SOUTHLAND FOCUS
A weekly look at golf courses open to the public in Southern California.
LOS AMIGOS COUNTRY CLUB
Address: 7295 Quill Drive, Downey.
Phone: (562) 862-1717.
Green fees: $20-$25.
Tee times: Seven days in advance.
The facility: A short course (5,973 yards from the blue tees) with a schizophrenic personality. The front nine is open, flat and inviting. The back nine is fraught with peril, including five doglegs, a lake in front of the tee on the 185-yard 17th hole and lateral water hazards on holes 13, 14, 17 and 18. There is a clubhouse, driving range, pro shop and two putting greens.
The good: The greens are in good shape. The course is surrounded by a school, playground and a juvenile hall, but the noise level is minimal.
The bad: The tree-lined fairways are patchy. All of the greens are sloped; depending on the day’s pin placement, putting can be nightmarish except in the steadiest of hands. The doglegs are more 90-degree angle than curved, and the tall pines and cypress trees readily discourage trying to cut the corners. The geese and ducks that crowd around the lake work overtime at fertilizing the 17th hole.
The score: A reasonable test for the average to good player. There are three par fives and five par threes, the most challenging being the 243-yard ninth hole. Of the five doglegs, the 14th and 16th are the most difficult to navigate.
*
Overall rating: 2 balls
* One ball: No-frills golf.
** Two balls: Worth an occasional round.
*** Three balls: Like shooting four strokes under your handicap.
**** Four balls: Where the golf gods play.
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Hole Back Tees Middle Tees M/W Par Front Tees 1 497 485 5 460 2 399 385 4 382 3 152 146 3 150 4 363 353 4 352 5 378 370 4 364 6 366 354 4 356 7 150 138 3 130 8 490 485 5 485 9 243 233 3/4 226 Out 3,038 2,949 35/36 2,905 10 334 324 4 313 11 313 305 4 304 12 120 117 3 115 13 389 378 4 363 14 333 329 4 321 15 482 476 5 476 16 371 360 4 359 17 185 164 3 145 18 372 361 4 352 In 2,899 2,814 35 2,748 Total 5,937 5,763 70/71 5,653
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Rating/Slope: Back--68.1/116; Middle--67.4/113; Front--71.5/117