Learn to Play Polo!

The San Diego Polo Club — originally established in 1987 as the Rancho Santa Fe Polo Club –and its eye-catching polo fields host competitive polo matches from mid-June through mid-September.
Consisting of six 7-minute chukkers, or rounds, a typical thundering polo match pits two teams — four players per team, all on horseback — against each other. Each team uses the length of a grassy 300- by 160-yard field and the “line of the ball” as its basis for play. Players (recognized as Number 1, Number 2, Number 3 and Number 4 — no, this is not an Austin Powers prank) use long mallets to make shots on an unprotected goal.
Each match challenges the physical and mental stamina of players — two- and four-legged — and displays an old-world game with power and beauty.
Right at the border of Rancho Santa Fe and Del Mar, the San Diego Polo Club has five polo fields on 60 acres of land. The location houses an exercise track, riding trails, a clubhouse, a polo training school and an outdoor lighted arena. Seasonal matches are held at 1:30 and 3 p.m. Sundays, mid-June through mid-September, with the least expensive seats going for a surprisingly affordable $5.
And, hey, if you get the urge to try it yourself, the first lesson’s free. For information on public matches and lessons, call the club at (858) 481-9217.