1st Hole 371 yard Par 4. Named "Thomas" for noted golf architect George C. Thomas Jr. Thomas designed the Los Angeles Country Club North Course, Riviera and Bel Air Country Club. The original design was a 425 yard dogleg left par 4. The fairway for the opening hole was re-routed in 1989 when the driving range and first fairway were swapped. The original green remains in use but is now approached from the north. 2nd Hole 364 yard Par 4. Named "Dune" for the large bunker that fronts the green. The original design featured two fairway bunkers, a large one on the right and a small pot bunker on the left. The fairway bunkers were removed as the tree line matured in the 1960s. The green is elevated and crowned which makes for challenging approaches. Two sets of tees exist, the most often used sits to the north, the second tee box is located behind a stand of trees near Campus Drive. 3rd Hole 554 yard Par 5. Named "Power" for the strength required to reach the green when the original design measured 580 yards. The spacious fairway provides lots of room for tee and second shots. A bunker complex on the right side of the landing area was lost in the 1960s and a single bunker was added in the early 2000s. The landing area for second shots is undulating and features a central bunker that forces a decision on the angle of approach to the green. The green features a large bunker front and two behind. An approach from the right opens up the green. 4th Hole 130 yard Par 3. Named "Maiden" after the 6th Hole at Royal St. Georges in Sandwich England. The "Maiden" Par 3 template features a green with two tiers or humps in the back of the green with a valley between. The 4th green is bracketed by two bunkers and slopes heavily towards a false front. Long shots will find a down slope and a difficult chip back to the green. The devilish back left pin position makes for one of the most difficult shots on the course. 5th Hole 375 yard Par 4. Named "Railroad" for the tracks that once ran along the left side of the fairway. As designed the tee shot played over a small creek which was turned into a cemented wash in 1956 which now bisects the teeing ground and runs along the left. A ridge runs diagonally across the fairway in the landing zone and will hold back a short drive forcing a long shot to an elevated and well protected green. As designed the area to the left of the green featured a bunker that was replaced with a grassy swale that allowed a secure bailout option. A bunker was restored to this area in the late 1990s. The kidney shaped green with a false front is protected by a large bunker to the right. The angle, slope and elevation of the green provides a difficult challenge with a premium on proper club selection. 6th Hole 411 yard par 4. Named "Hogback" for the football shaped elevated green. The fairway is open but influenced by a large tree on the right. The second shot may be the most difficult on the course. The green is 38 yards deep and protected by a false front, a large bunker on the left and a massive 20 foot drop off to the right. The swale to the right of the green was subtle as designed, but with time and traffic it has eroded and now will challenge the unfortunate golfer with an extraordinarily difficult recovery shot from a dirt lie. Par is a very good score on this very difficult hole. 7th Hole 379 yard Par 4. Named "Narrows" for the wide fairway that narrows as it approaches the hole. The dog leg rewards a carry over a large bunker on the left. A bale out on the right will punish with uneven lies and a much lengthened second shot. The narrow and deep green is protected with a bunker left and out of bounds right. Club selection is critical as the green slope will heavily influence shots that land on the right side of the green. 8th Hole 193 yard Par 3. Named "Dam" for the view of Monrovia's Sawpit Dam that was once visible from the teeing ground (now obscured by trees). The hole was inspired by Pine Valley's famous 3rd hole. The original design featured a bunker left and right, but the right bunker was removed in the 1950s. Time has increased the forward slope of the green and the large false front creates an optical illusion and complicates club selection. Summer time shots freely bounce on the green, but winter shots with softer ground will not carry. 