Recreation Park 9 Golf Course – Executive (Long Beach)

Hole by Hole

Recreation Park is located in Long Beach. There are two golf courses there; a regulation 18 hole (Rec Park 18) and a 9 hole executive (Rec Park 9 – also known as ‘Lil Rec). This review is of the 9 hole executive golf course. The course is located off 7th St. If you are heading west you will first see Rec Park 18 on the right and then Rec Park 9 will be about 200 yards further down the road on the left. Note, that it is a different location, different parking lot, different starter etc. There is a small pro shop, putting green and chipping area, but no driving range at this particular location.
Continue reading →

El Cariso Golf Course – Executive (Slymar)

13100 Eldridge Street

Sylmar, CA 91342

(818) 367-6157

18 holes (par 62)
Yardage: 4,496 yards
Hours: sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week
Green fees: Weekdays $23, $30.25 on weekends and holidays

El Cariso is a 18 hole executive golf course located in Sylmar, CA and is a County of Los Angeles operated golf course. The course is off Hubbard Street and is next to the Mission College campus. There is adequate parking and in addition to the course, there is a driving range, putting green and a bar/ grill.
Continue reading →

Navy Golf Course “Crusier” – Executive (Seal Beach)

5600 Orangewood Ave
Cypress, CA 90630
(714) 889-1576

9 holes (par 31)
Yardage: 2,020 yards
Hours: sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week
Green fees: $21 Monday to Thursday, $27 Friday to Sunday (military personnel play at heavily discounted rates)

There are two golf courses here. Aptly named Destroyer and Cruiser. The destroyer is a regulation 18 hole (par 72) golf course. The cruiser is a shorter 9 hole executive course. This review is on the “cruiser” course. Although these courses are at the Navy base, public can play. Military personnel get heavily discounted rates. The rates above are for the general public. It is my understanding that the rate is for 18 holes (playing the 9 holes twice) and includes an electric cart. If you walk or just play 9, it is the same rate. But you may want to verify. They have a very nice clubhouse here and the staff were friendly and helpful.

Continue reading →

Alondra Golf Course – Par 3 (Lawndale)

There are two 18 hole golf courses at Alondra. There is a regulation par 72 course and a par 54 (par 3) golf course. This review is of the par 3 golf course. The course is located off Redondo Beach Blvd., just east of Manhattan/ Redondo Beach and on the east side of the 405 freeway. Also at the location is a lit driving range.

Alondra is a County of Los Angeles golf course. From my travels I have found sub-par conditions at these County courses (Altadena comes to mind!). For whatever reason the City of Los Angeles courses seem to be far superior. Alondra’s condition was nothing more than average. On the front nine holes there were large areas of mud. This improved on the back nine. I think this may be due to the shade of the trees which were not allowing the sun to dry up the ground. But also bare in mind that it has not rained here for a good 3+ months, so it must be due to over-watering. You hit off mats and no tees are provided. You can also tee off from the grass and there are areas next to the mat where you can do this.

The course design is somewhat boring. All of the holes are flat, straight and generic. Most of the holes were around the 100 yard mark. Hole 2 was the longest hole on the course at 180 yards. The only holes which do stand out are holes 9, 10 and 18 where there is marginal elevation changes which adds some interest. There are may be three to four shallow bunkers on the course. Other than that the only hazards are the trees. The holes are very close together, but when I played we had no issues of stray shots coming across onto our hole.

The greens are really small – some of the smallest out there. Which make it a challenge to hit GIR. There are breaks and slight slopes on some greens. The greens overall were not in good condition. They did not run smoothly. The grass was uneven and some greens had large patches of dirt with no grass.

The pace of play was decent once we got going. It took us about 2.5 hours to complete the 18 holes on a Sunday morning. There is no need to book a tee time for this course, you can just show up and play. The price was about average for 18 holes – $16.25 at the weekend. Note, they take cash only!

Richie says… “I found the course a little boring and not in the best shape. There are better options in the local area, such as the Marriott at Manhattan Beach. This course kind of reminds me a little of Rancho Park.”

