The Los Angeles Country Club
When entering the locker room, the motion sensors in front make it feel beyond welcoming. Locker room attendants welcome you to the club, for guests they offer you a locker for the day, and then you walk outside to the golf shop. It's a small and simple shop and yet has everything you can ask for.
There is no doubt that this club doesn't get much play, the starters booth uses a hand written tee sheet with no tee times from the looks of things. Next to the first tee is a long practice green, a big scoreboard, the Walker Cup in 2017 has a gem of a venue with LACC.
Off the first tee you have two fairway bunkers, one on each side of the fairway, and a big Beverly Hilton right in the middle of the fairway. One might recommend aiming for that because this par 5 is no easy task. The first hole also displays the genius bunkering that Gil Hanse and his team are capable of. I would also rank this T-1 for best opening holes for any golf course I've played to date. Beautiful lines and an amazing grounds crew are what make this the start to a great 18 holes.
The second hole in an interesting one. Once you reach your tee shot you are then faced with the decision of which green to play to... Yes, there are two greens on this hole with a fork in the fairway. An uphill dogleg right... A forced carry over a ravine with a bunker right... You decide.
Each par 3 at LACC is a spectacle. The longest par 3 you may need a wood, the shortest you may use a wedge. You have one downhill on the front, one downhill on the back, and the two are relatively level, and one is uphill. All greens are heavily guarded with either bunkers, a stream, or both. In my opinion there's no better test, it's a a full range of challenge.
The par 5's are all much different than the others. With one being straight and flat, you might wish for the rest to be that "simple"... prepare yourself because the first hole is the easiest par 5 on the course. What I like is they actually become progressively more difficult. Climaxing in a near 600 yard par 5 with a gentle bend all the way to the green.
As always, the most difficult holes, according to the scorecard and USGA, or typically par 4s... These par 4's do not disappoint, especially the closing par 4's. 16, 17, 18, from 451 yards to 469 yards from the black tees... for us mortals. I checked out some other tee boxes that weren't on the card... I presume they are for the 2017 Walker Cup. 18 tee box looks like it might actually be as far back as another 50 yards... which could make the left fairway bunker in play for them finally. One thing is for sure... The Los Angeles Country Club is downright brilliant. This is my third course inside the Top 25 and depending what the others have to bring I think it might be a little low on the list. Absolutely loved my day there.
