by Located in beautiful Palos Verdes, CA, Rolling Hills C.C. was searching for an identity. Despite a beautiful property with expansive views of downtown LA and the Hollywood sign, the golf course was a mere afterthought in the discussion of LA’s best courses. To change that, they turned to David McLay Kidd (DMK) to redesign the course.
When DMK toured the golf course, he was less than enthused about the project and had thoughts of turning it down. He then discovered a large sand quarry that rested next to the golf course, which he would be able to use to turn the mediocre course into a potential masterpiece. With the ability to create a sandy soil, which is what the majority of the world’s finest courses are built on, his imagination ran wild. The sand would allow Kidd to create ideal conditions, building a firm and fast course that would allow him to create width and playability for the everyday player, while challenging the great players with firm and fast conditioning and a strategic design where playing angles are everything.
Kidd’s project is nearing completion, and Rolling Hills is set to reopen for play in June, with some potential preview play a little earlier. Kidd’s project got a big boost today as USC announced that Rolling Hills would be host to the 2018 Pac-12 Championships. The prestigious event will serve as the course’s first big championship, an opportunity to see how it stacks up with the neighboring Trump National and iconic Los Angeles championship tests LACC and Riviera. USC Head Coach Chris Zambri had this to say about the news:
“We feel so fortunate to be able to host the PAC 12’s biggest championship at Rolling Hills Country Club. We are confident that the new design will be spectacular.”
Only time will tell, but all signs point to Los Angeles adding another must-play course to its roster.
