Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
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Some of the greatest golf courses in the world are off the beaten path. Pine Valley, Bandon Dunes and Whistling Straights come to mind. These courses are destinations and players seek them out regardless of location. When the Southern California PGA decided to put its initials on a golf course five years ago, the intention was similar. Officials wanted to build an amazing golf course (they actually built two) affordable for all players, who continue to find their way to the facility in Beaumont. In honor of the club’s fifth anniversary, the PGA is taking their recognizable logo and polishing it. Both the Champions and Legends courses are in outstanding condition, but the Champions is receiving some extra care as it will host the final stage of Senior PGA Tour Qualifying School in the fall. Both layouts stretch to more than 7,000 yards from the tips but can be shortened to around 3,000 yards with a special set of tees called The Learners Loop, designed for young or inexperienced players. The Champions course features rolling terrain, a ragged bunkering style and undulating greens. Missing a green with your approach often means a pitch or chip over the fiendish contours of the putting surface. The toughest hole might be the 14th, a 490-yard, downhill par 4 that plays into the prevailing breeze. It has O.B. stakes on the left, a hazard on the right and a well-protected green. The Legends has a different feel with softer and more subtle undulations around the greens. Holes 4-11 could be the most beautiful stretch of golf in the state that doesn’t involve an ocean. The 4th hole is a devilish par 3 that rarely plays over 100 yards. The green sits between two chasms and just about as many balls find the green as the bottom of the ravine. The par-4 5th hole snakes down the mountainside and, at 463 yards from the blue tees, takes two great shots to get home in regulation. The next six holes wind around the natural terrain as if they have existed there for decades. The club is taking its heritage to heart. Displays honoring the best local PGA professionals surround the clubhouse, and, as part of its five-year anniversary, the club is renaming all 36 holes. The Champions course will honor PGA Championship winners. Every champion — from Tiger and Vijay to Hogan and Nicklaus — has won the PGA at least twice, with the exception of 1961 champion Jerry Barber, who holds a special distinction as one of five SCPGA professionals to win the PGA along with Olin Dutra, Paul Runyan, Al Geiberger and Dave Stockton. The Legends course honors the memories of the Ryder Cup, with the outgoing nine identifying European greats such as Seve Ballesteros and Colin Montgomerie and the incoming nine featuring U.S. stalwarts such as Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer. n |
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