From an interview with golf writer Geoff Shackelford
Golf Club Atlas: What course is a personal favorite with which perhaps the readers may not be familiar? What do you like most about it so much?
Geoff Shackelford: Well, even the obscure ones I like have been seen by the knowledgeable folk reading your web site, or have been reviewed by you, so no use in repeating how much I admire something like Somerset Hills or Baltimore. So I'll have to go with the Armand Hammer Golf Course here in Los Angeles.
Bear with me here. It's 18 holes, on about two acres. The holes average about 50 yards. The shortest is about 25 yards, the longest about 70. It's in the most beautiful public park imaginable, in the Holmby Hills area, where the homes start at $4 million dollars. The park is right behind the L.A. Country Club driving range, and right underneath TV producer Aaron Spelling's 56,000-square-foot mansion.
The park and golf course are filled with many rare trees from around the world, some of which you have to hit low bump and run wedges under, perhaps more than most of us traditionalists would like, but that's the fun of it! There is also a man-made creek that comes into play on a few holes, and the course appears to have been designed by Frederick Law Olmsted's son, John, back in about 1927.
"Holmby," as locals call it, costs $2 to play, and a whopping $3 on weekends. The greens average about a 100 square feet, and there are no bunkers! It's great for your wedge game and wonderful fun to contest spirited matches on. Sort of "backyard golf," I suppose.
My Pepperdine teammates and I used to come here after playing Bel-Air early in the morning. At first they thought I was nuts, then they fell in love with it. But don't come here with the shanks. Very expensive German cars tend to park on the street around the course and come very close to a few of the holes, and there is no protective fencing. Many wealthy locals and stars walk around the park, and they won't hesitate to call their speed-dial-programmed personal injury attorney if you accidentally shank one into them.
I've seen Ronald Reagan, Michael Eisner, Garth Brooks (playing catch with his limo driver), Rene Russo, and many others walking, jogging, or playing with their kids at Holmby. Corey Pavin practiced here with the UCLA guys (and we know how his short game turned out). Mac O'Grady loves it so much he now lists it as his home course on his U.S. Open application (only Mac!). Every city and every club should have a "pony" course like this. It's great fun for everyone, excellent practice, and wonderful for kids. And you can play 36 holes in an hour!
The fifth green at the Armand Hammer Golf Course in Holmby Park. Gotta love that walking path!
Looks pretty sporty! But is it as challenging as the NLE pitch-and-putt at the Awahnee Hotel in Yosemite?