9th Hole 481 yard Par 5. Named "Master". Once one of the most challenging holes on the course, it has drifted furthest from the original design. The original layout was a 445 yard Par 4 featuring a teeing ground now located in right field of the neighboring baseball field. The tee ball was played down a chute of trees into a dog leg left. The dog leg was protected by numerous bunkers left and shots played out to the right were funneled into a swale with difficult side and uphill lies. The green was protected by a swale in the front and no bunkers. The deep green sloped towards the back and with rear pin positions could play as long as 460 yards. The green was rebuilt due to drainage issues in the 1940s and bunkers were added to the right. The hole was completely reworked in 1972 when the baseball field was built and the maintenance yard relocated. The hole now plays straight and has been increased to a Par 5. The fairway still presents a challenge with slopes and swales but much of the challenged of the original design has been lost. 10th Hole 353 yard Par 4. Named the "Camel's Hump" due to the large mound that protects the center of the green. As constructed the hole ran straight to the green with the wide fairway protected by bunkers left, right and center. The green is at fairway level (rare for the course) and the right and center bunkers were removed in 1955 and the large mound placed in front of the green. The green, the narrowest on the course at 51 feet and the widest at 111 feet, peaks behind the mound and slopes away side to side. The hump obscures many of the pin positions and requires a thoughtful drive to insure a clear approach to the flag. 11th Hole 407 yard Par 4. Named "Wind" as it plays into the prevailing wind. The slight dog leg left fairway is free of bunkers but features a spine that runs across the fairway that catches shorter drives. The elevated green is protected by bunkers on each side and slopes toward a false front. 12th Hole 207 yard Par 3. Named "Redan" after the famous 15th at North Berwick, Scotland. As with its namesake, the 12th was designed to be protected by a left bunker with a green positioned at a 45-degree angle. This classic piece of golf architecture usually is designed to be played with a running shot that would feed to the green and down to protected pin. The changes with grasses over time has significantly limited this style of shot as it now grabs most approaches and forces a long carry into the green made more difficult by afternoon winds. A second bunker was added in the 1950s and further complicates approaches. 13th Hole 509 yard Par 5. Named "Pass" for the pass between two large mounds that funnels tee shots to the fairway center. Second shots can be blind and the fairway slopes hard to the right forcing the unfortunate into the trees or tree obstructed third shot. A boomerang green is protected by bunkers left and right and slopes right left and back. The green is best played to the center and par is a good score. 14th Hole 317 yard Par 4. Named "Crow's Nest" as an homage to Lucky Baldwin's old race track that once occupied the site. The main grandstand featured a "Crow's Nest" observation point on the roof. The back of the green is the highest point on the course. 15th Hole 189 yard Par 3. Named "Thorn" in honor of the rose bush planter that decorates the area between the 15th green and 16th tee. The hole is protected by a large central bunker in front and another in the left rear. The green slopes hard away from the left front. Shots landing left of the bunker often trundle on to the putting surface. Judging distance is very difficult on this challenging hole. 16th hole 437 yard Par 4. Named "Darsie" after Darsie L. Darsie, Editor of the
Los Angeles Herald Express Newspaper and a noted Golf writer. The fairway was originally the main stretch of the old Lucky Baldwin racetrack. As designed, the hole shared a large bunker with the 17th hole. Following the 1955 remodel the maturing trees protect both sides and a swale on the left makes for uneven lies. The green is protected by a tree and large bunker left. The green favors a run up shot landing on the right which will feed down to the left sloping green. The 16th is the #2 handicap hole and had destroyed many a good round with its challenges. 17th Hole 292 yard Par 4. Named "Desert" in honor of a large 200 yard sand waste area that once ran up the left hand side of the fairway forcing tee shots to the right. The angled and well bunkered green opens up from that side. The sand area was removed as the trees between the 16th and 17th holes matured in 1955. 18th Hole 439 yard Par 4. Named "Climax" as it is the end of the round. The difficult dog leg right once featured an extensive bunker complex and an out of bounds to the right along the 10th fairway (removed once the trees matured). The fairway is undulating and the landing zone is bisected by a large ridge that runs away left to right from the teeing ground. Time has deepened the area between the ridge and the fairway and significantly altered the strategic nature of the hole. The depression is worn bare by carts and maintenance equipment and makes for an incredibly difficult second shot . The original green was flat and protected by bunkers left and swales on the right. The green was rebuilt in 1955 with a bunker to the rear. Clubhouse expansion in 1989-1990 reduced the size of the green at the rear and increased the forward slope. ==The Course Record==