Rustic Canyon Golf Course

The Rustic Canyon course was laid out in 2001 within a 350-acre site on the floor of a broad canyon to the north west of Los Angeles and – with less than 20, 0000 cubic yards of earth moved during construction – it’s widely regarded as a triumph of architectural minimalism.

Built on a former sheep ranch, Rustic Canyon was the result of collaboration between designer Gil Hanse, his associate Jim Wagner and golf writer Geoff Shackelford. Their aim was to set out a course where the game was played as much on the ground as in the air and to that end they succeeded effortlessly.

Generally wide fairways are routed in total sympathy with the sandy, free-draining landscape, and the generosity of width permits the golfer to consider alternate routes on many holes. Greens are large and imaginatively contoured with closely mown aprons, allowing bump-and-run approaches to be played at many of the holes.

As on the best of courses, the holes at Rustic Canyon get stronger as the round progresses with the inward holes climbing to higher ground and winding their way across some tough terrain before returning to the clubhouse. In particular, the compelling par fours at 11, 14, 16 and 18 are themselves worthy of the very reasonable green fee charged at this public facility.

Last word to Gil Hanse who described Rustic Canyon as “the most lay-of-the-land course we have built to date. This is a testament to the beauty and strength of the land. An added pleasure in developing this golf course was the collaboration with Geoff Shackelford, a golf historian who reveres traditional design with the same fervour as we do. Rustic Canyon is a public course with little ego and a lot of heart (that) has shaped up to be very, very special.”