuse to buy a new dress ,and the local boutiques in La Jolla and Del Mar are the perfect places to shop. Flats and wedges are recommended – unless you want to sink your heels into the grass. Be ready to take part in the champagne divot stomp, the halftime tradition that helps to maintain the playing surface. Sun hats, statement jewelry, and sunglasses are optional.
Men. Button downs, blazers and (need we say it?) polo shirts. Khakis, jeans, and madras are all appropriate. Be comfortable, and ready to socialize.
History of San Diego Polo Club
San Diego’s polo roots date back to 1906 when the first California match was held in Coronado. The first John D. Spreckels match was in 1909. 70 years later, Willis Allen and Harry Collins dreamed of horses galloping by the Pacific Ocean and established the San Diego Polo Club in 1986, in an ideal location just down the road from Del Mar Fairgrounds in Rancho Santa Fe. Women entered the sport in 1916. Today, approximately 50% of the San Diego Polo Club’s players are women.
Sunday Polo Event Guide
12:30 Gates Open
1 First Match
2:30 Intermission
3 Feature Match
3:45 Champagne Divot Stomp
4:30 Trophy Presentation
5-7 Live Music
San Diego Polo Club 2011 Schedule
June 11 Bi-Plane Fly-In & Party
June 12 Opening Day- Rancho Santa Fe Cup presented by RIVIERA
June 19 Rancho Santa Fe Cup Finals presented by Lincoln – “Cigars & Cars”
June 26 The Pan-American Cup
July 3 Pan-American Cup Finals
July 10 Surf Cup
July 15 Western Party & Chili Cook-off*
July 17 Surf Cup Finals
Summer Break – July 18-August 10 – Fields Closed- Surf Soccer
August 14 Fernando Gutierrez Memorial Cup
August 21 Fernando Gutierrez Memorial Cup Finals
August 28 USPA Rossmore Cup presented by FINE Magazine
September 4 USPA Rossmore Cup Finals
September 5 Labor Day Arena Tournament & Barbeque
September 11 Willis Allen Memorial Cup
September 18 Willis Allen Memorial Cup Finals presented by Giving Back Magazine
September 25 USPA Spreckels Cup
October 1 Crash & Burn Party*
October 2 Closing Day- USPA Spreckels Cup Finals
About San Diego Polo Club
The San Diego Polo Club (SDPC), established in 1986 as Rancho Santa Fe Polo Club, offers five world-class polo fields on 60 acres of land. Located in Rancho Santa Fe, California, just down the road from Del Mar and the Pacific Ocean, the club attracts professional polo players from around the globe. The club has 35 founding members and nearly 100 social members and invites the public on Sundays during their 14-week tournament season from June-October. SDPC is known for taking advantage of ideal year-round weather with facilities active during the summer season from April-November including an exercise track, riding trails, a clubhouse, outdoor lighted arena, corporate event hosting and polo school offering classes for novice riders. Follow SDPC on Facebook (facebook.com/sdpolofan), Twitter (@sdpolo), and on the web at SanDiegoPolo.com.