I am going to be moving to the Los Angeles area for a year for my company and am wondering where the courses are in that area. Bear in mind I'm coming from WI and know minimal about Cali.
I know my office is in Cerritos and will be relocating to Santa Monica in the fall. From what I understand that is a big difference in areas. Any help I can get would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also coming out the week of June 7th and possibly want to check out at least one course during my visit.

I'm not from Cal, Rhett will be able to help you more. There are several course's in that general area that I've played. Huntington Beach, La Mirada, Oak Grove, Sylmar, Eldorado. Get ready for some serious traffic. La Mirada is my favorite of those I listed.

Santa Monica to Cerritos? You might want to change that.

There are no course near Santa Monica, nor in L.A. proper. Cerritos is right in the middle of the La Mirada/Whittier/ElDo triangle, with Huntington Beach not far away. Would be better to try and live in that triangle too so you don't have to get on the freeway to go to work or to go to golf.

I don't know the traffic patterns, though. Santa Monica to Cerritos certainly could be going aginast the flow. Michelle Wade live in Santa Monica so she should know.

It's not my choice to move the office unfortunately. I'm thinking that they might rethink the decision when they figure out how much more expensive Santa Monica is going to be.

Are there any weekly leagues or tourneys on June 8th, 9th, or 10th? I'm coming into town on 7th and leaving the 11th to see if I will accept the job.

And also from what I've read, my knowledge of courses with trees won't be useful in Socal? :(

psat, aren't you 'private message enabled?!? :confused:

Oops, I mis-read your statement. I though it said you were moving to Santa Monica and were going to be living in Cerritos.

Hmmm, June 7, 8, 9...I believe Twila Reed's Weeklie is on the 9th; starts 7, or 7.5 p'clock...I can get a less-ambiguous answer if needed...not sure if anything else is happening in SoCal in that period, competition-wise.

...give me a PM if you want some company @ Eldo one of those days, psat.

If you're wanting to make good money out here, West LA (santa monica) IS THEE place to do that. If you want to have more time for golfing, Cerritos is def. more beneficial as all the courses are within an hour's drive. But getting from SM to any course, after 5 PM, well, you'll be playing in the dark. That's why I suck lately. Making BIG BUCKS is more important to me than golfing, anymore. Send me a private message when you arrive and I'll be glad to show you how to get around this maze of freeway madness, aka, parking lots.

don't listen to these people,thier all crazy.send me a PM and i'll hook you up with the course low down psat :D:cool:

ps
welcome to calif :cool:

don't listen to these people,thier all crazy.send me a PM and i'll hook you up with the course low down psat :D:cool:

ps
welcome to calif :cool:



Really, Jack? How long does it take you to drive from Santa Monica to say Eldo at 5 pm on a weekday? Do you have a helicopter? :D

Fly 18 has been doing some work north of LA.Agora hills Van Nuys,Semi Valley,and Hollywood.I am trying Michelle So Cal is the toughest to do what I do there is no winter here,and no rain.My ad in Golf Business mag just came out it goes to 17,400 golf courses getting call every day.Lots have been happening to fly ,I will toot my horn when all comes together.I have a meeting with a movie producer tonight about the movie I wrote 4 years ago.The title is Fly 18 ;)VP

Can anyone tell me (or point me to a list of) when the monthlies are held at the LA area courses?

1ST SAT HB
1ST SUN WRIGHTWOOD
2ND SAT LA MA
3RD SAT SYLMAR
3RD SUN OAK GROVE
4TH SAT EL DORADO
4TH SUN WHITTIER NARROWS

[/QUOTE]

Really, Jack? How long does it take you to drive from Santa Monica to say Eldo at 5 pm on a weekday? Do you have a helicopter? :D

[/QUOTE]

no,but i did stay at a holiday inn last nite :D

Now who's the crazy one? You have NO idea how long it takes to get from LA to OC.

Michelle,

Thanks for the info. Looks like HB and Wrightwood this weekend. Do you know what time they start? Down here in SD the Morley monthlies start early to avoid the afternoon crowds.

It would be cool to have a list posted online somewhere.

Thanks again.

Most start at 10 am.

