The Links at Victoria

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

Address: 340 E. 192nd St., Carson.

Phone: (310) 323-4174.

Green fees: $20 Monday through Friday; $25 weekends.

Tee times: Seven days in advance.

The facility: L.A. County-owned course now run by Arnold Palmer Golf Management first opened in 1966, reopened April 1 after $7-million face lift. Amenities are spartan, but new clubhouse/pro shop/banquet facility is expected to open in June. There is a lighted driving range and a diabolically sloped, hourglass putting green. From the 16th and 17th tees, players have an up-close view of a Goodyear airship--appropriately named Eagle.

The good: Firm and fast bentgrass greens are receptive to the links-style bump-and-run. “Links” is a bit of a misnomer for this layout hard by the 405 freeway, but it is the wind that puts teeth in most links courses, and that is true here, especially on the more inspiring homeward nine. Hard, dry fairways provide extra roll. Five teeing areas on each hole, pro Ming Lao points out, add to the challenge. An effort is made to protect environmentally sensitive areas.

The bad: Front nine is bland, and dormant-Bermuda fairways make for some tricky lies. Four to nine feet of topsoil has done little to change an essentially hardpan surface. Pace of play can be slow; a recent Monday round took nearly six hours.

The score: It is run by a King and bears the name of a monarch, but there’s not much else regal about the course. Still, price and location make it accessible to many golfers.