Southland Focus

A weekly look at golf courses open to the public in Southern California.

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GRIFFITH PARK, HARDING GOLF COURSE

Address: 4730 Crystal Spring Drive, Los Angeles.

Phone: (213) 664-2255.

Green fees: $17.50 to $23.

Tee times: Week in advance with reservation card.

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The facility: Few major cities are as fortunate as Los Angeles, having a quality public golf course only a few minutes from its Civic Center. L.A. has two, both designed by George Thomas, who also built Riviera. Harding was completed in 1924, a year after Wilson, Griffith Park’s other 18-hole course. The courses share the same clubhouse. Harding is about 400 yards shorter than Wilson, but both play to a par 72. For many years, Harding was a par 71, but about 10 years ago, No. 7 was stretched out from a par four to a 476-yard par five.

The good: Harding is designed for the average golfer with handicaps between 15 and 25. It’s not for long-hitting two-handicappers, who favor Wilson. It’s one of the city’s best sports bargains. It starts off with a feel-good hole, a 421-yard par four with a wide-open, downhill sloping fairway that helps get everyone farther off the tee than usual.

The bad: Heavy play, particularly by public golfers not inclined to take care of their course, leaves fairways pockmarked with divots and greens full of ball marks.

The score: Contrary to the popular perception that Wilson is the more difficult course, scoring averages from the Los Angeles men’s championships on the four major courses----Rancho Park, Wilson, Encino and Harding----are highest on Harding. Professional Tom Barber says that is because Harding’s landscape and elevation changes demand more types of shots than the other courses.

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Overall course 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 Par Front Tees Women’s Par 1 421 4 397 4 2 317 4 293 4 3 400 4 387 4 4 331 4 316 4 5 178 3 163 3 6 552 5 528 5 7 476 5 444 5 8 391 4 354 4 9 423 4 401 5 Out 3,489 37 3,283 38 10 362 4 342 4 11 395 4 348 4 12 345 4 333 4 13 192 3 173 3 14 366 4 331 4 15 177 3 156 3 16 379 4 349 4 17 346 4 325 4 18 485 4 456 5 In 3,047 35 2,813 35 Total 6,536 72 6,096 73

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Rating/Slope: Back--70.2/115, Front--74.3/121