Go to http://members.aol.com/bushirts/sctourn1.jpg - this is a map that shows all the LA area courses and lists tournament schedules for each. Print it out (landscape format) and take it with you wherever you go.

- Baz

I'll be in Pasadena in Oct and I'd like to play at least 1 of any new courses in the LA area that I haven't played yet.

I've already played:
Veterans in Sylmar
Oak Grove
Northside in Asuza
Whittier Narrows
La Mirada
El Dorado in Long Beach

I think Twila Reed in Anaheim is too far with my time constraints as well as Huntington Beach. I don't think I'll make the trip to Cerritos just to play Liberty.

Are there any courses within a 1 hr drive of Pasadena that I've missed? (How long is the drive from Pasadena to Anaheim at 5:45 a.m. on Fri and 4:00 on Sun?)

Thanks for any info you can give me.

You can also email at playdiscgolf@usa.com if you have any more useful info.

Lowe

HB should be doable for you lowe its a nice course to play if you get a chance,much better then twila reed

Every year I make a business trip to the LA area. There used to be another thread with lots of info about courses in LA. Can anyone help me find it? I can't find it using "search".

Just found out that my company needs someone to fill in at the epoxy plant in Los Angeles for a few weeks in October & November.

This will be my first time in the area. What are the must-play courses? Are there any world class courses with pro par four and pro par five holes? I'm sure I'll hit the local courses: <ul type="square"> Oak Grove
Whittier Narrows
La Mirada
El Dorado in Long Beach
Sylmar (Veterans Park)
Huntington Beach Central Park[/list]
but are there some within a few hours drive that should absolutely not be missed? Does the course still exist at Mtn. High North? (formerly Ski Sunrise) Can one play the private Wrightwood Country Club and is it worth it? How far is it to Emerald Isle?

you will be there during the time of the socal championships which are held at lama..so you could kill 2 birds with one stone :D

ei is only about an hour south(depending on what part of la you are in and time of day you go)...they also have monthlies there

well worth playing it..
your best bet is to post on the socal affliate thread as except for rhett(and donny olow just posting for the hell of it)only a couple of socalers venture onto the main pages...

hope this helps
keith

La Mirada is the course to play.


All the leagues and monthly schedules for all the area courses can be found here. (http://www.socaldiscgolf.org/SoCalCourseListing.html)
Scroll to the bottom.

Mountain High will probably not be in after late October as it is a ski resort. I have never played the country club and haven't heard anyone comment about it.

Riverside has a new Fly 18 course. It is very long with par 4's & 5's. Golf carts and beer are always fun.

Send me an email or PM so we can throw a round together while you are here.

Emerald Isle is a must. It is disc golf on a ball golf course done right. Sundays during a televised Charger game are the best times to play it.

Jeff
All the course you have posted are fun courses to play if you get a chance you should play all of them,I would put La Mirada and Emerald Isle at the top of the list.

I forgot about Flyboy's course in Riverside. Yes, I suppose I'll have to get over there and try that out.

Thanks to all who have offered to show me the courses. I'll be contacting you when I get out there so that we can get a round in.

Jeff,

Here are my ratings of the courses I've played in CA. Most are in the LA area:

<table border="1"><tr><td>CourseName</td><td>City</td><td>Course Level</td><td>LoweRating</td><td>Total</td><td>Design</td><td>Basics</td><td>Amenities
</td></tr><tr><td>La Mirada</td><td>LA: La Mirada</td><td>White/ Gold</td><td>92</td><td>1683</td><td>1214</td><td>351</td><td>118
</td></tr><tr><td>Morley Field</td><td>San Diego</td><td>78.1</td><td>424</td><td>141
</td></tr><tr><td>Whittier Narrows</td><td>LA: South El Monte</td><td>76.8</td><td>1234</td><td>721</td><td>457</td><td>56
</td></tr><tr><td>El Dorado</td><td>Long Beach</td><td>74.2</td><td>---
</td></tr><tr><td>Veterans</td><td>Sylmar</td><td>White</td><td>73.2</td><td>---
</td></tr><tr><td>Liberty (9)</td><td>LA: Cerritos</td><td>Red</td><td>56.5</td><td>886</td><td>467</td><td>373</td><td>46
</td></tr><tr><td>Oak Grove (Hahamongna)</td><td>Pasadena</td><td>54.9</td><td>56
</td></tr><tr><td>Twila Reid (9)</td><td>LA (Anaheim)</td><td>White</td><td>36</td><td>770</td><td>498</td><td>259</td><td>13
</td></tr><tr><td>Northside (9)</td><td>LA- Asuza</td><td>18.5</td><td>---
</td></tr><tr><td> </tr></td></table>

