In the heart of the Westside of Los Angeles is one of the country’s finest examples of golf architecture. Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course uses its canyon- and barranca-strewn property brilliantly, creating one of the most varied 18-hole experiences in the game. This year, this rarely-seen George Thomas masterpiece will step into the public spotlight as the venue for the 2023 U.S. Open.

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Take Note…

A variety of approaches. The flattest shots on the course are the approaches to the first, 12th, 15th, and 18th greens, but they’re also among the best because each is so dramatically different. The first green falls away subtly and beautifully at grade; the 12th, fronted by bunkers, is wild, with wings front right and left; the 15th, a short par 3, has a memorable fishhook shape and a devastating hump in the middle; and the 18th, with its back-right bowl and repelling left side, emphasizes the player’s position in the wide fairway (which existed in the pre-U.S. Open years).

A finishing flourish. The way Nos. 16, 17, and 18 are routed—making their way from the high plateau where most of the back nine sits, down into the gorge that the front nine travels through, and back up to the highland near the first hole and the clubhouse—is a piece of genius. The first time you play it, you’re mystified as to how Thomas made it work.

Alternate greens. The Robert Muir Graves-designed second green remains above and to the right of today’s restored version, Herbert Fowler’s original par-3 17th—a 110-yard pitch to a Postage Stamp green benched into a canyon wall—is also still maintained, thankfully.