Small LA Golf Courses

24 Jul 2007

As I’m trying to relearn the game of golf in Los Angeles, I stick to the short courses where incomplete skills and an incomplete stick set aren’t a problem.

Some photos at the bottom of the page will give you an idea of the courses, or perhaps at least an idea of the lack of good photography for these tiny golf courses.

Write if you have any comments or additions.

Rancho Park “3-Par” 27 May 2007

Details
10460 W Pico Blvd 90064
Range, Grass Tees.

“One of the most played courses in the country, Rancho Park plays host to nearly 600,000 rounds a year.” This is not an endorsement. The course, designed by William P. Bell and William Johnson, opened in 1949, and was the former host of the Los Angeles Open. This all refers to the regular course. The “3-par” is a tidy, tiny, and fast park course with generous fairways and greens scaled down in size and complexity. One or two sand traps. Drive down past the full course club house along Pico to the starter’s shack.

Los Feliz 9 27 May 2007

Details
$5 a throw. Arrive before 9 or be foursomed.
par 27, 1,065-yards.
Scorecard.
Matt tees.

Classic chill-out golf. Show up before 9 if you want to play as a twosome. Nos. 4 and 5 are perhaps the most fun. No. 9 is too long to be fun to those who take “pitch and putt” literally. You need an eight iron to reach.

The diner is highly recommended. You’ll pay through the nose for Bud-in-a-can, but they do pack it in ice for the long walk. Try not to hit one into the LA River. If you play in the afternoon, the Bigfoot Lodge is one block away.

The Lakes at El Segundo 27 May 2007

Details.
Obvious from road, one or two miles south of LAX.
400 South Sepulveda Blvd
$12 a throw. Longer 9-hole, par 29, 1,327-yard rye and bent grass executive.
Scorecard.

Handsome executive course. Some elevation changes, including an opportunity to use a wood on the no. 4 tee. Several holes feature water. The greens are larger than normally found on short par-threes. You’ll have to hit over water and around bunkers so it’s good practice for people who push the ball toward the hole every time.

The starter doesn’t pack parties, so you can arrive as a twosome and play that way. Nice.

The driving range was used as a location for Michael Mann’s “The Insider.”

Food? Go to Whole Foods 1/4 mile south.

Westchester 15 27 May 2007

Details, with online tee times.
15 holes, Range, Putting Green, ~$20, $13-8 for twilight golf.
Rye and Kikuya.
Scorecard.
Sometimes matt tees.

Used to be a very short 18 hole course. The incoming jumbo jets at nearby LAX humble even the best drive. The driving range often has grass available to hit off of. Quality of the range balls leaves a lot to be desired. Tiny putting green. “Twilight” rates are good and the course is often empty.

Penmar Golf Course 27 May 2007

Details.

Wedged between Venice and Santa Monica by the airport. 9 Holes.

Scorecard.

“Keep Practice swings to a minimum.” Their policy says it all. The two times I’ve played here, someone else has negotiated the confusing reservation system.

Veteran’s Administration Course 27 May 2007

11640 San Vicente Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Enter at Bringham (off San Vicente and Wilshire), take MacArthur Ave north, past the softball fields. There will be signs.
$10. Grass tees.

A well-kept secret, but not a well-kept course, the nine holes at the VA were made open to the public around 1995 or so. The course is largely treeless, but does feature significant elevation changes and some bunker play. There are no water hazards, so the course is about as dry as the many vets who play there. (Alcohol is barred.) It’s been a while since I’ve played this course, but I remember liking No. 9. Sundays are usually choked with a weekly tournament.

You may wish to know also:

A CityBeat exposé revealed that from 1952 to 1968, the VA and UCLA dumped medium- and long-lived radioactive and toxic chemical waste under property that is also now part of the Barrington Recreation Center, a dog park, and an adjacent arroyo. The detritus included irradiated lab animal carcasses and ash, as well as radioactive tritium and carbon-14, from years of animal and human radiation experiments during the height of the Cold War. —LA Citybeat