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 It had been more than 15 years since my last round at Montebello and I was eager to revisit the course that underwent a makeover at the hands of David Rainville and Gary Bye in 1999. While a hotel was added and the layout spruced up with some new water features and redesigned greens, the overall feel of the course was largely undisturbed. Some New Touches The most noticeable change to the layout comes at the opening hole. What was once an imposing opener is now a 340-yard par 4 that puts a premium on driving in order to avoid the strategically placed bunkers, the aforementioned trees and a rapidly narrowing fairway. Most of the other significant changes were made to the par 3s. The first is the 157-yard sixth. The hole once featured dual greens, but was updated to one large green that can cause the hole to play wildly varying distances. Deceptive bunkering makes club selection tough. Choosing Favorites For a course that is so much about the flow of the terrain and the shape of the holes, my favorite holes on the back nine featured water. The 10th hole plays 371 yards downhill to the landing area. All good drives essentially leave you in the same area with a pitch to a narrow green over a pond and a bunker. The par-4 12th is a great lay-up hole. At 351 yards, it forces you to play short of the water fronting the green, leaving a short-iron approach to one of the track's more deceptive putting surfaces. The most picturesque hole is the 155-yard, par-3 16th. It plays over a pond with a stone-faced wall fronting a mildly undulating green. The swirling breeze makes picking the right club a tricky proposition. Hitting the green allows you to breathe a sigh of relief. Montebello's charm comes in how the course rolls out in front of you. The design feels very natural with no blind shots or wild elevation changes. You can develop a new appreciation for the game when you venture out onto one of its older designs. You can see how courses used to be built when they were stand-alone visions and not meant as ornaments to sell housing projects. Even though our weekend round took more than five hours to play, it was a peaceful trip with very little waiting. Like a walk in the park, it was a calming experience. Rates and Information Weekday green fees are $55; weekends and holidays are $65. It's a very walkable course and you can save $24 if you decide to hoof it. The driving range is east of the clubhouse and across the street. If you want to warm up before your round, leave time to walk over and back. The restaurant has excellent food and one of the better golf course hot dogs around. For the post-round trash talk, the bar is loaded with flat screen TVs that will make you want to delay your trip home even longer. SG For more information and tee times, call (323) 887-4565 or visit thecityofmontebello.com. |
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