Private, Nonmembership Golf Club Opens

Golfers teed off at the Cascades Golf Club on Thursday, marking the opening of the San Fernando Valley’s first privately owned course that doesn’t require a membership to play.

Operators of the course hope to attract golfers seeking country club amenities without high-priced memberships.

“We want people to feel like they are a country club member for a day by providing the personal service of a private club without the cost,” said Colin Kaiser, the club’s director of marketing.

The 18-hole course, situated on 187 acres near Yarnell Street and the Foothill Freeway, includes lakes, sand traps, trees and other challenges found on championship courses, Kaiser said.

While golfers can expect to pay $20,000 to $50,000 to join a country club, as well as $350 to $500 in monthly membership fees, golfers at the Cascades pay $50 to $75 to play 18 holes, slightly higher than the $20 to $30 for play at other public courses, said Steve Timm, who co-designed the course with partner Bob Cupp for Cupp Design Inc.

“In L.A. we are starved for golf,” Timm said. “The only courses we have are private clubs or city or county courses. What this product does is provide the country club experience for a mid- to high-end daily playing fee.”

Developer Royal Clark of Honolulu spent $17 million to transform the open space behind its industrial park into a golf course, Kaiser said.

Because of the property’s proximity to the San Diego, Golden State and Foothill freeways, Kaiser said he expects the course to draw players from areas including Los Angeles, Pasadena and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.

In addition to the course, the Cascades has a clubhouse with a bar, restaurant, pro shop and locker rooms with showers for men and women, Kaiser said.

On Thursday, several golfers playing the course for the first time gave it favorable reviews.

“This is much nicer than public courses,” said Ross Drucker of Santa Clarita. “It’s nice to have a good course that’s open to the public.”