SoCal Redux

[Bryan Izatt]

A friend and I are coming to LA the week after next and are planning on playing the usual (economic and public) suspects - Rustic, Soule Park, Ojai, Lost canyons  ,  Oak Valley, PGA of SoCal, Oak Quarry......  Are there others of interest up Ventura way or north that might persuade me not to hike out to Beaumont and Riverside?

If anyone's interested in a game, let me know.  The course Itinerary is not yet set in stone, or even sand.

[Pat Burke]

A friend and I are coming to LA the week after next and are planning on playing the usual (economic and public) suspects - Rustic, Soule Park, Ojai, Lost canyons  ,  Oak Valley, PGA of SoCal, Oak Quarry......  Are there others of interest up Ventura way or north that might persuade me not to hike out to Beaumont and Riverside?

If anyone's interested in a game, let me know.  The course Itinerary is not yet set in stone, or even sand.

Sandpiper and La Purisima    Santa Barbara and Lompoc   I would head there before Neaumont

[Jon Spaulding]

I'd recommend Santa Anita or Palos Verdes GC in the LA area. I prefer either one to what you mention playing in the Inland Empire.

PGA of SoCal went under last year and was renamed. It's in an area which one might consider "golf purgatory" in SCA. I don't go out there very often.....but they do have 2 good golf courses, reasonably priced, with strong winds!

Olivas Links in Ventura has gotten decent reviews, but I have not played it yet.

[Ross Waldorf]

I would second Jon's comment about Santa Anita. It's a very cool place as long as you don't mind that it only plays about 6,300 or so from the back. Lots of neat architectural features there, and from what I read in that thread from a few weeks ago, apparently it's in good shape right now. Plus it costs about $23 or something (!).

I've played Olivas Links once and enjoyed it. Forrest Richardson did a redesign on what was apparently not a particularly distinguished place. The new version is low profile and has some very interesting holes, although I can't give you many details from my one trip around.

Also, if you haven't played Lost Canyons before, I'm more or less in the Matt Ward camp on it. That is, the Sky is a pretty interesting layout, as long as you don't mind some really ludicrous terrain. The 2nd and 17th are two really fantastic par 3s from the "if I miss left I'm going to wind up about 500 feet down" school of design. But there are definitely a few places where you know Pete Dye (or whoever did the actual routing) must have said, "Well those last two holes were great, but how in God's name am I going to figure out a way to get to where I wanna put the next green?" But for my two cents, avoid the Shadow at all costs -- I really disliked that golf course.

[Damon Groves]

My choices in LA area would be Rustic and Santa Anita. Play Santa Anita during the week but avoid Tuesday mornings. Santa Anita is $23 and just a cool course with some fun holes for those of us that know what we are looking at. The Brookside courses in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl have been getting some new bunker work and are worth playing as well. Outside of LA I would play Ojai which still retains enough of the original holes to make it a lot of fun. If you are venturing to Ojai you may as well go for Santa Barbara and play Sanpiper. I would take a pass on the courses in Beaumont.

[R_Paulis]

LaPurisima is worth the trip but its location takes some time to get to, even if you're concentration is in the Ventura area. However, if you're tackling courses in the LA area with traffic you'll not have that issue north of Ventura.

A big fan of Olivas but, I'm a bit biased since it's my home course.

[Scott Weersing]

I like Olivas Links as the dormant grass plays fast and firm.

Another good course is the Victoria Lakes course at River Ridge. It has some good holes and some great bent grass greens. It has too many elevated tees for my taste but it is a good course.

[Bryan Izatt]

Thanks for all the suggestions.  Now, to figure out which to play.

I played Olivas Links last year, at Forrest's suggestion, and although it's good value for the $, I think I prefer courses with more elevation changes on a short trip like this.

[Tim Leahy]

A friend and I are coming to LA the week after next and are planning on playing the usual (economic and public) suspects - Rustic, Soule Park, Ojai, Lost canyons  ,  Oak Valley, PGA of SoCal, Oak Quarry......  Are there others of interest up Ventura way or north that might persuade me not to hike out to Beaumont and Riverside?

