Uniqueness in Long Beach, CA

[THuckaby2]

The glorious and beloved by me, but behated by most other people, SPRING VALLEY GC in lovely Milpitas, CA, has alternate par 3 holes as #2:  one is a straight ahead boring 160 flat shot to a bunkerless semi-interesting green, the other is about 180, SEVERELY downhill, one of the more fun shots in public golf around here because you outside of swamp rainy times, you have to land it way short and bounce it down the hill to have any hopes of holding the green.  They actually follow one another in a line... if the flat #2 is closed, you just bypass it and get to play the fun #2... but if the tee-blocks are on the flat #2, well you know you have bad luck.

As for Rec Park, oh yes, I too have played it ... but even earlier than Bill... would have been in the late 70s - high school match.  I remember nothing except it being a long way from the San Fernando Valley.  

[Tommy_Naccarato]

The following is just some of the stuff I've uncovered regarding Virginia CC & Recreation Park.  

I'm currently helping Greg Flores of the Ace Communications with the club history and building of an archives for the Virginia CC. Something that they had never really attempted to do, and it has been most enlightening regarding the history of Golf in Long Beach, California circa 1909-1942.

Below is the picture of the plan that was drawn-up by the city by Willie Watson. For those of you that know Rec Park, you will see the familiar entrance roads and where the clubhouse is located on the plan, the exact shape of the current parking lot!  Further south, you can see that there is no 7th Street. (a main artery going past Cal State into downtown Long Beach today) It simply didn't exist back then, and the course took up part of what is now the current "Little Rec" 9 hole golf course.



This image is shot from the north, looking south towards Long Beach Marine Stadium and the Colorado Lagoon. These trees are of course no longer existing, but man, what a forest! The greens seen in the picture are the 7th, 16th and 18th.



This is the site of the famed 16th. The hole apparently became quite controversial in its day and it was an after-thought from the orignal nine holes when the course was first constructed. It was 260 yards from the pier tee across te lake and then straight uphill towards the clubhouse where the green sat. Check out the car next to the clubhouse!

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Tommy, that is a lot of trees for Southern California.  How did they get there and what kind are they?

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Lynn,
I hazard a guess that they looked like Yucalyptus trees. That was until Geoff mentioned to me the possibility that they could be trees that were going to be utilized for railroad ties--and judging from the way they are planted, they certainly look like they are in a grove.

My thinking is Geoff is right again.

[A_Clay_Man]

Does the ground beyond the tree grove elevate?

If so, it looks more like a natural reparian. Where trees would tend to grow, naturally.

[Jordan Standefer]

I figure I might as well bump an 8-year old thread, because what the hell...

My local muni, Recreation Park in Long Beach, CA, has started a month long bunker project.  Since I was out there this past Wednesday, I thought I'd let you know what I saw.  It appears they are doing some bunker work-- some renovations, some repositioning-- on the front nine.  The reason I'm posting here is because of what I saw on the par-3 5th.

As stated in this thread, the 5th at Big Rec has an option for two separate holes.  One is a 140 yard shot that plays to a severely elevated blind green.  The other is a 105 yard downhill shot that is protected by front bunkers.  (I, personally, think the 105 yard downhiller is a better hole, due to the delicateness of the shot needed to place the ball on the green.)

Well, it looks like they are doing some major work to the lower green.

[From behind the upper green]


[Closer in]


From the second picture, it looks like the green is going to become shallower in depth, with one bunker protecting in front (outlined in white).

Do any other Southlanders know anything about what's going on out at Big Rec?

[Lynn_Shackelford]

This has been discussed on Tommy's site.  Some sort of in house deal, drawn up by a local pro/artist I think.

A recipe no doubt for dumbing down the course.