Los Angeles Country Club
| Club information | |
|---|---|
    | |
| Coordinates | 34°04′08″N 118°25′23″W / 34.069°N 118.423°WCoordinates: 34°04′08″N 118°25′23″W / 34.069°N 118.423°W |
| Location |
10101 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, California |
| Established | 1897, 120 years ago |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 36 |
| Tournaments hosted |
Los Angeles Open (1926, 1934–36, 1940) |
| North Course | |
| Designed by | George C. Thomas, Jr. |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,200 yards (6,600 m)[1] |
| Course rating | 75.7 |
| Slope rating | 143[2] |
| South Course | |
| Par | 70 |
| Course rating | 71.1 |
| Slope rating | 129[3] |
The Los Angeles Country Club is a golf and country club in the Western United States, located in Los Angeles, California.
History
In the fall of 1897, a group of Los Angeles residents organized the Los Angeles Golf Club, and a 16-acre (6.5 ha) lot was leased at the corner of Pico and Alvarado streets (now part of the Alvarado Terrace Historic District) for a nine-hole golf course. Called "The Windmill Links," the course was named for a makeshift clubhouse crafted from the bottom of an abandoned windmill. Through the middle of 1898, this site served as the club's home until the course became too crowded. The club was removed to Pico Heights, at Hobart and 16th streets. The new home was named "The Convent Links" for its location behind a convent near Rosedale Cemetery. Again, nine holes were laid out for play, but by the spring of 1899, this course and clubhouse had also become too restricted for play.
The search committee for a new site, consisting of the club founders Joe Sartori and Ed Tufts, found the club's new home just 0.2 miles (0.32 km) west, on the northeast corner of Pico and Western. The clubhouse was transported intact to a new site in Beverly Hills, and it was expanded there. The club also laid out an 18-hole course. The club reopened on May 30, 1911. It now has 36 holes of golf and tennis courts. The original golf course was laid out by Joe Sartori, Ed Tufts, Norman Macbeth, and Charles Orr. Later, the courses were redesigned by Herbert Fowler and George C. Thomas, Jr., and again by Thomas with William P. Bell in 1927-28. In 1996 and 1997 an extensive renovation of the north and south courses was completed. In February 2010, an extensive restoration of the North Course by Gil Hanse and Thomas biographer Geoff Shackelford took place to return the course to George C. Thomas, Jr.'s design from 1921. The course reopened in October 2010.
The north course hosted the first Los Angeles Open 91 years ago in 1926, and it returned four times:[4] 1934, 1935,[5] 1936, and 1940.[6] The most recent in 1940, won by Lawson Little, was plagued by heavy rains.[6]
On July 22, 2015, the United States Golf Association announced that Los Angeles Country Club was selected to host the 123rd U.S. Open in 2023.[4]
Its address is 10101 Wilshire Boulevard.
Tournament history
| Year | Player | Country | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
Purse ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Lawson Little |  United States |
282 | +2 | 1 stroke[6] | Clayton Heafner |
1,500 | 5,000 |
| 1936 | Jimmy Hines | United States |
280 | E | 4 strokes | Henry Picard Jimmy Thomson |
1,500 | 5,000 |
| 1935 | Vic Ghezzi | United States |
285 | +5 | Playoff[5] | Johnny Revolta |
1,175 | 5,000 |
| 1934 | Macdonald Smith | Scotland |
280 | E | 8 strokes | Willie Hunter Bill Mehlhorn |
1,450 | 5,000 |
| 1926 | Harry Cooper | United States |
279 | -7 | 3 strokes | George Von Elm |
3,500 | 10,000 |
- The playoff in 1935 was 18 holes and was won by two strokes, 73 to 75, and both earned the same amount.[5]
Notable members
- J. Win Austin, Los Angeles City Council member, 1941–43[7][8]
- Robert L. Burns, Los Angeles City Council member, 1929–45[9]
- Arthur Letts, department store founder[10]
See also
References
- ↑ James, Mike (August 28, 2014). "L.A. Country Club planning to host 2023 U.S. Open". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Course Rating and Slope Database™ - Los Angeles Country Club - North Course". USGA. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Course Rating and Slope Database™ - Los Angeles Country Club - South Course". USGA. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- 1 2 Wharton, David (July 22, 2015). "L.A. Country Club to host 2023 U.S. Open". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Ghezzi takes golf title from Revolta". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. January 16, 1935. p. 13.
- 1 2 3 Myers, Robert (January 9, 1940). "Lawson Little wins Los Angeles Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 6.
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, July 13, 1939, page A-2
- ↑ "Every Council Post at Stake," Los Angeles Times, March 30, 1941, page 2
- ↑ Los Angeles Public Library reference file
- ↑ McGroarty, John Steven. Los Angeles from the Mountains to the Sea, American Historical Society, 1921