When I hear the word "lodge," I think rooms with wood paneling, dinner jackets, golf, and a members-only club. And even though my favorite hangout has bubbles on the wall, I don't play golf, and my current salary doesn't allow me to support a membership at FIT, I am dying to use the phrase: "Let's meet for dinner at the club."

Luckily, The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla will let me indulge this fantasy for a night or a weekend. Located in coastal La Jolla on the edge of the 18th fairway of the Torrey Pines golf course, the Lodge has a spa, two restaurants, and a guaranteed tee time at for guests.

Indulge your taste for wood paneling in this craftsman style resort's lobby decorated with stained glass, and exchange air kisses with the friends meeting you for dinner at the Lodge's tony restaurant, A.R. Valentien. Dinner conversation may turn to the day spent exploring the nearby Torrey Pines State Reserve, or (more likely) reminiscing about the several spa treatments enjoyed that afternoon. The Spa at Torrey Pines offers a variety of skin treatments, massage therapies, and the more traditional hair and nail services. The spa menu is so extensive it may be worth purchasing the Spa Package so you can stay at the hotel and spread several treatments over a few days.

Sure, I don't play golf but a lot of people do, and to prove it the Torrey Pines golf course hosted the world renowned 2008 US Open earlier this month. Tee off like Tiger with one of the Lodge golf packages, which includes two nights of accommodation at the Lodge and one or two rounds of golf at Torrey Pines. Non-golfing companions can leave friends or loved ones on the course and partake in their own club activity by playing croquet on the Lodge Arroyo Terrace lawn. Whether one swings a club or a mallet, sports stories are best shared over a martini at The Grill & Bar.

Whatever your indulgence, one thing's for sure, your weekend at the San Diego Lodge at Torrey Pines will be the best private club experience that you don't pay dues for.