La Mirada 19-27 may be what you're most looking for. I put it as Gold level with several par 4s and a par 5.

-Veterans in Sylmar gets the "Most Improved" award. In 2005 it was drastically better than the time before when I played it. It's got great elevation changes and a fantastic mountain range view in the background. It can be very dry and dirty, though.

-I'd only play Oak Grove for the historic value. It needs lots of work.

-You can safely skip those on the bottom of the list.

-Although Cerritos is short (borderline Red or Green level) it's a pretty park and a good example of a good course for Juniors and beginners.

P.S.- The columns got skewed because of the place holders, so it's harder to see the rating numbers. They're all there, though. That was a temporary table that I didn't save, so I can't redo it. Take the D-B-A numbers with a huge grain of salt.

Here's my take on the difficulty of these courses. Difficulty is measured in relation to the Level Close Range (CR) Par for the appropriate playing level of a course.

<table border="1"><tr><td>City</td><td>CourseName</td><td>Layout</td><td>Course Level</td><td>SSA</td><td>Level CR Par</td><td>SSA-Level CR Par</td><td>Gold Difficulty</td><td>Difficulty Rating
</td></tr><tr><td>LA: La Mirada</td><td>La Mirada</td><td>19-27</td><td>Blue</td><td>56.1</td><td>62</td><td>-5.9</td><td>78.8</td><td>58.4
</td></tr><tr><td>LA: La Mirada</td><td>La Mirada</td><td>1-18 Mixed</td><td>Blue</td><td>49.1</td><td>55</td><td>-5.9</td><td>76</td><td>58.4
</td></tr><tr><td>LA (Anaheim)</td><td>Twila Reid (9)</td><td>Standard</td><td>White</td><td>45.8</td><td>54</td><td>-8.2</td><td>62</td><td>46.3
</td></tr><tr><td>LA: Cerritos</td><td>Liberty (9)</td><td>Regular</td><td>Red</td><td>40.3</td><td>54</td><td>-13.7</td><td>19.6</td><td>17.4
</td></tr><tr><td>LA: Asuza</td><td>Northside (9)</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x
</td></tr><tr><td>LA: South El Monte</td><td>Whittier Narrows</td><td>Mixed</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x
</td></tr><tr><td>Long Beach</td><td>El Dorado</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x
</td></tr><tr><td>Pasadena</td><td>Oak Grove</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x
</td></tr><tr><td>San Diego</td><td>Morely Field</td><td>Mixed</td><td>White</td><td>47.7</td><td>54</td><td>-6.3</td><td>x</td><td>x
</td></tr><tr><td>Sylmar</td><td>Veterans</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x</td><td>x
</td></tr><tr><td> </tr></td></table>

I'm unveiling these new rating numbers. I'll have to explain more later where they come from. The courses without difficulty ratings are listed alphabetically by city.
(NOTE: 9 holes courses numbers are adjusted to be equivalent to 18 holes for ease of comparison.)

What are the must-play courses?



La Mirada is the only one I consider "must play".


Are there any world class courses with pro par four and pro par five holes?



La Mirada holes 19-27

I forgot about Flyboy's course in Riverside. Yes, I suppose I'll have to get over there and try that out.

Thanks to all who have offered to show me the courses. I'll be contacting you when I get out there so that we can get a round in.



Play Emerald Isle!!! It has undergone major changes that made the best course in SoCal even better. Let me know when you will be out here, and I'll comp you a cart, and buy you a beer.

