U.S. Open 2023: History of the Los Angeles Country Club ahead of the U.S. Open

The 2023 U.S. Open heads to the land of celebrities and palm trees – teeing off at the Los Angeles Country Club's North Course on Thursday, June 15, the third major of the year will become the first-ever major hosted at LACC. Before Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm battle it out on the fairways, we'll take a look at the history of LACC and what to expect from it in the week ahead.

History of LACC

The story of the LACC begins back in 1897, with the Los Angeles Golf Club's formation. The Golf Club moved several times in its first several years as members joined and crowded out the nine-hole courses that they were using (The Windmill Links and the Convent Links, named for nearby landmarks). The current 36-hole location did not open until 1911.

The course was originally designed by Joe Sartori, Ed Tufts, Norman MacBeth, and Charles Orr, and underwent a redesign by Herbert Fowler and George C. Thomas in the late 1920s.

In the late 1990s they went another extensive renovation. And in 2010 the North Course, where then Open will be played, opened after yet another renovation led by Gil Hanse meant to restore the course to Thomas' original vision.

There has never been a major held at LACC until this year, and the last time the U.S. Open visited the Los Angeles area was 1948. In present day, LACC has become one of the more exclusive golf clubs in the country. The initiation fee for new members is rumored to be between $300,000 and $500,000

What does the course look like?

LACC is adjacent to Beverly Hills and has been since it moved to its current location in 1911. The North Course winds through a slight canyon, giving plenty of uphill and downhill variety. The front nine's most interesting and significant feature is a winding barranca that affects nearly every hole. The fairways are long and narrow, and the Par 3s are some of the best holes on the course.

What makes LACC special is it can be played to extreme distances depending on the setup. You might see the Par 3 11th play as a 290+ yard behemoth, or a 180-yard mid-iron for the best players in the world. The Hanse redesign came with tons of flexibility, and the USGA is likely to use all of it this week.

  
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