If anyone's interested in a game, let me know.  The course Itinerary is not yet set in stone, or even sand.

Sandpiper and La Purisima    Santa Barbara and Lompoc   I would head there before Neaumont

I would second those courses and add Rancho San Marcos in Santa Barbara and Marshalia Ranch in Lompoc. If you like courses with changes in elevation and unique California conditions this definitely trumps Beaumont.

[Bryan Izatt]

Thanks Tim, I'll add them to the list.  Strangely, it looks like I like the courses in Beaumont more than most on here.

[Tim Leahy]

I used to play regularly and am a big fan of Oak Valley and have played the others and the atmosphere doesn't compare to the Central Coast/Santa Barbara courses.

[Damon Groves]

Not that I am a big fan of Pete Dye's courses, even though I respect his contributions, but if you want mountains and elevation change you can always play Lost Canyons either Shadow or Sky courses. Just a few exits from Rustic Canyon.

Just remember snakes can't hear so bang he ground when you go searching for your ball.

[Ross Waldorf]

Bryan:
Something occurred to me this morning I thought I'd mention: Ever heard of a course called Los Serranos? It's in Chino Hills. I haven't been out there in a few years, but I always had a nice time when I played there. It's a 36 hole muni complex, so the fees are going to be relatively low. Seemed to me that many people preferred the South course, which is longer and bit more in the "championship" mold -- i.e. more difficult. But I always liked the North. It has that old time feeling you get when you play a classic course -- particularly in the way the holes lay on the ground. It's a cool and cozy place. There are a few of those concrete-lined ponds out there that are ridiculous, but the overall vibe of the place is very cool. Anyway --  not sure what kind of places you're looking for, but that one doesn't seem to get mentioned very often.

[rjsimper]

Anyway --  not sure what kind of places you're looking for, but that one doesn't seem to get mentioned very often.

There's a good reason for that...

[Ross Waldorf]

I take it that Los Serranos is not your cup of tea, eh, Ryan. Cool. What was it that drove you nuts? Or that you just didn't like? That's just an honest question from a curious new member. I haven't been out there in probably 6 or 7 years, but remember enjoying the North course quite a bit. The ponds definitely don't help the place, I will freely admit . . .

[Tim Leahy]

Los Serranos South used to hold LA Open qualifiers and is a nice layout but the conditions and 6 hour rounds drove me away.

[Damon Groves]

There is also the recently redone Ike and Babe Courses in Industry Hills. I have not played the Babe since the renovation but have played the Ike and they have returned it back to Bell Jr's original intent. Ike is a very nice option and I would go with that before Los Serranos.

[Ross Waldorf]

Yeah, a six hour round wouldn't exactly endear me to the place! Yikes. I only played the South once, maybe twice, but always preferred the North (pace of play was not a factor when I played). I think it's the kind of course that just suited my eye -- and being a low teens handicapper who doesn't hit the ball particularly far, the length of it was cool by me. As I said, these days I've got no comment on the conditioning, or pace of play -- it's been awhile.

[rjsimper]

I take it that Los Serranos is not your cup of tea, eh, Ryan. Cool. What was it that drove you nuts? Or that you just didn't like? That's just an honest question from a curious new member. I haven't been out there in probably 6 or 7 years, but remember enjoying the North course quite a bit. The ponds definitely don't help the place, I will freely admit . . .

I was trying to find a photo of the tennis racquet pond, but couldnt on the spot.  The South is just kind of a long slog, the North is a little more sporty, but still just overblown muni golf in my opinion.  Out in the inland empire, Goose Creek is a much better option for a walk-in-the-park type round.

[Ross Waldorf]

Agree about the South -- I thought it was a slog, too, when I played it. Sporty is kind of what I was thinking as far as the North goes, and there are certainly some indifferent holes. After spending so much time at Rustic Canyon over the last 6 years, I suspect I'd find Los Serranos a bit less interesting these days, that's for sure. When I think more carefully about it, Santa Anita is a cooler place to play as far as architecture goes, when you're talking about muni-level golf. So okay, you got me thinking. Always a plus.