Played the Emerald Isle course in Oceanside today with "Dirty" Dave Vincent - we had a blast! TONS of OB there. It would be a very simplistic course if not for the OB greens - I think I took a circle 4 on nine of the eighteen holes there. Hoping to play La Mirada tomorrow morning. :cool:

Played the Emerald Isle course in Oceanside today with "Dirty" Dave Vincent - we had a blast! TONS of OB there. It would be a very simplistic course if not for the OB greens - I think I took a circle 4 on nine of the eighteen holes there. Hoping to play La Mirada tomorrow morning. :cool:


Jeff, there aren't any par-5 holes at Emerald Isle, therefore it is impossible to card a circle-4 there. :)

I sorry, I forgot that it's 4p in Southern California, and circles are only for birdies.

Hi Jeff call me and we can play riverside.
Flyboy ;)

Hi Reese,

I am working 6 AM - 6 PM all week and go back on Saturday. The word is that I'll be back in late October for two weeks and hope to play Riverside then. :cool:

I sorry, I forgot that it's 4p in Southern California, and circles are only for birdies.


Just messin' with you. :)

But I am a firm believer in taking from ball golf what works for us (not everything by any means!), and circles for birdies with squares for bogeys on the scorecard works when you have par-4 and par-5 holes.

We should try to put hundreds of years of experience to work for us when it fits. And writing down scores on a piece of paper really is the same for both sports.

I will save my red carpet.Call us when you get back in town.Fly on ;)

I have to be at LAX by noon on Saturday, but it would be really sweet if anyone would be willing to show me La Mirada early on Sat. morning.

I have to be at LAX by noon on Saturday, but it would be really sweet if anyone would be willing to show me La Mirada early on Sat. morning.


How early you planning on starting at LaMa?

How early you planning on starting at LaMa?



It shouldn't take more than about 2 1/2 hours to play a round, right? So I'm thinking 8:30 AM then.

How early you planning on starting at LaMa?



It shouldn't take more than about 2 1/2 hours to play a round, right? So I'm thinking 8:30 AM then.



Make sure you play 19-27. It's Blue level, with Blue CR par of 31. You might even want to start on those holes to make sure you get them in. There are some nice par 4s and a par 5. On 1-18 I think the back nine has better holes than the front 9. All in all La Ma is a great course with a well deserved reputation!

How early you planning on starting at LaMa?



It shouldn't take more than about 2 1/2 hours to play a round, right? So I'm thinking 8:30 AM then.



Make sure you play 19-27. It's Blue level, with Blue CR par of 31. You might even want to start on those holes to make sure you get them in. There are some nice par 4s and a par 5. On 1-18 I think the back nine has better holes than the front 9. All in all La Ma is a great course with a well deserved reputation!



Lowe, you will be VERY disappointed to learn that those holes are pretty much GONE FOREVER thanks to new construction :(... I have not been there myself since the changes but Rhett can clue you in.. :p

How early you planning on starting at LaMa?



It shouldn't take more than about 2 1/2 hours to play a round, right? So I'm thinking 8:30 AM then.



Make sure you play 19-27. It's Blue level, with Blue CR par of 31. You might even want to start on those holes to make sure you get them in. There are some nice par 4s and a par 5. On 1-18 I think the back nine has better holes than the front 9. All in all La Ma is a great course with a well deserved reputation!



Lowe, you will be VERY disappointed to learn that those holes are pretty much GONE FOREVER thanks to new construction :(... I have not been there myself since the changes but Rhett can clue you in.. :p



I'm in mourning. What a loss! Which holes are gone? Are any of 19-27 left?

It shouldn't take more than about 2 1/2 hours to play a round, right? So I'm thinking 8:30 AM then.


I checked with the boss and I'm in. PM me your cell phone number.

I think the LaMa monthly is this Saturday, but they don't start 'till 10:00 AM.

Well I was hoping someone local would meet me, but if you want to come all the way up from San Diego that would be real cool of you. :cool:

Sending PM.

Rhett can I book you for a match in December? :D

Well I was hoping someone local would meet me, but if you want to come all the way up from San Diego that would be real cool of you. :cool:

Sending PM.


