Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course is a national bucket-list experience for architecture buffs and championship dreamers alike. Rarely accessible but always revered, its restored George C. Thomas Jr. lines, bold barrancas, and audacious par 3s guarantee an unforgettable, world-class test.
If you absolutely have to make a phone call, use one of the actual phone booths in the locker rooms — LACC still restricts audible calls to those booths, the Phone Room, or your car.
Everything at Los Angeles Country Club North radiates classic Golden Age strategy reborn for the modern player. Thomas’s 1920s philosophy—emphasizing choice, risk, and charm—animates every fairway. Hanse’s restoration revived not just the look but the intent: broadened playing corridors, restored barrancas, majestic, sprawling bunkers, and green complexes that put a premium on angles and control. The result is a course where power wins nothing without brains and touch, and where every par 3 is both an architectural essay and a nerve-jangling test.
George C. Thomas Jr. reimagined Western U.S. golf with brilliance here; Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner’s restoration resurrected his genius.
A short, drivable par 4 that lures you with the prospect of eagle but is laced with peril if you get greedy. Its open front and subtle angles put a premium on risk-taking versus discipline.
Lay up for a wedge or challenge the green directly; angle and position dictate everything.
Over-aggression brings both bunkers and awkward pitches into play; miss long or right and par slips away.
Tour-level firm, fast greens; immaculate fairways; major-worthy setups
Slower than average, especially from championship tees—each hole demands thought
Ultra-exclusive, tradition-steeped, and architecturally reverent; a sense of awe prevails
Traditional golf attire is strictly required; think jacket in clubhouse and tucked shirts on course
Legendary par 3s and lengthy two-shotters mean you’ll be hitting more mid-to-long irons than usual—make sure they’re your strength.
Bold, restored Thomas bunkers are everywhere and impose strategic decisions; brush up on variety in your sand game.
Many greens have restored slopes and tiers—speed and subtlety are key, so arrive early to study.
The round is physically and mentally demanding—play for the smart miss, and strategize like a pro on every tee.
Los Angeles Golf Club founded, initiating organized golf in LA.
Club moves to current Wilshire-area site; 36 holes built under Herbert Fowler with George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell.
Hosts the U.S. Open, showcasing its elite challenge on a world stage.
LACC forms one of the 'George C. Thomas triangle' of West Coast architectural icons along with Riviera and Bel-Air. Playing here is a walk through California golf’s golden age, where every contour and hazard is deliberate history.
The original Wilshire site was once a garbage dump, spawning the local legend: 'Nine holes for golf and nine hundred holes for gophers.' What began as landfill is now among the world’s most coveted fairways.
The 2009–10 Gil Hanse restoration didn’t just spruce up greens; it recaptured Thomas’s intent, reviving lost fairway corridors and wild bunkering that now awe architecture aficionados and championship contenders alike.
When LACC hosted the 2023 U.S. Open, millions witnessed its strategic boldness: heroic par 3s, treacherous barranca carries, and the most nuanced green sites in LA. The course roared back into the public golf consciousness.
The course’s Wilshire land originated as a garbage dump, sparking local legend.
LACC hosted the 2023 U.S. Open just steps from Beverly Hills.
The par 3s are famed for both length and strategy—No. 11 is considered world-class.
The architectural 'triangle' of Thomas’s best Southern California designs connects LACC, Riviera, and Bel-Air.
Gil Hanse’s restoration returned dozens of long-lost bunkers and widened fairways after 80 years of gradual narrowing.
A fellow Thomas masterpiece, perennially ranked among the best and a PGA Tour host.
Equally storied, with wild elevation and another George C. Thomas routing.
Shorter but revered—another touchstone of LA’s golden golf era.
Santa Monica or Brentwood for quick Westside access and upscale accommodations
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Keene Trace Golf Club (Champion Trace Course) a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character, making it a compelling counterpart to Los Angeles Country Club.
Why it matches: What links these two? A comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character — a familiar feeling, expressed in Keene Trace Golf Club (Keene Run Course)'s own setting.
Why it matches: Pine Valley Golf Club is a natural next stop after Los Angeles Country Club: it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
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