Virginia CC, Long Beach, CA

[David_Tepper]

I drove by Virgina CC in Long Beach a couple of Sundays ago. I had never heard of it before and can't recall if it has ever been discussed here. Does anyone know about it? Who designed it?

https://www.vcc1909.org

[Sven Nilsen]

The original VCC built in 1909 became Recreation Park GC (#1).  The club moved to its new location in 1920 and the course was designed by William Watson with Bell, Dearie and Tillie being given credit for subsequent work on the course.

[Chris Hughes]

Very interesting.


I've played Recreation Park (the call it "Big Rec") many times.  Gotta go early but it's everything that's right about golf, folks of all ages/colors/dress etc there playing and working on their games.  Paul Goydos actually still keeps an active handicap there as part of the Big Rec Men's Golf Association. 


Have always heard about Virginia Country Club but never played it.  Many good players are based out of the club including John Cook, Patrick Cantlay and Goydos.

[Kyle Casella]

I have not played there in many years. I know that Todd Eckenrode was engaged at some point to do work on the golf course. From google maps, it looks much more open with renovated / moved bunkers than it did in the early 2000s. I would be interested in hearing more from folks who have played recently on the evolution since Todd took over the work.


From the Club's website, the original site had a hole called the "Splash Hole," which had a tee on a pier in the middle of pond. https://www.vcc1909.org/web/pages/history

[Jim Hoak]

Virginia CC is best known as the home of Jamie Mulligan, the CEO, GM, Head Pro and leader of the Club.
I have not played the course, but I have met him and greatly respect him and his accomplishments.  He is one of the leading teachers in California, and is known as a swing coach to many professionals, including Patrick Cantlay (whom he began coaching as a young man) and other PGA, LPGA and Senior PGA players.
Everything I know of him is first-rate.

[Rob Marshall]

Virginia CC is best known as the home of Jamie Mulligan, the CEO, GM, Head Pro and leader of the Club.
I have not played the course, but I have met him and greatly respect him and his accomplishments.  He is one of the leading teachers in California, and is known as a swing coach to many professionals, including Patrick Cantlay.
Everything I have heard of him is first-rate.

And Nelly Korda

[Matt_Cohn]

It’s a really good golf course, and challenging, with a great balance of traditional architecture and quirk and some thought-provoking holes. There’s also a great short par four, 14, that I find a lot more interesting than 10 at Riviera. I’ll post a few pictures later on.

[David_Tepper]

Thanks for the info. I am hardly an expert on SoCal golf, but it seems like this course flies under the radar a good bit. I don't ever recall seeing it on the list of the better or best golf courses in the LA/LB area. 


It is not on this list of the Top 100 courses in California. Should it be?

https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-courses/north-america/usa/california?page=11

[Tim_Weiman]

David,


I played Virginia several times when I lived in Long Beach. It is a good, but not great course. Not worth a special trip, but just fine if you are in town and you are invited to play.


All things considered, I prefer Rec Park which I once had the pleasure of playing with Tommy Naccarato.


Rec Park does accommodate walk ons. Just forget about weekends


Tim

[Phil Young]

Tilly's involvement with VCC began with his visit to the site on February 21st, 1936 as part of his PGA Course Consultation Tour. After forming his partnership with bell in December, 1937 at the finish of the Tour, among the projects they worked on was VCC. On July 23rd, 1939, the Long Beach Press Telegram contained an article describing the changes that were to be made to the course. Two holes in particular were noted, No. 6 and 13.
      The article described them as: "No. 6 is another dogleg 438 yards in length...No.13, also down in the river bottom [along with other holes on the back nine], measures 382 yards and formerly was 341 yards."
      What sets those two holes apart was this sentence later in the article, "Two holes, No. 6 and 13, have been copied after the Winged Foot Country Club, scene of many national championships." Nothing else was said about these holes including which two holes from Winged Foot they were copied from. 

[Matt_Cohn]

1 green (played from the left)





2 (kind of a quirky par 4, drive to the bottom of the hill and then blind to a small green)



2 green



5 green, can be dogleg right par 5 or long, straight par 4, both down a little cliff.


6 approach (no idea which Winged Foot hole this would be after)





Back tee on par-3 10th





14, short/drivable par-4



14 closer view



14 from behind





15, short uphill par-3

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Here is the history of this club :

https://www.vcc1909.org/web/pages/history

[Phil Young]

Steve, the history of the club is incorrect in stating that about 10 years after willie Watson designed the course in 1921 that Tilly & Bell redesigned it. They formed their partnership at the end of 1937 and worked on the course after that. There is no record or article that tilly visited VCC before he was there during his PGA Tour.