who is the architect for hillcres cc los angeles new golf course?

by Sid Koch 7 min read

Kyle Phillips

Who built Hillcrest Country Club?

Originally established in 1899 Hillcrest is one of KC's most historical golf courses. Designed by the world-renowned architect, Donald J. Ross, who walked the rolling hills back in 1912, plotting the lands key features of the natural terrain with his Scottish eye to envision how the course was to be constructed.

Who designed LA Country Club?

George C. Thomas, Jr.Los Angeles Country ClubClub informationDesigned byGeorge C. Thomas, Jr.Par70Length7,200 yards (6,600 m)Course rating75.715 more rows

How much does it cost to join Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles?

Become a Hillcrest Premier Member, annual dues of $1,000-$4,160 depending upon age. The Premier Memberships allows you and a spouse along with your children under the age of twenty-three to have all the premier privileges at the club.

Who designed the Riviera golf course?

George C. ThomasGeorge C. Thomas, an amateur architect who agreed to design the golf course free of charge created his crowning achievement and even today, Riviera is considered one of the finest natural layouts in all of golf.

What is the most exclusive golf club in California?

Cypress Point Golf Club in Pebble Beach, Calif., and the Los Angeles Country Club were selected by Billionaire.com as two of the 10 most exclusive golf courses in the world.

How much is membership at California Country Club?

Did you know that a California Country Club Weekday Golf Membership has dues that are only $245 per month. That's right only $245 per month.

How many members does Riviera Country Club have?

1,500The good news is there are a LOT of Riv members cruising around West LA. In fact, there are roughly 1,500 of them which is a huge number when you consider places of similar acclaim like Oakmont (550) and Cypress Point (250) have far less. Green fees will run a guest $350, not including caddy fee and tip.

Who owns Riviera Country Club?

tycoon Noboru WatanabeToday Riviera is owned by Japanese real-estate tycoon Noboru Watanabe, who paid $108 million in 1989 to the descendants of L.A. Athletic Club founder Garbutt. It was a small price to pay for one of American golf's true national treasures.

How do you become a member of the Los Angeles Country Club?

You can get into L.A. Country Club for about $25,000, but, since you get a piece of the action, that's not as steep as it sounds. With 800 members, this computes out at $20 million for the property.

Where do celebrities play golf in LA?

The Riviera Country Club is a private club with a championship golf course and tennis courts in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of the Westside of Los Angeles, California. The Riviera was designed by golf course architects George C. Thomas Jr.

What are the dead trees at Riviera Country Club?

Another unique feature of Riviera Country Club's 92-year-old course is its abundance of Eucalyptus trees. The mammoth, white-barked trees are prevalent throughout the property, and in addition to looking and smelling great, they play a strategic role on several holes.

How much does it cost to join Brentwood Country Club?

Below are the Brentwood Country Club Membership Initiation Fees and Monthly Dues: Full Golf Membership – $35,000 Initiation Fee with $564 in Monthly Dues. Young Adult Golf Membership (under 37 years of age) – $26,250 Initiation Fee with $423 in Monthly Dues.

Who owns LACC?

LACC is a joint venture between Axiall Corporation, based in Atlanta, Georgia, and Lotte Chemical Corporation of South Korea.

How many members does LA Country Club have?

Membership Costs The LA Country Club has 800 members, so that translates to a value of $20 million.

How many members does the Los Angeles Country Club have?

800 membersSome countries couldn't afford to buy it. You can get into L.A. Country Club for about $25,000, but, since you get a piece of the action, that's not as steep as it sounds. With 800 members, this computes out at $20 million for the property.

How many courses does LA Country Club have?

The layout is at once thrilling and often exciting with its hills, ridges, swales and valleys. There are two 18-hole courses, the North and the South, if you can get a game, but only have time for one round, try and persuade your friendly member to play the North course.

Who designed Hillcrest Country Club?

The Hillcrest Country Club golf course opened in 1920. It was designed by Willie Watson. William F. Bell and William P. Bell designed the back nine in the 1940s, and Robert Muir Graves redesigned six holes in 1974

How much did it cost to join Hillcrest?

In a 1994 interview with Cigar Aficionado, Berle recalled joining Hillcrest in 1932: "It cost me $275 to join in those days. Now the initiation fee (1994) is $150,000, if they'll accept you, which all depends on how much money you've given to the United Jewish Appeal."

What time did George Burns show up at Hillcrest?

Unless he was out of town, he showed up every day from noon to 3 p.m. for his bridge game until 3 days before his death in 1996.

Who were the comedians at Hillcrest?

For years, many of the city's top comedians, including Jack Benny, George Burns, George Jessel, Groucho Marx, Danny Kaye, and later Milton Berle and Don Rickles, got together for a regular Friday lunch at Hillcrest, where they would socialize, try new material out on their friends, and talk "shop." Alan King said the Friday lunches at Hillcrest were like a college for comedy.

Who was the radio host on Hillcrest?

