Hillcrest CC - Los Angeles

[PCCraig]

I was lucky enough to have played Hillcrest CC while on a trip to LA last week. I did a search here looking to see if it had been discussed before and couldn't find much.


Overall, I thought it was a lovely golf course. Originally a William Watson design, it was completely rebuilt by Kyle Phillips in 2019. The redo allowed for a new driving range & (very cool) 5-hole par-3 course.


It's not an overly long (~6600 yards) course but it sits on a pretty dramatic site with huge landforms.


There are some very good golf holes:


2nd is a cool short downhill par-3 with a big knob short left that makes the hole play partially blind.


3rd hole is a rolling par-5 with a wild green that is textbook for the way Watson routed the hole over the humps of the fairway.


4th is an epic par-3 which features a skyline green with nothing but the LA skyline and the Hollywood hills in the background. This hole was previously the site of the club's turf nursery!


7th is a short drive and pitch par-4 that reminds me of the 7th at Interlachen. A fun short par-4.


9th is a very elegant par-5 playing in a valley between massive landforms and a benched green.


12th is a long par-3 with a VERY dramatic biarritz green!


14 is a beautiful par-3 playing over a huge ravine like feature and then the 15th has a fun driver shot back over the same feature on the tee shot.


All in all, a lot of fun holes, tons of width, cool greens, and a lot that would remind you of Cal Club.


It's likely overshadowed by LACC, Riviera, and Bel Air nearby but it's 100% worth checking out if you're in the area!

[Matthew Lloyd]

Have never played the course but live in the neighborhood (closer to the muni Rancho Park) and can confirm that the land in that area is great for golf. One of the elder statesmen at my law firm is a member at Hillcrest but doesn't play golf any longer - which is too bad as he loved playing there. On my weekly walks around the course it looks like a really nice place. Good to get confirmation from a visiting player.

[Phil Young]

Original post was for a different Hillcrest...Oops!

[Kalen Braley]

This thread has some good info and drone shots on it.

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,67106

[Tal Oz]

Pat, I'm glad to hear your trip to LA included Hillcrest and you highlighted many of my favorite holes on the course. I too live close by, but have only played it once. It was this year with a pair of GCAers! 


I picked up on the same scent you were with regards to Cal Club. 4 at HCC and 6 at Cal Club have the same aura with the skyline green and actual skyline behind. They both also have these rather large hills you traverse with what I call 'modern' greens. Their internal contours are good to great, but I'm left wanting something a little more unique. There's a combination of slope, bowls, and general audacity to other golden age greens around town that I'm missing here. Add in my beloved Rustic Canyon and you can see my preference for wild greens. I thought the course could be played plenty long and it hosted US Open Sectionals this year.


The maintenance is PLUSH, the amenities are top tier, and I was very pleasantly surprised with the walk in the park factor. Holes like 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13 are all memorable.


I'd put Hillcrest near the bottom of the 2nd tier of LA courses or at the tippy top of the 3rd tier. I have it below Bel-Air and Wilshire, but above Brentwood and El Caballero. I have yet to play Lakeside, but those who's opinions I respect would rate Lakeside higher. They both are presented very similarly!

[PCCraig]

Thanks for your thoughts Tal.


Hillcrest's maintenance is pristine, for sure.


Their halfway house, which I forgot to mention, is insanely cool. Makes you want to take an hour to hang out as opposed to a quick pit stop!


Would be curious to know where you rank the different courses/tiers in LA. I haven't played a ton there, but what I've seen so far is incredible. Have a client based there now so I go back and forth a decent amount - therefore would love to know where you think it worth checking out. Usually don't rent a car so my travel ability is limited to an Uber 

[Steve Lapper]

I'm glad the opinion of so many seems very positive. Hillcrest CC has long been a five-star restaurant with a golf course as one of its outdoor amenities. It is the Glen Oaks of Los Angeles, So long as Kyle kept his focus out of the kitchen, the world remains on axis in West L.A.