Chris says… “Remember to bring your galoshes, because it is muddy out here. However the back nine was nicer manicured than the front. If I was in the area I would play it again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way.”

Hole by Hole

Hole 1 – 120 yards

Hole 2 – 180 yards

Hole 3 – 127 yards

Hole 4 – 128 yards

Hole 5 – 101 yards


Hole 6 – 130 yards

Hole 7 – 112 yards

Hole 7 – green

Hole 8 – 141 yards

Hole 9 – 110 yards

Hole 10 – 110 yards

Hole 11 – 107 yards

Hole 12 – 102 yards

Hole 12 – green

Hole 13 – 118 yards

Hole 14 – 165 yards

Hole 15 – 104 yards

Hole 16 – 123 yards

Hole 17 – 97 yards

Hole 18 – 146 yards

Westchester Golf Course – Executive

6900 W. Manchester Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 649-9173

18 holes (par 64)
Yardage: 4,339 yards
Hours: 6am to 10pm, 7 days a week
Green fees: $23, $29 on weekends and holidays

Westchester is a long 18 hole executive golf course and located just 2 miles from LAX airport. It is a busy golf course and known for night golf. The course is fully lit and gets a lot of people who play after work in the evenings – as the course does not close until 10pm. Along with the golf course there is a nice driving range which is in good shape. However the driving range is also very busy. Even at off-peak times you may have issues finding an available stall.

The course was renovated in 2010 to add 3 new holes on the back 9 with different design and greens than the front 9, and includes 8 par 4’s and a new par 5. The new holes include a 515-yard par 5, a difficult par 3, and a challenging par 4 – all heavily defended by numerous bunkers

The rates above are published rates. However heavily discounted rates for off-peak times can be found on websites such as www.golfzing and www.golfnow.com. I have seen rates as low as $12 for 18 holes. I paid $23.50 with booking fees and that included the electric cart.

The course had an interesting design. It is almost the same length as Vista Valencia, but seemed a lot easier and less challenging to play. Overall it is a relatively straightforward course. There are only a few bunkers on the front nine, however there are a lot more on the back nine. From the pics I saw before playing here I was expecting a lot more water. However water really only comes into play on hole 2. Hole 2 is a par 4 with a green located behind a pond. Other holes to note are 12 and 13, which run parallel with the LAX runway and hole 15 which is a long 515 yard, par 5; which dog-legs to the left.

Despite the constant aircraft noise, I enjoyed playing at Westchester. The holes varied in length and you get the opportunity to use every club in the bag. The greens are nice and large. They run at a good speed and a lot slower than Vista Valencia, which makes putting less of a challenge. The course itself is in above-average shape. The condition is good, however in general the grass is a little brown and under-watered. The greens are also in nice condition with few pitch-marks. I found the electric carts a little old. Other courses in the area have slightly newer carts. This course is accessible by cart or walking, depending on your preference. When I was out I would say about 60% of players were walking, 40% using carts.

Although this course is nice, it is busy. Like Penmar it is located in a high-density populated area. As a result my overall mark for the course reflects this. Off peak you should allocate about 3.5 hours to play a round. Weekends and on-peak expect to spent 5 hours.

Richie says… “Fun course to play. I enjoyed playing here, but will hesitate to return due its popularity. Parking can be tough at peak times also. Overall one of the better courses in the West LA area. Although not quite up to par with the likes of Scholl Canyon and Vista Valencia.”

Hole by Hole

Hole 1 – 108 yards

Hole 2 – 317 yards (par 4)

Hole 2 – 2nd shot (100 yards out)

Hole 3 – 176 yards

Hole 4 – 145 yards

Hole 5 – 267 yards (par 4)

Hole 5 – 2nd shot (75 yards out)

Hole 6 – 287 yards (par 4)

Hole 6 – 2nd shot (100 yards out)

Hole 7 – 286 yards (par 4)

Hole 7 – 2nd shot (140 yards out)

Hole 7 – green

Hole 8 – 141 yards

Hole 8 – green

Hole 9 – 336 yards (par 4)

Hole 9 – 2nd shot (150 yards out)

Hole 10 – 340 yards (par 4)

