Westchester Golf Course clubhouse. (May 2019 photo by Sam Gnerre)
The Westchester Golf Course got off to a perfectly fine start.
Construction began on the 4,179-yard, 18-hole public course in 1965. Golf architect Lawrence Hughes of Palm Desert designed the executive course, which consisted of nine par-3 and nine-par-4 holes (par 63 total). Executive courses are shorter in length than standard courses, with shorter playing times allowing for more golfers to play them.
The course at 6900 W. Manchester Blvd. was very close to Los Angeles International Airport. Its southernmost holes were only a few hundred yards from the airport’s northernmost runway, 24R. Aircraft noise became part of the course’s ambience.
The current 18-hole configuration of Westchester Golf Course. LAX Runway 24R at bottom. The three new holes are at the bottom right of the course. (Credit: Google Maps)
Westchester’s relatively flat layout, accessibility and ease of play quickly resulted in it becoming one of Los Angeles City’s most heavily played courses. Another factor adding to its popularity was the availability of night play, facilitated by lights illuminating the course.
Everything was hunky-dory for several decades, until encroaching development put its mark on the course during the 1990s.
Golfers Whitey Baker, left, and Al Manning chat while waiting to tee off at Westchester Golf Course as a large jet lands at LAX in background. (2000 Daily Breeze staff file photo)
The city of Los Angeles had come into 387 acres of land along the northern border of LAX through eminent domain back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it bought and razed houses from residents in the flight path. It zoned the property for industry, manufacturing and hotels.
In order to execute its development plan, it became necessary to extend WIll Rogers Street from Sepulveda Blvd. about two miles west to Pershing Drive. The new artery, to be named Westchester Parkway, was need to carry traffic through the area. It was also hoped that it would bring more shoppers from Playa del Rey to Westchester.
The Westchester Golf Course was altered to only 15 holes to make way for construction of the Westchester Parkway seen at right. (2007 Daily Breeze staff file photo)
Unfortunately, the planned roadway, announced in October 1986, would slice directly through the southern portion of Westchester Golf Course.
Initially, it was thought that the course would lose five holes as a result, and officials considered closing the entire course. They vowed to reconstruct the course and spend $5 million remodeling it after the roadway was completed.
LAX signed off on the plan in August 1989. A few months earlier in April, the city had approved a 350-acre industrial/commercial development, the LAX Northside project, to be built on the land reclaimed from homeowners.
When the $28.3 million roadway was finished and opened in May 1993, its construction had claimed not five, but three, the three southernmost holes on the course. As a result, Westchester became a 15-hole course. But what was promised to be a temporary situation turned out to be a long-time quirk in Westchester’s layout.
The city agreed to purchase 7.1 acres adjacent to the eastern border of the course for $6.2 million in July 1996, earmarking the site for the reinstatement of the missing holes.
A year later, officials described how the course would be redesigned and revamped, and predicted the changes would complete by 1998.
A golfer hits a drive at Westchester Golf Course in 2008. (Daily Breeze staff file photo)
It didn’t happen, and the waters were further muddied in 2000 when then-Mayor Richard Riordan launched an unsuccessful battle to have the city take over management of the course. It had been run for several years by American Golf Corp. of Santa Monica, a private golf course management firm, which still operates it.
Regular players at Westchester were forced to make do with the odd 15-hole set-up, and some would go back and play Holes 1-3 at the end of their round in order to card a complete 18 holes.
Progress on fixing the course moved glacially. Fast-forward to February 2007, and all you find are more golfers growing increasingly irritated at the lack of follow-through on rebuilding the course.
“We’ve been waiting a long time to get those holes back,” Don Sullivan told Daily Breeze reporter Doug Irving at the time. “The airport promised to put the holes back, and they should honor that.”
View on this course diagram looks south from Manchester Blvd. Holes 15, 16 and 17, left, were added to make the course 18 holes again. (Credit: Westchester Golf Course)
The logjam finally began to break in 2008, when airport officials announced that designs nearly were complete for the three new holes to be built on 20 acres of land (up from the original 7.1) east of the present course.
The completed plans were approved in June 2009, and the three holes — the par-5 15th, par-3 16th, and par-4 17th — were completed and opened to play at long last in February 2010, a mere 17 years after the original holes were excised.
The current 18-hole, par-64 course measures 4,339 yards. In addition to the new holes, long-promised improvements were made to the clubhouse, driving range and other facilities.
The proposed LAX Northside project is earmarked for highlighted areas 1 and 2 on map, just west of the golf course along Westchester Parkway. (Credit: LAX Northside Open Space FAQ, Los Angeles World Airports website)
As for the LAX Northside project, it remains more idea than reality, though officials are optimistic about its future.
Golfers practice at revamped driving range at Westchester Golf Course. (May 2019 photo by Sam Gnerre)
Sources:
Daily Breeze files.
“LAX Northside Open Space FAQ,” Los Angeles World Airports website.
Los Angeles Times files.
The Southern California Golf Guide, by Daniel Wexler, MTIII Golf Media, El Segundo, 2017.
Golfers walk the Westchester Golf Course in 2007, when the course had only 15 holes. (Daily Breeze staff photo)