SoCal Championships are coming up next month, so I'm looking for excuses to get some rounds in at LaMa anyway. :)

And it's not just anybody. It's Jeff LaGrassa, NK Tormentor Extroirdinaire. I'd almost drive to Stockton to hang out with you.

Almost.

:D

They are predicting rainy and windy tomorrow at LaMa.

You still going Jeff? I still plan on going, even though I hate playing in the rain.

Figures that it doesn't rain the whole week while I'm working and couldn't play anyway. :D

Yea, I'm gonna give it a go no matter what the conditions. I'm supposed to be back at the end of the month, but that could always fall through. So I might as well check it out while I can.

I'm shooting for getting there around 8:00 am. If I happen to fall prey to "frisbee time" the 8:30 start time should still be good. :o

Cool. My hotel is 3 miles from the course so I'll be there waitin' for ya. :cool:

Jeff,

It was fun playing LaMa with you. :) Hope your flight back home was uneventful.

Rhett,

Thanks for making the long trek to give me a guided tour of the course - I had a blast! The directions and traffic were great and I made it back to LAX with plenty of time to spare, and the flight was uneventful.

I look forward to avenging my one-stroke loss when I'm back in SoCal in November. :cool:

Jeff and Rhett,

Are holes 19-27 at La Mirada really gone?

Lowe,

Holes 19-27 were fully intact, and the best holes out there. There were several pro par four holes and a pro par five with nasty OB lining the entire length of both sides of the hole. I took a double penalty 7, while Rhett took a single penalty 7 on this hole. :o

Lowe,

Holes 19-27 were fully intact, and the best holes out there. :o



DOH!! Well I guess I was misinformed...I could have sworn that those holes were GONE. :p :o

Im glad that they are not....

Hey Rhett, which holes were affected by the new construction?? :confused:

Make sure you play 19-27. They're Blue level, with Blue CR par of 31. You might even want to start on those holes to make sure you get them in. There are some nice par 4s and a par 5. On 1-18 I think the back nine has better holes than the front 9. All in all La Ma is a great course with a well deserved reputation!



Lowe, you will be VERY disappointed to learn that those holes are pretty much GONE FOREVER thanks to new construction :(... I have not been there myself since the changes but Rhett can clue you in.. :p



I'm in mourning. What a loss! Which holes are gone? Are any of 19-27 left?



What a relief that 19-27 are still there! I guess that the rumors of their death were greatly exagerated.

They aren't there intact, unfortunately. :( Jeff just doens't know any better. :)

Holes 19 and 27 are gone. There's a huge frickin' $300k+ playground with state-of-the-art equipment and wood-chip splinters, of all things, for ground cover. It literally goes the distance of that upper deck that made 19/27.

Hole 23, the long one in the valley, is chopped short. There's a new pin position farther back near the fences that makes this hole play as a true 4. A good first drive will get you out near the sidewalk stub now, but it's a lot of trouble to get into the putting circle from there with low banches and anti-skip grass guarding the low shot and very sticky trees guarding the high shot.

So, to walk through the setup:

19: gone.
20: downt the hill and left as usual, played as 19.
21: Instead of playing up to the top of the hill, it's past that normal right position and down the gulley towards old 23. Not a bad hole
22: gone. That whole end of the valley is fenced off and under construction.
23: Shortened as noted.
24: Same..
Not 25: Same, but is played from the cement circle as a tee instead of from that pad by the street. Both options are still possible. Wait. I don't think this hole is normally played in tourneys. We usually play from the previous tee to this basket on the ridge.
New Hole: long brutal 900+ footer down the 35-foot wide patch of grass between the parking lot and the street. Coming off the previous basket and heading towards the baseball field tee, you head left towards the street and the grass strip. Plays all the way to the next intersection.
New Hole: From way down on the sidewalk on the other side of the basball field opposite the normal baseball field hole, you play around the outfield fence with the OB parking lot on the right. The basket is behind the normal baseball field tee and towards the parking lot is a littel group of trees.
Hole 25, played as 26: the baseball field hole.
Hole 26, played as 27: a new basket is deeper and up the hill to the right more. Since 19 isn't there a deeper location is possible.

Holes 1-4 on the front also were re-done due to a new playground very close to the old hole 2 pin location.