Hole 10 – 2nd shot (150 yards out)

Hole 11 – 160 yards

Hole 12 – 148 yards

Hole 13 – 148 yards

Hole 14 – 150 yards

Hole 15 – 515 yards (par 5)

Hole 15 – 2nd shot (250 yards out)

Hole 15 – green

Hole 16 – 160 yards

Hole 17 – 355 yards (par 4)

Hole 18 – 300 yards (par 4)

Hole 18 – 2nd shot (150 yards out)

Hole 18 – green

Vista Valencia Golf Course – Par 3 “Chica”

24700 Trevino Drive
Valencia, CA 91355
(661) 253-1870

9 holes (par 27)
Yardage: 915 yards
Hours: 5.30am-sunset
Green fees: weekdays $13, weekends $16

This review is for the 9 hole par 3, golf course, named Chica. There is also an 18 hole executive golf course located at Vista Valencia. For a review of that course, click here.

At under 1,000 yards this course is very short and one of the shortest in the LA area. Most we play are in the 1,100-1,200 range. This makes this course suitable for kids or novices. In fact when I played there were a lot of kids out there. This did not slow down play though. Even on a holiday and the course being busy, I completed my round in an hour. This is in sharp contrast to the 18 hole executive golf course. That was extremely busy with the people ahead of me at the starters office being told there was a 30 minute delay to booked tee times. This par 3 Chica course is pay-and-play. There is no need to call and book a tee time to play here.

I enjoyed playing this course. It was very picturesque with a nice backdrop of the mountains. However the course runs parallel to the 5 Freeway, so there was a lot of traffic noise for the duration of the round. Playing on a holiday it cost $16. This is the same price as El Segundo, and as with El Segundo I will make the same comment…. It is kind of expensive for what you get. You do not get a lot of golf for the $16. However during the week it is only $12, which is a more reasonable rate.

The course is very well maintained. The grass is lush and well watered. There are green-side bunkers which have nice sand and were well raked. The greens were in nice shape overall, however on the small side. This made the course a little more challenging to play. The grass on the greens were a little longer and more watered than the executive course, so did not run so fast. This is good as it made putting not so difficult. As you can see on my review of the executive course the greens run extremely fast and often a gentle putt would go flying 10ft by the hole. I did notice on the greens as I played my round that there were an unusually large amount lot of pitch marks left not repaired. This is just basic golf etiquette. If your ball lands on the green and makes a pitch mark – please repair it!

The course design was interesting and had a good difference in hole lengths. Some holes were in the 80 yards range and the longest was 150. Hole 7, is kind of like hole 17 on the executive course. You hit from an elevated tee, down onto a green surrounded by water. A lot of the holes featured green-side bunkers and the water came into play in 3 of the 9 holes. They seem to like their water at Vista Valencia!

They have some ball washers and benches, but not at every tee box (may be about 1 in 3 holes). The benches which were here, were located in the sun. It gets so hot up here I would like to see some kind of shade while you are waiting. In order to get some respite from the sun.

Richie says… “Nice course and a lot more manageable than the 18 hole executive course. Busy, but still just takes an hour for a round. Not many public par 3 golf courses in this area, but this is a solid course. Just wish the $16 weekend/ holiday rate was a little less.”

Hole by Hole

Hole 1 – 155 yards


Hole 2 – 110 yards

Hole 3 – 150 yards

Hole 3 – green

Hole 4 – 80 yards

Hole 5 – 75 yards

Hole 6 – 90 yards

Hole 7 – 125 yards

Hole 8 – 70 yards (and yes, they did not move when I took my tee shot)

Hole 9 – 100 yards

Armand Hammer Pony Course – Pitch n’ Putt (Westwood)

601 Club View Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 276-1604

18 holes (par 54)
Yardage: 832 yards
Hours: Dawn to dusk, 7 days
Green fees: weekdays $3, weekends $4

Armand Hammer is an 18 hole pitch n’ putt course located in Westwood, adjacent to UCLA. It is located within Hornby Park. The course dates back to 1940 and was saved from closure in 1981 by Armand Hammer and Hugh Hefner. I have no idea the connection with Hugh Hefner, other than the Playboy mansion being just a block down the street. As with Sea Aire in Torrance this is a pitch n’ putt as opposed to a conventional par 3 course. The course measures just 832 yards total for the 18 holes, with the longest hole being 68 yards.

