This week, the PGA Tour moves from the picturesque Monterey Peninsula and famed Pebble Beach to the suburban hills of Pacific Palisades near Los Angeles. The historic Riviera Country Club is the site for the high-powered Nissan Open.
Los Angeles is one of the premier travel destinations in the country; the area has so much to do. There is the cultural experience of touring Beverly Hills, heading over to Disneyland for a magical time, fantastic beaches to explore or star searching in Hollywood. Yes, L.A. certainly has its fair share of attractions.
The nation’s second-largest city and surrounding area also has a nice array of golf courses to hit on a lazy vacation day or a business trip get-away. And it all starts with Riviera.
The course that remains Tiger-proof (ok, no such thing, but he hasn’t been able to win here) was built in 1926 by George C. Thomas in the extreme northwest part of Los Angeles, just to the north of Santa Monica. Riviera was also named as the 23rd best course in the United States by Golfweek Magazine.
Getting on to actually play the course may be beyond a little tough, though. Outside guests are obviously only welcome to play with members. If you are able to bypass that hurdle, then Riviera and its splendid, classical design is available to be played for around $300.
If you are looking for some other places to take advantage of the warm weather in southern California and play some golf, you still have some fantastic options.
First, sticking in the Northern Los Angeles area, you have a couple of public facilities waiting to be played that are friendly on the budget-conscious golfer.
Just on the edge of East Hollywood Hills resides the 36-hole complex in Griffith Park, one of the longest-standing municipal courses in L.A.
First you have the Harding course, which is considered the more difficult of the two. It plays to a slope of 123, so it is pretty friendly to handicappers above 10 as well.
The sister course is the longer but easier Wilson course with a slope of 118. The Wilson course is easier than its counterpart due to much wider fairways, so there is much more room for error off the tees.
As mentioned, the courses are light on the budget, typically running no higher than $25. But make sure that time is not an issue for you as rounds frequently run into the five-hour range. At least it’s a walk in the park.
One problem you are bound to find all over the Los Angeles area is the slow paces that are all too common here. Because of a shortage of public courses to play, the ones that are out there see a lot of traffic. Although a few courses have been added recently to increase the number of public places, it’s still not quite enough to handle the sheer size of a city like L.A. So your best bet may be to venture out of L.A. slightly.
Plan yourself a little trip to the golf hotbed of Palm Springs and you will find a few courses inviting you in. The primary course in the city is Palm Springs Country Club, regarded as the oldest course in the area.
While the course does not play difficult at all, it offers a nice opportunity to score low and help boost that confidence. The course plays to a slope of just 115 from the back tees, but the mature tees do require straight drives. Palm Springs CC has green fees that run in the $20-$30 range, but may not offer the challenge many want.
Waiting just to the south of Palm Springs is La Quinta. Here you will find the 90-hole mega-complex of PGA West, a golf Mecca of sorts for golfers and home to the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
The complex has three courses that are private and three others that are open for play, but be sure you make some advanced plans. Reservations fill up awfully fast at the three courses open for play.
The three public courses at PGA West are the Jack Nicklaus Tournament course, the Greg Norman course and the Pete Dye-designed Stadium course. All are designed by some of golf’s top designers and make the most out of the land which they occupy.
The Jack Nicklaus course combines beauty and challenge perfectly and has some dramatic water holes that will challenge your accuracy. The prime example is the par-5 15th which culminates with a lowered and bunker-protected island green.
Greg Norman’s course is the newest of the courses. It was built in a seabed that sits 40 feet below sea level and is surrounded by mountains. The course is a challenge for golfers of all levels with nine ponds spread over the course.
Then there is the Stadium course, the top offering at PGA West. Pete Dye put together a fantastic challenge with this course. Its character is defined on the par-5, 571-yard 16th hole where you will find a greenside bunker that sits 18 feet below the green! Don’t worry, they have stairs to help you out. It’s no wonder the course has been ranked in the top 100 courses in America consistently for years.
Fees at the PGA West courses are all around $200.
