Los Angeles Country Club - North

I was not particularly thrilled that I was wearing pants in 95 degrees, but I was thrilled about the destination. After two previously missed dates, Erik and I had finally lined up a date to play Los Angeles Country Club, North, site of the 2023 US Open.

Once in the clubhouse and hat off, I switched into my golf shoes next to Ronald Reagan’s old locker before hitting some ProV-1 range balls. The putting green by the clubhouse was empty when I arrived save for a four-year-old boy wearing a Merion polo stuffed into oversized pants. Rules are rules!

Before heading to the first tee, I grabbed a Gatorade, two LACC-labeled water bottles, and a High Noon to combat the heat. That afternoon we played with a lovely couple, Harley and Matty, who had known Erik since he was born.

The first is one of only three par-5s on the course. Heading towards the skyline of Century City, the hole feels slightly downhill with massive trees sparsely lining the fairway. I hit a hard opening tee ball left of the fairway and then wandered around looking for it before finding it buried in inch high kikuyu grass. Once greenside, I hit a lag putt from 60-feet to 10-inches for a stress-free par.

Two was the first of many long, but exceptional, par fours. Due to another pulled drive and mediocre third, I walked off with double. It is on this hole where the barranca first comes into play.

I will probably think about the third hole for a while. A long, uphill par-4 with a blind tee shot, the cant of the fairway makes the player think they must be right of center, but the better angle is from the left, even though that requires a long carry over fescue off the tee. The greenside bunkers were the first “holy shit” bunkers of the day. Cavernous and perfectly framed, these two made the approach to the elevated green even more challenging. Matty carried a beautiful third and dropped a bomb for birdie.

Four is the first of five impressive par 3s. Playing about 190, I hit 4-iron to 50-feet and, with Mario’s help, got in with a 3. Mario was Harley and Matty’s caddie who helped me around the greens, for a small fee.

I mega-parred the fifth hitting a weak three-wood, punch out 8-iron, pured 6-iron and one fifteen-foot putt. Like the third, the greenside bunkers really stood out here. They were so intrusive to the greens. Jaggedly cut with fingers of kikuyu reaching for the sand, they demanded you carry them.

If I somehow score a ticket to next year’s US Open, I will camp out on the sixth. Currently at 335 from the tips, this downhill dogleg could yield a putted eagle if the player (and caddie) can find the perfect line over the tree and mound that block the view of the green. The narrowness of this green is so effective no matter what strategy is chosen off the tee. Running parallel to the best line to the green, a player attempting to hit the green has a 10-yard wide landing strip to a long green. If the player lays up, the landing area is 10-yards deep and very wide, but over a demanding bunker and barranca waste area. I made a low-stress par but could see anything from eagle to triple happening in June of 2023.

Seven was a 240-yard par-3 where I hit a great three-wood and three-putted. This was yet another par-3 that Matty could not reach and almost had to lay-up on.

Eight was such a cool par-5 that I didn’t get to play properly because of a wayward drive. Oh golf! For the pros it will require a fade off the tee and a draw into the green given how the barranca divides the fairways and trees block the line. I doubled.

Returning to the clubhouse, nine is 190-yard par-3 over a chasm of a barranca. I flared a 4-iron into the right greenside bunker and found my ball awkwardly close to one of those kikuyu fingers. I walked off with double and a 43. The front was exceptionally challenging, engaging, and fair. The bunkering and constant elevation change stands out. I also had not putted greens that fast since playing Merion (East) as a teenager.

After grabbing more liquids at the halfway house, we teed off on ten. Another uphill, long par 4, this hole had a massive bunker 240 yards out on the right side, splitting the 10th and 16th fairways. Still, this bunker encroached on the ideal line of play given the low point and trees on the left. The uphill approach is guarded short of the green, save for a narrow entrance accepting the most accurate run-up shots. I managed to find this slot but didn’t quite make the green, leaving with bogey.

Eleven is such a beautiful par-3. The tee is at a high point on the property and the green is below, tucked at the bottom of a ridge. The bunkering short is intimidating and the view of the Downtown Los Angeles skyline is breathtaking, showing why this course is considered one of the greatest urban golf courses in the world, if not the premier one. I hit a solid hybrid that took the ridge onto the green, but I still left with a four. It was now three of four par-3s that Matty had to lay-up on, and four of four where she could never reach the green.

After a mishit, pulled 3-wood on 12 tee, I tried to play through the trees, got hosed, and made double. That was partially because of the way the green was guarded in front. I vowed no more doubles on the day.

My best hole of the day was 13, the #4 handicap and a monstrously long par 4. I finally unsheathed my driver and hit a big ball but was still left with 230 in. I hit a great 3-wood that held its line left of the guarding bunkers instead of fading back onto the green. Over the green, I was left with a delicate downhill pitch over a mound from the 14th tee box. I bled a low 60-degree wedge just onto the green and watched it roll out to 15 feet. With Mario’s read, I made the putt.

Fourteen was another great par-5 that I think will properly test the best players in the world. Requiring the carry of a cross-bunker, the ideal line is over its left corner. I was a bit left of that but still ok. The second, for the non-pro, allows the player to hit it as far as they can knowing the greenside bunkers are likely out of range. Like many at LACC-North, these are deep bunkers guarding a small green that has a severe slope off the back. It will be all about hitting a small target if a pro wants to make the big bird next year.

Fifteen is the first par-3 that doesn’t require a long iron. Instead it is a flip wedge. Playing 87-yards on the day I played, the pin was in the front right on a tiny peninsula between two bunkers. If they put the pin front and right one day at the US Open there could be pitch-n-putt carnage. 

Sixteen teed off from the same height of land and in the same direction as eleven. This green felt different from the rest, or maybe it was green site. There were no bunkers guarding the front or a barranca in the way. Instead, a slope ran from left to right down and onto the green. Mario got me down in 4.

The first thing I heard after I hit my drive on 17 was “oh dear” from Matty. It was high and right but I was able to find it. The hole got back into more rugged terrain punctuated by the barranca. A low point on the property, this hole felt secluded from the rest and the fescue looked taller.

“Secret 17” was one of the coolest holes I have ever seen that unfortunately we did not get to play. A short flip wedge from the teeing area of two over the seventeenth green, the landing area was a comically sloped back-to-front green. I can only imagine how great of a playoff hole this must be for matches.

Eighteen paralleled one, a routing decision I really like for the way it brings closure to a round. Another long par 4, this fairway was apparently the most noticeable setup change so far in preparation for the US Open. Instead of a wide landing area, the fairway snaked and did not encourage taking the shortest route to the hole. I made bogey and graciously thanked my playing partners, and Mario, for an amazing afternoon.

The triumphant return to the clubhouse felt rewarding. Not because we had conquered “the beast” or played in unruly weather, but because this is George C. Thomas’s masterpiece. An impeccable plot of land featuring Golden Age design principles and brilliance. Every hole was another spectacular reveal. Every bunker more penal than the last. Every green devilish. On paper, the pros should destroy this course, but I doubt they will. Kind of like what happened Merion. It’s too good and classic of a test.

After thanking Erik incessantly, I walked the clubhouse to see the memorabilia. I left the property loaded with swag, and in awe of the course, the day, my luck, and some of my game.