We arrived at 9am on a Saturday. The course is supposedly open dawn to dusk, but there was nobody there. As the course is in a public park with no fences etc, we went ahead and played anyhow. We expected someone to arrive so that we could pay, but no one did. The course is spread throughout the park. The tee boxes are not marked and it was quite hard to find our way around. The hole number is on the flag, but as there was no wind each flag was just hanging down the post.

As it is a pitch n’ putt the course is tiny. All you need is a wedge and putter. If you don’t have any clubs, they can be rented for just 25c each. If the guy working there shows up! The course was a little challenging due to the fact that the greens were only about 10ft across. The grass was also long and nothing like you find on a real golf course. Armand Hammer is a quaint little course to take young kids you are just getting into the game. Other than practicing your short chips, this course is by no means for the serious golfer. I would also advise beginner golfers to stay away from here. It will be too hard for you. You need a good touch and decent chipping skills. Also putting will be tough as the greens will not run smooth or at a good pace. You would be better off playing one of the par 3’s located in the area. DeBell in Burbank is a good course for beginners and a step up from a pitch n’ putt course. As with Sea Aire, I am rating this as a pitch n’ putt course and the ratings should not be compared with your regular golf courses as this is obviously a different animal.

Richie says… “Located in one of the most prestigious parts of Los Angeles, this course is very quaint. You can bring your kids here for a laid back round, but not for the serious golfer. If you do bring your kids make sure they do not swing too hard as there are parked cars surrounding the course/ park. Also watch out for the people taking leisurely walks through the course/ park.”

Hole by Hole

Hole 1 – 45 yards

Hole 2 – 62 yards

Hole 3 – 51 yards

Hole 4 – 35 yards

Hole 5 – 46 yards

Hole 6 – 68 yards

Hole 7 – 63 yards

Hole 8 – 63 yards

Hole 9 – 41 yards

Hole 10 – 29 yards

Hole 11 – 40 yards

Hole 12 – 40 yards

Hole 13 – 50 yards

Hole 14 – 38 yards

Hole 15 – 28 yards

Hole 16 – 63 yards

Hole 17 – 30 yards

Hole 18 – 40 yards

Van Nuys Golf Course – Par 3

6550 Odessa Ave
Van Nuys, CA 91406
(818) 785-8871

18 holes (par 54)
Yardage: 2,212 yards
Hours: 6am-10pm
Green fees: $19, $22 on weekends and holidays

This course is located between Victory and Vanowen – close to the Van Nuys Whiteman airport. In fact it is right in the flight path and you have the constant sound of aircraft flying overhead. The golf course complex comprises of a 18 hole par 3 course, an executive course and a driving range. This review focuses on the 18 hole par 3 course. I already reviewed the executive course here – Van Nuys Executive Golf Course Review

The golf course has a nice large parking lot and a small pro-shop in the starter office. There is also a snack bar located by the 1st and 10th holes. They do food and have several different beers on tap. The staff here are friendly and polite.

This course is 18 holes of par 3. All holes are relatively short – the longest being 132 yards. So you only need to bring a few clubs with you. The course is somewhat generic – there is nothing which sets this apart from the rest. All the holes are straight with no bunkers or water. The only hazards come in the form on trees which line the holes. This course is very similar to Arroyo Seco, although I enjoyed playing Van Nuys more. The staff are friendlier and I just like the vibe here more. The greens are good size and in good condition. They run well and the flags have the hole number clearly marked. There are no holes which really standout and to be honest there is nothing in the course design to make it standout from the rest.

The course condition is adequate. As I already stated the greens are good. The grass around the course is dry and patchy. You hit off mats and tees are provided. However the tees are not good. They vary in height from hole to hole, with most being 3″; which is obviously way too high for a tee shot with a wedge. I think the overall course needs some maintenance work. Most of the benches located at the tee boxes are broken and need the wood replacing. There are some broken signs and the ball machines look pretty old. Just a little TLC would make the overall experience better.

