How good is Los Verdes?

[Tim_Weiman]

Imagine this.

You get transferred from Cleveland to Los Angeles and in practically the first business phone you receive someone asks you:

"Are you busy Saturday night?  How would you like to go to a party at Hugh Hefner's house?"

Then, you go and actually meet an attractive young lady, who, as it happens, loves golf.

She follows up by taking you to her favorite place to play, Los Verdes up in Palos Verdes, not far from Long Beach.

Now I won't tell you the rest of the story, but as my memory is fading, I'm wondering what West Coast folks think of Los Verdes.  I'm not asking for a comparison against the world's great courses, but I am wondering how you think the course stacks up as a muni??

Leaving aside the horrible pace of play, how good is this track?

[JohnV]

If there is any truth to that story, who cares what the golf course is like.  Was it Bob Hope or Jack Benny who said, "Give me a beautiful woman, a good golf course and a sunny day and you can keep the golf course and the sunny day"?  

As for the pace of play, the longer you can keep at it the better in this case.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Let em say this about that--

I relish the chance to try to get to Los Verdes tomorrow, in fact I have been trying to get back over there for the last few months just so I cold get some pictures to show all of you how neat this County muni really is.

The Facts:

-Billy Bell Jr. design
-A wonderful astro turf driving range that has LA County written all over it. (Not actually on it, but responsible for such an atrocity.)
-$19.00 weekdays to walk.
-A golf course that is screaming for TLC from it's operator,
American Golf, who could be losing this course very quickly if they don't get their act together. (Hopefully a smaller management company based in Simi Valley, California will take it over:))

If all goes well, by tomorrow night, I might be posting pictures from there.

[Lynn Shackelford]

???Not very good.  I remember a couple of holes.  Is it the 14th, long par 4, second shot to green is directly at the ocean?  Some holes are really stuffed into small space.  Good place to go in the summer, it is always cool.

Tommy, American Golf has good County contacts at the top (Superviors).  They don't have to maintain it that well and probably don't.  They have always complained about the cost of water.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

And here I was going to get on the phone first thing this morning and invite you!:)

Actually, the course isn't really as bad as you make it sound. It's a hell of a lot better then Penmar wouldn't you think?

The 15th is the hole that is going directly out to the ocean. In fact, for a cheap muni, I have to say that the golf isn't all that bad. Just needs some really good bunker work and some different greens to spice up the variety.

I may go over to Victoria instead and see how the great Casey O'Callahan handled the restoration over there. It's exactly what they southland needed--a fully restored Victoria Park!

[A_Clay_Man]

I was wondering if this is the place in long beach with the old low profile pro-shop and the bathroom with the old tile and urinals down to the floor?
Also,
For anyone who has played both, Is Pelican Hill 12 1/2 times better?

Tommy, I may not speak for everyone but... if at all possible could you post pictures of Tim's date?

[THuckaby2]

I'm with the others here - screw Los Verdes - I wanna hear more about Tim's date... come on Tim, out with the rest of that story....

As for the golf course, it's one of those that the more you play the LESS you like, I think.  The wow factor over the ocean views fades, and you start to get annoyed that it's in crappy condition and it takes 6 hours to play and they allow fivesomes and it takes six hours to play and some of the holes are really basic and boring and it takes six hours to play and where the hell is the cocktail cart it's taking six hours to play this damn course...

Well, you get the drift.

Let me loose on it with no one else there (except maybe perhaps Tim's date) and it's a great course.  Sorry Tim, these "negatives" can't be ignored.

But if you force me to, I'd say Lynn and Tommy have summed it up well.  Decent course, some very fun holes, great views, and most of all cheap.  Damn good "bang for buck" place.  Just don't make any dinner plans, no matter WHEN you start.

TH

[Tim_Weiman]

John V:

The story is true, but maybe I shouldn't have violated my "no personal stuff" rule.

A Clayman:

Actually, it was the Pelican Hill thread that got me to thinking about Los Verdes.  I don't think PH is 12 1/2 times better than LV, but Pelican Hill is easier to play....or should I say get on.....or should I say finish.

Lynn Shackelford:

I'm inclined to be a little more enthusiastic, especially if it is the muni world we are considering rather than better known courses.  While living in Socal, I asked myself how I thought golf at Torrey Pines compared to Los Verdes.  I came away thinking TP didn't have much, if any advantage.

Tommy N:

That driving range is kind of brutal, but the last time I was at Pasatiempo, the one there wasn't much better.

Tom Huckaby:

The party at Hefner's house was kind of amazing.  Actually, it was a fundraiser, so in truth, while there were some parts that were a little decedant, people weren't running around naked and nobody was in the pool.

As for my date, she was a very attractive lady that I probably blew it with.  After a few enjoyable dates, she got a little funky and I decided to back off.  I later found out she was going through a rough time (work related) and I came to  regret blowing her off.  Oh well, she did leave a lasting memory!

Anyway, I agree with your summary.  The more times I visited Los Verdes, the less I liked it.  Conditioning didn't bother me, but the pace of play was absolutely brutal.

[THuckaby2]

Whew.  Thanks, Tim.  Being married all these years, but still feeling young and hanging out with single friends all too often, I need to and do live vicariously through stories like yours.

BTW, maybe Tommy can answer this but why are fivesomes so accepted in SoCal?  It seems to be the norm there, and it sure isn't here... The first time I saw them as normal was indeed at Los Verdes and I was shocked.  Now seemingly most public courses down there do allow them.... It can't increase revenue that much, can it?

TH