Bell Gardens Golf Course – Par 3 – Richie's World of Golf

8000 Park Lane
Bell Gardens, CA 90201
(562) 927-8811

9 holes (par 27)
Yardage: 959 yards
Hours: 7am-6pm (closes at 10.30pm Tues-Fri)
Green fees: Mon-Thu $8, Fri-Sun $10 (residents of Bell save $1)

Bell Gardens is a 9 hole par 3 golf course located in the City of Bell (5 miles south of downtown Los Angeles). It is at the John Anson Ford Park. It is tricky to find. It is at the north end of the park by the Bell Gardens Sports Complex. The best way to get here is to exit the 710 at Florence. Take Florence south for a couple of miles. Make a right on Garfield and then a left on Park Lane. The entrance to the course will be on the right. You drive past a football field and there is a large parking lot. The entrance to the golf course is at the far end of the parking lot.

I was really pleasantly surprised when I arrived to Bell Gardens. It is nicely landscaped when you walk in. There is a practice putting green and a small snack bar/ sports bar adjoined to the starters office. There were TV’s within the bar area with sports stations playing. The starter was very friendly and chatty.

From the starter office you walk down a path lined with plants/ shrubs to the first tee. It is a very nice way to start the round.

The first thing which hit me when I stepped onto the first green was the lush green grass. A rarity to see on a Los Angeles par 3 golf course in summer months. The condition shocked me; a few weeks earlier I played at South Gate and I was expecting to see the same. I was mistaken – this course is far superior. You hit off mats, tees are provided and perfect size for wedges/ short irons – not high tees. Each tee box had a ball washer and a couple of benches.

I really enjoyed playing this course. As I previously mentioned the grass was lush and green. There were not any patchy areas and the condition of the course was very good. The greens were nice also. They were on the small side but sloped. There were not many flat putts and putting was a challenge. Also hitting the greens was a challenge because they were so small. The longest hole was 124 yards, so you could probably play the whole course with a putter and a pitching wedge. Although the course condition was very good, I noticed it did deteriorate slightly as I went through the round. I am unsure why, but the greens on the last few holes looked a little patchy.

The course design was adequate, not great. The greens were elevated and sloped. But each hole was pretty much straight and around the same distance – 6 of the 9 holes being between 98 and 111 yards. There were no bunkers or water hazards on the course, just trees. I thought the trees were placed in good areas and there was a good number, not too many. The course had a nice flow to it and it was easy to find my way around to each hole. The course reminded me a lot of Maggie Hathaway in it’s look and design, just a little shorter. I wonder if it was designed by the same person??

Note that this course asks that proper golf attire is worn. No jeans or T-shirts. I am unsure if they actively enforce this or not. But everyone else I saw on the course was dressed appropriately.

Richie says… “Nice course which exceeded my expectations. It is short and great for beginners or more advanced players wanting to practice wedge play. I just wish the greens were a little bigger. The course is well landscaped and had a nice vibe about it. If I was in the area I would play here again.”