Goat Hill profile by Laz Versalles posted under In My Opinion

[Ran Morrissett]

GolfClubAtlas is a pretty darn big, content rich web site. So what am I most frequently asked? Why a particular course isn’t profiled on it! And near the top of that list is Goat Hill outside of Los Angeles.

Goat Hill represents a rare breed in American golf, a place where actions are rooted in common sense.  It is so refreshing and seems so prudent in an environment where clubs now spend more than eight figures on r-e-s-t-o-r-a-t-i-o-n-s! Maintenance budgets are soaring in the idiotic pursuit of perfection that only creates artificiality. Goat Hill evidently gets it and provides affordable golf over land that looks like, well, a golf course. Thankfully, Laz Versalles, a Santa Monica resident, has stepped up and written a punchy In My Opinion piece on the merits of the place.

His informational treatise and writing style is as honest as the course. Here is a sampling of his prose:  'Goat Hill Park keeps it real. Don’t expect manicured fairways, yardages on sprinkler heads or a locker room with crisply folded towels and mouthwash. Expect to play golf in an unadulterated form; fully exposed to the rub of the green, the will of the wind and the irresponsibility of your imagination. Expect that as you trek over 4,454 feisty yards you will absolutely have to golf your ball. And, finally, expect to have a blast doing so.'

It is great to see something akin to the UK spirit in Oceanside, California. Read on for more – here is the link:

http://golfclubatlas.com/versalles-laz-goat-hill-park/

You'll either gain renewed hope for golf in America or roll your eyes at all the terrible waste produced by misguided big-spending clubs.

Best,

[Tom_Doak]

Ran:


Goat Hill and Oceanside are on the north end of San Diego, not "outside Los Angeles".  Especially not in rush hour traffic!


The common sense there is provided by John Ashworth, who rescued the course from neglect and rumors of sell-out to a developer and actually risked his own money [along with that of a few friends] to make it work.


Amazingly, the course was originally a nine-hole private club, but was redesigned into the present 18-hole layout 40 or 50 years ago by a local teaching pro.  The layout is cramped and a bit crazy but it provides much more interest than the scorecard would suggest.

[Mike Sweeney]

First Maine, and now Goat Hill !! The tides are shifting at GCA.com

I joined for the simple reason that it reminded me of Walnut Lane in Philly where I grew up, we are in San Diego once a year to surf, and John Ashworth is the real deal in terms of golf.  The perfect day is Marine Memorial GC @ Camp Pendelton or San Clemente Muni followed by 18 at Goat Hill and a beer on the porch.

[Laz Versalles]

Tom,
In the global sense that Los Angeles is the beast that it is, then Oceanside is in fact, just south L.A. A mere 88 miles from Santa Monica and more importantly against traffic, so it only takes 14 hours one way. 
Also would like to mention that the reason I initially fell in love with California was Stone Eagle. A friend asked me to explain it, and I said, "It's Caravaggio, it's lunar, it's Scotland, it's the desert- and it's perfect."  I love that course.


Mike Sweeney, Good to see you rerppin' The Goat on GCA.com. Hoping to see you there sometime soon.

[Thomas Dai]

Thank you for this profile. Written, if I may say so, with a delightful element of humour included. And your very last paragraph is spot on.
Less yardage coupled with quirk and lower maintenance standards can still be fun. And for most folk golf is leisure, and if your chosen leisure activity isn’t fun, maybe it’s time to go find one that is!

Atb

[Jason Topp]

Thank you Laz and welcome to the board!


I first met Laz when he was a young assistant pro at Oak Ridge Country Club in Minnesota.  I was a new member and the pro shop was a trailer while a new clubhouse was being built.  Laz spent several years in Palm Springs before escaping the golf business. 


As this piece attests, he is a wonderful addition to this community. 


I am going to need to visit goat hill.  It sounds as if I might need to train to be ready to walk the place.

[David Stamm]

As an occasional visitor to GH who resides about 20 mins from the course, I can assure everyone that Oceanside is as much a part of LA as Santa Barbara. Which is to say, none at all.


I played GH long before Ashworth and co transformed the place and it is a night and day difference. It is still very difficult, at times over top, but the vibe of the place is what makes it what it is. John A is always quick with a genuine smile of appreciation when thanked for what he and thw others have done with the place.

[Greg Hohman]

This past spring I was on the double green in a downpour, the ocean nearby. Closest I'll get to being in Scotland.

[Pete Lavallee]

I lived in LA for 8 years and trust me never heard of this course even with frequent trips to SD. I now live in SD and frankly for 25 years never heard any buzz; you could see one hole on the bluff overlooking I5 but I always knew it was an Executive Course so never had much interest in playing there. There was talk of locating a prospective Chargers Stadium there a few years ago;  how you could build a football stadium on that hilly site is beyond me.


I did play there a couple years ago just after JA took the place over to see what all the hype was about. It is s somewhat difficult walk with several severe knob to knob par 3's. They were just starting their turf reduction program. There was one par 4 that the locals would skip on the south side of the property and play the hole next to it instead because of the severe side slope. I've been hoping to get my Sunday group out there, I think they would like it but we'll pass on the domestic beers and have one of SD's world famous craft beers instead!

[Steve Lang]

... I think they would like it but we'll pass on the domestic beers and have one of SD's world famous craft beers instead!

You mean from the garage?

[Mike Sweeney]

PGA Tour players at Goat Hill over the weekend:


https://www.instagram.com/p/BcEUYiLBr_0/?taken-by=goathillpark

[Mike Sweeney]

and a new Gil Hanse course at Goat Hill:

[Mike Sweeney]

They opened "The Playground at Goat Hill" yesterday and I was in town for a family vacation. It is a 3 hole learners course:








After playing 18 holes, later in the day they had the local juniors teeing off in a tournament on the "big course":





John Ashworth also made a point of thanking many contributors to the project as they have a great community around Goat Hill Park:




Congratulations to everyone at Goat Hill Park.