The course is located in Van Nuys. So be sure to bring plenty of sun screen and water if you plan to play during a summer afternoon – it gets very hot! When it is hot, I recommend playing earlier in the morning or play an alternative course nearer to the ocean; which will be more bearable. It should be noted that Van Nuys does have lights installed on this course. So you can play later in the evening or when it gets dark early in the winter. There are no carts here, unlike Arcadia. So you have to walk the 18 holes. If you play off peak you can probably get around the 18 holes in just under 2 hours.

It is $22 to play at the weekend. I feel this is a little overpriced for what you get. There are much nicer courses which you can play at a lower price. The Van Nuys Golf Course is on www.golfnow.com. You can get much better rates by booking through them. I have seen rates as low as $4 to play the 18 holes (plus the $1.99 booking fee).

Richie says… “The course is your typical par 3 – there is nothing special about it. I much prefer the executive course. If I were to return to Van Nuys I would play the executive – it is more interesting to play and allows you to use different clubs in your bag”.

Albino says… “Go to GolfNow and you can find $6 deals. At $6 it is a great price and you get a lot of golf for your money.”

Hole by Hole

Hole 1 – 101 yards

Hole 2 – 131 yards

Hole 3 – 133 yards

Hole 4 – 123 yards

Hole 5 – 122 yards

Hole 6 – 132 yards

Hole 7 – 107 yards

Hole 8 – 122 yards

Hole 8 – green

Hole 9 – 118 yards

Hole 10 – 115 yards

Hole 11 – 122 yards

Hole 12 -131 yards

Hole 13 -115 yards

Hole 14 – 114 yards

Hole 15 – 89 yards

Hole 16 – 131 yards

Hole 17 – 88 yards

Hole 18 – 118 yards

Hole 18- green

Altadena Golf Course – Executive

1456 East Mendocino Street
Altadena, CA 91001
(626) 797-3821

9 holes (par 35)
Yardage: 2,948 yards
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Green fees: Weekdays $16.50, Weekends $20.25

Altadena is a 9 hole executive golf course. Altadena is located just north of Pasadena.There is a cafeteria/ bar and driving range there also. The course is a Los Angeles County course, but operated by O&J Management. The course is very long – almost 3,000 yards. The shortest hole is 167 yards and the longest was a par 4, 509 yard hole 9.

The course had electric carts available for hire, but they were $16. Which seemed very highly priced. So we walked the course. The course was very quiet. We played twilight and it took about 2 hours to complete the 9 holes. We were not delayed at all and there was no wait on any of the holes. Going at twilight (after 2pm in September) meant a saving in green fee. It was just $12.25 which is a good value.

The course as I said earlier is long. The most noticeable was hole 9 – the last hole. It was slight uphill and played of an alternate tee, which made it a 509 yard par 4. There are just two par 3 holes on the course and the rest are par 4’s. There are ladies and orange (kids?) tees for those who can not hit the ball far. All the holes are pretty much straight with trees down each side. There were some bunkers throughtout and sometimes in some challenging spots. The bunkers and sand were in good condition. Other than that the course was in overall bad shape. I have played to date 34 golf courses in the Los Angeles area. Other than South Gate, this is probably the worst maintained. I initially thought it was because it was a County course and there may be a lack of funding. But upon closer inspection, I see that it is maintained and operated by a private company (O&J). So they must have bid and won a contract to operate this golf course.

There are large areas of ground with no grass. The grass itself is not watered enough and the ground is very hard. If you stray off the fairway you encounter some gnarly conditions. Along hole 5 there were large patches of mulch just off the freeway. Hitting off the mulch was not all that fun. The greens although large, were not good. The ball did not roll smoothly. There were patches of grass missing and some greens were “diseased” looking. The greens were extremely slow and with little break. When we were out I saw no maintenance people out there working. There was just one employee working in the starters office and a couple of ladies in the cafe/ bar.