[Joel_Stewart]

I played the old Hillcrest several times and recently played the new version.  I was impressed, they took down a few thousand trees, rerouted the course (the old 1 is now 10), and added a great practice facility.  They went with Santa Ana Bermuda grass which is just wonderful, it plays firm and fast yet you can play aggressive and not worry about your ball rolling out 50 yards like Bel Air.  The views are some of the best in Los Angeles golf.


They held the sectional US Open qualifier there this year showing that it can play long for top players yet playable for members.   

[B.Ross]

i was lucky enough to play it this past spring and walked away thoroughly impressed. their greens are bent,  and the rough is rye or bluegrass from what i recall while the fairways are perfect bermuda. they have a thickness to them that is pure.
from the carded tips, it's got to be ~6950 but they can stretch it to 7100 + with some alternate tee boxes for a few holes. i never played it prior to the renovation but have watched the before/after flyover video they put on vimeo when it was reopneing and you can just see how much more special it is. i think it's now every bit the track that bel-air is and is a must play if you're in the area with the right connections.

[Jeff Schley]

I never played the old one, although I had lunch there several times with a UCLA professor who was a member. They needed to keep up with the Jones's in a tough neighborhood to stand out. After the renovation I'd put Hillcrest solidly in tier 2 of whatever hypothetical rankings we talking about.
Tier 1 - LACC, RivieraTier 2 - Bel Air, Wilshire, Lakeside, Hillcrest, maybe El Cab (haven't played post renovation)
I'd put Bel Air as solid #3 behind LACC/Riviera but those two are clearly another level imo.

[Tal Oz]

By all accounts, the renovation was a smashing success. Old Hillcrest looked like a better maintained Rancho Park choked out by trees. The current version is a joy to play!


Jeff, I'd agree with your rankings, though I'd put the new El Cab still in that 3rd tier. It's simply not that engaging of a course, though it's presented with better mowing lines and bunkering than before.

Tier 1 - LACC, Riv
Tier 2 - Bel-Air, Wilshire, Lakeside, Hillcrest, though technically Ventura County I'd put Rustic here
Tier 3 - El Cab, Brentwood


The South Bay has some solid golf options too, paging Alex for his rankings since he's played more of the privates there than I have. I'd put Virginia pretty close to Hillcrest actually. I haven't played PV or Rolling Hills or Trump LA.

[Alex Miller]

Agree with Tal's list, and I think tiers 1 and 2 are complete (haven't played El Cab either)


Annandale, Sherwood, Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills do deserve recognition in tier 3 probably in that order. Virginia too if it's not getting to close Orange County. Oakmont is also reportedly very good though I haven't played it.


Trump LA would likely have a Doak 0 rating, so not sure what tier it goes into. If you'd like views of the pacific Terranea (par 3) and Los Verdes (muni 18 with long rounds but also great views) are better options IMO.


Top publics in LA which could go into a catch all tier 4 to me include aforementioned Los Verdes, Santa Anita, Rancho Park, Wilson, Angeles National ($$) and... yikes there's not a lot of good public options in LA 




Back to Hillcrest - it's not long on quirk, but it has plenty of interest. The re-routing utilizes the property in ways not thought possible prior to the renovation a la Cal Club. If I had my druthers on which quarter million dollar club and all the associated amenities I'd join in LA outside of LACC (because even in this scenario I think it's not the right fit) Hillcrest could win out vs Bel Air or even Riviera. They are and should be very proud of what they've got there now.

[Mark Kiely]

Tal, Alex - Hacienda seems conspicuously absent from this conversation. Where would you slot it?


Maybe it's just the conditioning that has me fooled, but photos of Hillcrest sure look like it offers a lot more dramatic elevation changes than next door at Rancho.

[Alex Miller]

Tal, Alex - Hacienda seems conspicuously absent from this conversation. Where would you slot it?


Maybe it's just the conditioning that has me fooled, but photos of Hillcrest sure look like it offers a lot more dramatic elevation changes than next door at Rancho.

Too right. I'd say Hacienda is in tier 3 as well and I think it's great.


For elevation change, I think the tree removal definitely helps, but also the ridge running through middle of Hillcrest's property has more a much larger and steeper drop than anything at Rancho. Rancho has a ton of different slopes and hills that are generally 10-20ft in height.