An Unexpected Facelift Gives Los Serranos A New Look

At 75-Years Old, Mother Nature changes some of her features

By Eric Tracy
erictracy@earthlink.net

We've visited some terrific courses this year on the Southern California Golf Tour. Most of them been built in the last decade on the heel's of the game's exploding popularity (thank you, Tiger Woods.) The designs and operation of these "daily-fee" courses have been innovative and exciting and many are linked to golf celebrities and famous golf architects like Fred Couples, Greg Norman and Pete Dye. The only thing these courses don't offer is history and tradition. There's something special about sticking your peg into a tee box that's 75-years old. Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills is historical, affordable, a back-breaker if you play it from back tees and a place where sad circumstances are making it new again.

A NEW LOOK:

Los Serranos is unfortunately losing about 3,000 red gum eucalyptus trees to a disease running rampant through the state. More than half of these diseased trees have been cut down and replaced with a variety of species. Mac O'Grady once called Los Serranos 'Little Riviera' because off all the trees. Ironically, Riviera, the Pacific Palisades home of the Nissan/LA Open that O'Grady makes reference to has Blue Gum Eucalyptus trees that are not affected by this serial killer with a long Latin name. Sounds ominous, doesn't it? Actually, there is an interesting upside. Many of the Los Serranos fairways that used to be huge channels of forest have opened up to expose many mountain views and other horizontal sight lines never really noticed before. (You can't see the mountains for the trees). In truth, it's a great new look. Sure, when you play the course right now you can't help but be bummed when you come across a section of felled trees that resembles strewn bodies on a battlefield. "Yes, it's sad about all the trees, but we don't look at it as a funeral, it's a rebirth," said David Kramer. He's right.

WARMING UP WITH SOME HISTORY: Jack Kramer, the Southern California Hall of Fame tennis player who made his name with a racquet, also has his name forever linked to Southern California golf because of his family's involvement in Los Serranos Country Club. One of the oldest and most-played courses around, Los Serranos is situated on what was a large Spanish land grant in 1925 known as Rancho Santa Ana Del Chino. The original 750 developed acres also had an equestrian center and fishing area, but the Depression forced the private course to go public. Jack Kramer became an investor in an 18-hole course considered to be "out in the desert" back in the mid '50s, Kramer eventually took over sole leasing of the property in 1961, just as golf's boom era began. Eventually, he helped develop a second course, which was completed three years later. 150,000 rounds of golf are played at Los Serranos every year offering appealing green fees that keep it very accessible to the public. "We've had advisors tell us all the time we should raise our rates, but it's always been dad's philosophy to offer quality golf to the public at affordable prices because he came up in tennis through public system," said oldest son David Kramer, the course manager. It's likely to stay that way for a long time. The family's lease on the land runs through 2061. Knowing Jack's positive spin on things, I'm sure he expects to be around when the 100-year lease expires.

THE LONGEST DRIVES: At 7,470, the South Course (par 74) is the longest in the state if you play "Jack's Black'' tees (which are closed on the weekends and when it's crowded). There are three par 5s on each side, with the longest stretching 670 yards (No. 18). For you trivia-crazed golfers, Los Serranos South is 22 yards longer than second-place Ruby Hill in Pleasanton.

THE OLDEST RUN? Steve Hall, course superintendent who's been at Los Serranos the last 43 years, estimates there are only two other courses that have been around in Southern California longer, Redlands and Victoria in Riverside.

MUST DO: Read the words of Herbert Warren Wind and Mortimer Crail before you get to the first tee, and soak in what they're trying to tell you about golf's "noetic archetypos."

MY FAVORITE HOLES:

• No. 7, 363 yard par 4 (17 handicap): Called "Tower" because it's at the apex of the plot of land, allowing for a beautiful view of everything around. It's also the spot where the snack stand sits (and warns you about the crows that'll come by to swipe your food). Here, just tee it up and watch it sail toward the San Bernardino Mountains, hopefully landing clear of the pond below where the Canadian geese like to practice landings and honk at you.
• No. 11, 407-yard par 4 (2 handicap): It's called "Manyeucs,'' which, if you look long enough at it, and then look at the fairway lined with many eucalyptus, it's quickly apparent what this dog-leg right means.
• No. 18, 670-yard par 5 (6 handicap): I'm not going to boast here, but I did have a clean shot at a birdie on this hole called "Jack's Home Run" after teeing up all the way back. What a challenge, my third shot needing more than 200 just to clear the pond and reach the green. And as I'm tapping in for par, the noon-time bells at the clubhouse are chiming "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometimes." The other point of interest on this hole is the marker at the blue tees (where it's only a 590-yard hole). It is noted that San Bernardino's Mike Moulton once drove a shot 396 yards, 6 inches during the finals of the Long Drivers of America Tour in 2000. There's also a yellow plaque in the middle of the fairway marking where the shot landed. Don't feel badly if it takes you a few licks to get there and admire the feat.

BEST DEALS: Aside from the fact seniors (60 and older) go out for $29 anytime on either course with a cart, juniors (17 and under) can play the South Course for $8 after 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, $13 after 1 p.m. on weekends. A back nine special on Saturday and Sunday from 6-7 a.m. runs just $26 on either course. And the super twilight rate (after 4 p.m.) Monday-Friday is $18, or $24 on the weekends for both courses, cart included.

SUMMING UP: For as much play as this great piece of turf gets, it's in very good shape, very lush in the spring and fall. And it does get high-quality play - next year's calendar again includes Nissan L.A. Open qualifying, the U.S. Amateur Public Links and U.S. Amateur Championship qualifying. And, talk about being at the crossroads of golf. Get this; Los Serranos County Club resides in San Bernardino County, however, it's just 2 miles from Orange County, 3 miles from L.A. County and 6 miles from Riverside County. In essence, this is old-style golf. No large traps or false fronts, just straightforward golf with rewards for good shots, penalties for the bad ones. And there's not even a yardage book to take along. "We do it the old-fashion way; we figure it out," said one of the head pros at the counter. That's good enough for me.

Eric Tracy

KFWB RADIO