If I lived in the area I would much prefer to play down the street at Rancho Duarte. What this course does have for it though is the size and the fact that you can hit a driver off almost every tee. Other than that there is really nothing to distinguish it, or make it stand out. On a positive the course has the mountains in the background which is nice and very tranquil. No freeway noise etc.

Richie says… “Course was in terrible condition. The County should review their management agreement with O&J. American Golf do a much nicer job in operating the local courses. I doubt I would ever play here again.”

Albino says…“The course is in bad shape. That 509 yard uphill par 4 is a monster of a hole.”

Hole by Hole

Hole 1 – 453 yards (par 4)

Hole 1 – 2nd shot (150 yards out)

Hole 2 – 167 yards

Hole 2 – green

Hole 3 – 300 yards (par 4)

Hole 3 – 2nd shot (120 yards out)

Hole 4 – 172 yards

Hole 5 – 446 yards (par 4)

Hole 5 – 2nd shot (150 yards out)

Hole 6 – 301 yards (par 4)

Hole 6 – 2nd shot (60 yards out)

Hole 7 – 375 yards (par 4)

Hole 7 – 2nd shot (150 yards out)

Hole 8 – 297 yards (par 4)

Hole 8 – 2nd shot (100 yards out – right rough)

Hole 9 – 509 yards (par 4)

Hole 9 – 2nd shot (200 yards out)

Hole 9 – green

Verdugo Hills – Par 3 (Tujunga)

6433 La Tuna Canyon Road
Tujunga, CA 91082
(818) 352-3161

18 holes (par 54)
Yardage: 1,782 yards
Hours: 6.30am-9.30pm
Green fees: weekdays $16, weekends $18

Verdugo Hills is a 18 hole par 3 golf course. It is located just off the 210 Freeway at La Tuna Canyon. The course has a decent sized parking lot, a driving range, putting green and what appears to be a cafeteria/ bar area. There is also a small pro shop at the starters office.The buildings are a little dated and run down. This is probably as there is a legal fight to turn the golf course into condo’s. So they are probably not investing a lot into the course, for obvious reasons.

In addition to the par 3 golf, there is frisbee (disc) golf on the course. Next to each hole is a basket where people throw the discs into. There were a few people playing that when I was out there. But they did not impede or affect the golf play.

The course is a very short par 3 course. The front nine is only 763 yards! To put this course into proportion; 18 holes at Verdugo Hills is about the same yardage as 9 hole at Lindero Canyon. The majority of the holes are in the 90-100 yard range, with just three holes 120+ yards. Those all being on the back nine. As it is so short, you really only need a putter, wedge and a short iron for the longer holes. Looking at the scorecard, I am not entirely sure that it is accurate. Some of the holes seemed slightly different to what was on the card. Also some of the tee boxes had yardages written into the concrete of the tee box and those yardages also did not totally jive with what was printed on the scorecard.

To be honest I had read some poor reviews for the course and had low expectations. In fact it was pretty low on my “to-do” list. The course however surprised me. Despite being so short, it was a lot of fun to play. It is in a nice setting, however there is a lot of traffic noise from the 210 freeway which runs parallel with it. There are no hazards – no water, no sand. The greens were of fair size and very slow, making putting easy. The course itself is one of the easiest out there to play and not very challenging at all. Therefore making it great for kids or newbies.

The course was quiet when I played and I completed my 18 holes in just 90 minutes. The course design was good and it flowed very well from hole to hole. I enjoyed the front nine a little more. It is super short, but through the hills with nice elevation changes. The back nine was a little longer and the holes were on flatter ground. The holes were also a little more generic. There were two interesting holes on the course – 8 and 17. They are pretty much the same hole, next to each other. You hit off an elevated tee and the green is down a steep hill below.

The course condition was average. There were patchy areas of grass, but in all it was in good shape. The greens were nice. They were a little soft, which made them run slow. There were only about two ball washers on the whole course, but there was a bench at every tee box. You have to hit off mats. They looked like they had been replaced recently. They were in great shape and had plastic tees for both right and left handed golfers on every mat.

Richie says… “Better than I expected. This course was fun to play. It gets hot, so in the summer I recommend playing first thing in the morning to beat the heat. The course is short and not very challenging. Great for kids!”