Holes 1-4 on the front also were re-done due to a new playground very close to the old hole 2 pin location.



Bummer! DG always gets shoved out by everything else.

Holes 19 and 27 are gone. There's a huge $300k+ playground with state-of-the-art equipment and wood-chip splinters, of all things, for ground cover. It literally goes the distance of that upper deck that made 19/27.




I can't even imagine how long that playground must be. It sounds like it could be 300-400 ft. long!

Hey Rhett, will we get to play LaMa?

Hey Rhett, will we get to play LaMa?


Is someone planning a trip somewhere? I haven't heard of any firm plans yet....

Yeah well some young lady hasn't given me a concrete day of arrival so I haven't booked my flight. :DI should have it booked by the end of the week.

Rhett, I want to thank you once again for the DX Wraith and tournament mini. That was awesome of you and I really appreciate it. Thanks again!

I couldn't have asked for a better disc golf experience over the weekend - I got to meet and play disc golf at La Mirada with Discette and Dave Dunipace, both amazingly friendly people! Suzette, thank you so much for the MAX disc, that was super nice of you!

While I've posted full reviews on my web page of the disc golf courses I've played, here's a brief synopsis and ranking in my order of preference: <ul type="square"> Whittier Narrows, Whittier, CA � Despite warnings that this course would be long, open, and boring, this was my actually my favorite course in the Los Angeles region! Course designer Dave Dunipace even once described the Whittier course as �a fairly dry test of skills� but it had almost everything I look for in a disc golf course. While it was mostly pancake flat and didn�t have the elevation changes of La Mirada, the Whittier course had appropriate hole lengths for skilled golfers. Most of the holes were in the 300-450 foot range through scattered mature trees that forced honest drives. Additionally, with low ceilings and manicured short grass, this course was a rollers delight. I was thrilled to deuce some 350-375 foot holes with a backhand roller that I would have never reached with an air shot through the trees.

Emerald Isle, Oceanside, CA - Disc golf on a ball golf course done right. Loved the experience, even if I found the OB greens way too often.

La Mirada Regional Park, La Mirada, CA - Loved the elevation changes and the opportunity to throw rollers. Thought most of the holes were a bit shortish though and played way too close to walking paths, sidewalks, city streets, baseball fields, parking lots, etc.

Riverside Golf Club, Riverside, CA � Loved the idea and design of the course through about 12 holes. Got to the point on the back nine though where you have two 1000+ foot pro par five holes in a row that are almost completely wide open. It�s almost like they got to this point in the course design and ran out of ideas. While I�m obviously a fan of the trend to move to higher par golf, I think having 1075, 1083, and 1105-foot holes in the same layout that are basically long for the sake of long is dumb, imo. A better balance is to alternate 550-675 foot pro par four holes, which usually tee off in the trees and play to protected pin positions, with par threes. And maybe throw in one interesting pro par five.

Veterans Park, Sylmar, CA � Driving to this course through the foothills surrounding Los Angeles is stunningly beautiful, with lots of cool views of the surrounding mountains. I liked the patriotic theme at this course, with tees and poleholes that alternate in color, in order, from red to white to blue. With really nice cement teepads and brand new tee signs and poleholes, this course has a professional touch, and worth the nominal $2 daily fee. The first three holes play over some lovely rolling grass, and the 2nd hole has neat brickwork around the polehole position that is reminiscent of the USDGC. It�s too bad that the lower portion of the course can�t hold grass like the upper three holes, because it makes for a dry, dusty, dirty disc golfing experience.

Oak Grove, Pasadena, CA � Like Sylmar, the views of the foothills on the way to this course are awesome. Once arriving, there�s something to be said for being able to play the very first permanent polehole course in the world. To bang chains where Frisbee throwers first did so 30+ years ago and ignited our sport is really cool! The first hole starts out with a low ceiling shot that almost demands a roller � that�s probably the only time I�ve ever thrown a forehand roller off the first tee. There are a few fun downhill holes, including a neat one that throws over a basin that I�m told once held water. On a sad note, the course is very poorly marked � good luck finding your way around with out a tour guide. [/list]