Bel Air Country Club
I played Bel Air in 2013. It was the last round of golf I played before changing jobs and my friend Mike got us on so took the cross-country trip purely to play (and say goodbye to a bunch of the LA-area people I worked with). Bel Air is a celebrity playground and reeks of old Hollywood. In fact, we played behind Mac Davis who is the “me” from “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me.” Think bad 70’s AM radio music.
A few things about Bel Air. First, this is a great course built in a valley requiring tunnels, suspension bridges and even an elevator to make your way between golf holes. The first and tenth tees wrap tight around the clubhouse. The first is a great short-ish par-five, it’s a gentle opener and the tee box is well above the hole giving you a view of the hole and UCLA’s campus beyond. It’s a great first hole – probably in the top 20 I’ve ever played (will have to do a list on that soon). The rest of the front nine travels through two different valleys through nine which is another favorite featuring a tricky uphill approach to a narrow green hugging a creek. The tenth is the toughest par three on the course. You need to hit it over the ravine then take the “swinging” bridge that you see above to the green after a 170 yard or so carry. From there you head up and then back down through the canyon to eighteen which is positioned well below the clubhouse and the bridge (as you see above). I understand that since I’ve been here that Tom Doak did a major redo restoring the course truer to Thomas’ original design and removed some of the water features so if you play and there’s no creek where I say there is, well sorry.
Next thing about Bel Air, you’re in Bel Air. As in Fresh Prince Uncle Phil’s Mansion Bel Air. There are houses along every hole here. Usually this is a deal killer for me in ranking a course, but did I mention you’re in Bel Air? People pay guides to drive around and gawk at these houses. Where most times you’re annoyed seeing houses hole after hole and wish the course would put up more shrubs to block them from the golf views, here you wish they would open more of it up so you could gawk into more backyards. I heard the Girls Gone Wild producer lives off one of the holes at Bel Air. Also, a lot of the houses are on steep hills well above the playing field as well, so they really don’t bug you. On 15 if you slice the ball like I have been known to do from time-to-time, you can smash it right through Albert Hitchcock’s house’s rear window. Get it? But honestly you can. That’s me with a bloody in front of the back of his old house.
Finally, what you should know about Bel Air is that it is private, it is exclusive, and they have a bunch of rules. Bel Air requires the gentlemen to wear long pants. Only Bel Air and Baltusrol still do that of the courses I’ve played. Phones are verboten and, even for photos, they cannot be out on the first and tenth tees, hence no photos of one of my favorite first tees. And if you’re doing dinner, jackets are required and dust off the tie as even though they say it’s not required, it’s required.
If you are the lucky man or woman to be so connected that you can do the LA big three – LACC, Bel Air and Riviera – drop me a line, would love to join you! Seriously, though, invite me, please! If you’re in this end of the city stay in Santa Monica. Some faves here include Chinois on Main and the Water Grill then down in Venice go to the Tasting Kitchen. A great bar is Ye Olde King’s Head (pictured below). Hopefully they can survive the Newsom nonsense and reopen the bar.
Golf Scrapbook 