The U.S. Open is being hosted at the exclusive Los Angeles Country Club for the first time in the club's history, with the world getting an up-close look at one of the most mysterious golf courses in the country.
The north course, which dates back to 1911, has seldom hosted outside events, but after extensive renovations completed in 2010, it hosted the Walker Cup in September 2017 and is now hosting the U.S. Open.
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“It’s a perfect opportunity to take the U.S. Open to Los Angeles,” then-U.S. Golf Association President Thomas J. O’Toole Jr. said in a statement announcing the LACC as the venue for the 2023 U.S. Open in 2015.
The USGA said that after the extensive renovation to the north course, members of the Los Angeles Country Club reached out with interest in hosting the Walker Cup, which led to it opening its doors to golf's best for the U.S. Open in 2023.
In an interview featured in the Orange County Register, LACC President Gene Sykes said he could not explain the reason for the extensive privacy concerns by the club but that the culture was one of pride when he joined.
“By the time I joined, which was around the turn of the 21st century, the club’s culture was one of being proud and really delighted at what the club was. It was a very compatible environment, quite friendly and so forth, but generally low profile," Sykes said.
The country club has been known for denying actors and celebrities membership.
Singer and actor Bing Crosby purchased a home alongside the golf course and expected to gain membership but was one of numerous Hollywood celebrities who have been denied, per Sports Illustrated.
There are several other famous homes around the Beverly Hills course, including Lionel Richie's mansion and the infamous Playboy Mansion, once owned by Hugh Hefner.
Hefner owned the property from 1971 to 2016 and attempted on multiple occasions to get a membership to the country club. He also reportedly asked permission to create a gate connecting his backyard to the golf course. The rumored gate was never built connecting the two.
The property, which is a licensed zoo, is still home to various exotic animals that golfers on the 14th hole will be able to hear while they play this weekend. The property has been home to monkeys, cockatoos, and peacocks, among other noisy animals, per Golf Digest.
With this 2023 U.S. Open, the general public will get a look at the hidden golf course in the middle of La-La Land, but it will not be the last time the LACC will be in the spotlight. The LACC is already slated to host the U.S. Women’s Open in 2032, along with hosting the men's U.S. Open again in 2039.
The 2023 U.S. Open is the first to be hosted in the Los Angeles area since 1948, when it was played at the Riviera Country Club. Collin Morikawa, a professional golfer from the Los Angeles area, is finally getting a shot at the golf course this weekend, saying that he has been looking forward to it since it was announced eight years ago.
“This is a major that I cared about when I was in college and I knew about LACC hosting a U.S. Open. I didn't know where my path was going to be. I didn't know if I was going to be on tour, if I was going to have to qualify for this, and, right, four years, pretty much four years since I've been pro," Morikawa said Tuesday.
“I didn't know where I was going to be, but this is the one that I wanted to make it and be at just because it is home for me. This week means so much. It always will be. It'll always be really special,” he continued.
When Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympics in 2028, golf will be played at the Riviera Country Club, which hosts the annual Genesis Invitational, rather than the Los Angeles Country Club.
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The first tee time for the second round of the U.S. Open is at 6:45 a.m. Pacific time on Friday, with the third and final rounds expected to begin at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Coverage of the third and final rounds will be televised on NBC.
As the golf world is focused on the U.S. Open, the U.S. government is scrutinizing the announced deal to merge the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The Justice Department and the Senate Finance Committee have both reportedly opened investigations into the proposed merger.