Los Angeles Country Club North Course

The verdict

For most of a century the North Course was one of golf's best kept secrets, a George C. Thomas Jr. masterpiece sitting on priceless real estate between Beverly Hills and Century City, seen by almost no one. W. Herbert Fowler laid out the original in 1921, Thomas and his construction partner Billy Bell reworked it into its enduring form later that decade, and a careful restoration by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner around 2010 returned the lost angles, bunkering and short grass that make it sing.

The result is one of the finest classical courses in the United States, a thinking golfer's layout where a deep barranca, wild native bunkering and a remarkable set of short holes reward placement over power. When it finally hosted the 2023 US Open, won by Wyndham Clark by a single stroke over Rory McIlroy, the wider golf world saw what the membership had quietly enjoyed for generations. Access is the catch, because this is among the most private clubs in the country.

The holes worth the trip

What sets the North Course apart is variety and strategy rather than length for its own sake. A barranca, the dry arroyo native to this corner of Los Angeles, snakes through the property and forces decisions off the tee and into several greens. Thomas built width into the fairways, then defended the holes with angles, so the bold line toward a tucked pin brings the hazard into play.

The collection of short holes is the headline. The par 3 set ranges from the tiny, wedge length 15th, which can be set inside 80 yards, to the long and exacting 11th, a span of demands rarely seen on one course. The drivable par 4 sixth tempts the long hitter to take on the barranca, and the closing holes climb back toward the clubhouse with the city skyline as a backdrop. The shaggy, sand flashed bunkering framing it all is pure Thomas and Bell.

Firm, fast and tilted, the greens ask for control of spin and trajectory, and the restored short grass around them invites the running shot or the delicate pitch. The North rewards the player who studies the ground and resists the urge to overpower it. It is a course that gets richer the more you play it, which is exactly why the architecture community holds it in such high regard.

Where to stay nearby

Visitors fortunate enough to secure a game base themselves in Beverly Hills or the surrounding west side of Los Angeles, where the city's finest hotels, dining and shopping sit within a few minutes of the club gates. The central location makes it easy to combine a round with the wider attractions of Los Angeles.

For a golf focused trip, a west side base puts the North Course alongside the other great courses of the Los Angeles area, from the storied layouts of the Santa Monica foothills to the desert tracks a couple of hours east. It is a natural anchor for a Southern California itinerary built around classical design.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Los Angeles Country Club North Course.