LOS ANGELES — The long-private Los Angeles Country Club opened its doors this week for the 123rd U.S. Open, marking by far the biggest event ever at the course nestled near Beverly Hills, Southern California.
The course is a mystery to many, including the players who will compete in the third major championship of the season from Thursday.
With Bermuda grass, bentgrass greens, no water and a barranca (a narrow, winding gorge) for most of the course, the Los Angeles Country Club brings its own untraditional challenges to the US Open .
“That’s really all we’re trying to do. I don’t think it’s like any other major. It’s just letting what is there, the shine of what always was, be,” USGA championships manager John Bodenhamer said Wednesday. “Don’t get me wrong, we’ve made changes here. There are a lot of rough. It’s going to be hard. Just buckle up because there are going to be lies where it’s going to be a good old US Open.”
Here’s a look at the five most unique holes at the Los Angeles Country Club.
No. 6 — Par 4 | 330 meters
First on the list is the short par-4 tucked into the back north corner of the course. At only 330 meters, this hole is very playable, although this task will not be easy. A trio of trees block the view of the green from the tee box, leaving those who opt for the very fine green with a completely blind shot.
Bunkers and barranca also sit in front and behind the green, so a miss could prove costly. The safe option is to simply lie down in the fairway and take a small wedge into the green. But there are plenty of opportunities to move here.
“There’s going to be people who go in and eagle, land great shots, give each other a lot of good birdie looks, but I think that’s also how you’re going to see the higher numbers,” said Jon Rahm on Tuesday. “People who go green and put themselves in a tough spot.
“I think if you hit the layup in the spot you want every day, which isn’t the hardest layup, I think your scoring average will be lower than there. go every day.”
No. 7 — Par 3 | 284 yards
Golfers will face another tough challenge immediately at the par-3 seventh. This long par-3 will play over 280 yards, and there aren’t many places to miss. Barranca meanders from tee to green, although there is a small safe spot just in front of the hole.
This, however, is about the only place to miss. Any long shot will land on the eighth tee, leaving you with a tough chip on the green. Anything on the right lands in a narrow bunker. Depending on the position of the pin, this hole could play very, very loudly.
No. 11 — Par 3 | 290 meters
Like its front side counterpart, this par 3 is incredibly long.
This downhill hole with a great view of the Los Angeles skyline will play almost 300 yards, making it almost as long as a par 4 on the front. There are a pair of huge bunkers at the front of the green and another up the hill on the left side, giving players very little room to miss. There is also a hill just off the right rear, which means anything long will be fine at the rear and will result in a tough climb.
“Eleven is a bit trickier,” Rahm said. “Everything rolls on this green, everything bounces away from this green except that little gap at the start.”
No. 15 — Par 3 | 124 yards
Exactly the opposite of the 11th, the 15th could play like one of the shortest par 3 professional golfers ever.
The hole will play anywhere from around 140 yards at its longest to around 70 yards at its shortest. But just because it’s short doesn’t mean it’s easy. The slim green is split with a large hill in the middle, leaving it an upper and lower part as it winds between bunkers on almost all sides.
The USGA almost said it would put together the shortest possible combination for the holeshot at some point this weekend as well. That left golfers spending a lot of time on the tee during practice rounds this week, trying to hit from all angles.
“You’ve got about a yard and a half to land it if you want to hit a good shot,” Collin Morikawa said on Tuesday. “If not, you need to play left and hopefully land a good putt. Yes, it’s frustrating because you can hit a good shot and not be rewarded at all. Especially here you can’t land it in the rough. It won’t bounce back. You have to land it in the right place.
No. 18 — par 4 | 492 yards
18 is not incredibly complicated. But the finishing hole will by no means be easy.
The nearly 500 yard par 4 begins with an uphill tee shot and will require a precise approach to the small green which sits directly opposite the large white clubhouse. Bunkers also surround the green on both sides.
With the sun setting in the background and the likely wind in their faces, the hole will come to a great end. But this is not the place to recover from strokes. This should be done well in advance.
“If I had to pick a non-scoring streak, it would probably be 16-18,” Scottie Scheffler said Tuesday.