In October 1947, Hillcrest was the setting for Jack Benny 's radio show in consecutive weeks. Groucho Marx was a member of Hillcrest, even though he once famously proclaimed that he would not want to be a member of any club willing to have him as a member.

Is the 18 hole golf course in the heart of the city?

The 18-hole private course is located in the heart of the city. The course has tree-lined fairways and a strict enforcement of its membership policy. Another unique feature of the course is that they have a "no cell-phone policy" providing a serene atmosphere for a peaceful game of golf. The exclusivity and the popularity of the course make it difficult to get in to play, but the scenic, hilly course is worth it.

Did Hollywood have Jewish country clubs?

Early years In old Hollywood, when Jews were not permitted to join non-Jewish country clubs, they instead joined Hillcrest, all of whose members were Jewish. In An Empire of Their Own, Neal Gabler described charity dinners of the 1930s where movie moguls would gather at Hillcrest and outbid one another with gifts to the United Jewish Welfare Fund and other Jewish causes. In the 1940s, Hillcrest remained exclusively Jewish and attracted many of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Danny Kaye, George Burns, George Jessel, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor and the Ritz Brothers.

How many acres is Hillcrest Country Club?

In his book on the William Morris Agency, author Frank Rose described the prestige of Hillcrest as follows: ...Hillcrest Country Club was as close to invisible as 142 acres (0.57 km 2) on the south side of Beverly Hills could be.

How many times has Rancho Park Golf Course hosted the Los Angeles Open?

Nearby is Rancho Park Golf Course, a municipal course that has hosted the Los Angeles Open seventeen times, and was the site of events on the Senior PGA Tour ( 1990 – 94) and LPGA Tour ( 1978 – 80 ).

Was Groucho Marx a member of Hillcrest?

Groucho Marx was a member of Hillcrest, even though he once famously proclaimed that he would not want to be a member of any club willing to have him as a member. (When one club offered to waive its no-Jews rule for Groucho, provided he abstained from using the swimming pool, he remarked, "My daughter's only half Jewish, can she wade in up to her knees?") Groucho once noted: "As you may recall, the Hillcrest is the only country club in all of Greater Los Angeles that will accept Talmudic scholars such as myself as members."

Who was Alistair Cooke with at Hillcrest Country Club?

Alistair Cooke told of having lunch with Groucho at Hillcrest Country Club. There were many others sitting at the famed Hillcrest Comedians Round Table, and when the waiter came to take the dessert orders, he could not keep track of who was having what.

Who said the Hillcrest Country Club accept Talmudic scholars?

Groucho once noted: "As you may recall, the Hillcrest is the only country club in all of Greater Los Angeles that will accept Talmudic scholars such as myself as members.". His ad-libbing and joking with the staff at Hillcrest became legendary. Alistair Cooke told of having lunch with Groucho at Hillcrest Country Club.

Who was the Dodgers pitcher who was roasted at Hillcrest?

In December 1963, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax was roasted at Hillcrest by the Round Table comedians, along with guest roasters Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. In what the Los Angeles Times called just about the only printable comment of the evening, George Jessel called Koufax, "without question, the most important Hebrew athlete since Samson ."

Is Hillcrest open to non-Jews?

Admission of non-Jews. When Hillcrest membership opened to non-Jews, their first choice for a new member was Danny Thomas, a Lebanese Catholic. At the time, Jack Benny quipped to Thomas that the least the club could have done was to admit a member who looked like a gentile.

What year was Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles opened?

Championships hosted: Los Angeles Open. Located across the West Pico Boulevard from the 20th Century Fox studios, Hillcrest Country Club was opened in 1920 to cater for the Los Angeles Jewish community, with tennis courts, an Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool and an 18-hole golf course to keep the members occupied on ...

Who designed the original golf course?

Willie Watson designed the original course on a 140-acre site where the front nine holes were routed around a valley that runs next to a hill on which many of the back nine holes were laid out. That all changed when Kyle Phillips was appointed in 2018 to redesign the existing layout, adding six new holes to the set-up.

Who was the first gentile to be admitted to the Jewish club?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Danny Thomas was the first gentile admitted to the once exclusively Jewish club, to which Groucho Marx and Milton Berle belonged; Jack Benny quipped that if they were going to admit a gentile, they should at least let one in who looked like a gentile.”.

Who designed the irrigation system for the golf course?

Landscapes Unlimited was the general contractor, Brent Harvey designed the irrigation system, and planting design was by Ken Alperstein of Pinnacle Design Company.

How many acres are there in the front nine?

Occupying 141 acres just south of Beverly Hills, the club’s original front nine sat in a valley that runs east of a hill on which most of the back nine played. This combination of terrain afforded Watson nice elevation changes, as well as long views towards Los Angeles and the surrounding oil wells.

Who said "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member"?

Groucho Marx made an exception to his own rule – “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member” – for Hillcrest Country Club. Established in 1920 with eighteen holes laid out by Willie Watson, Hillcrest has long been counted alongside the courses at Riviera, LACC and Bel-Air as one of Los Angeles’ finest, and is home club to many of the city’s leading lights.

What is Hillcrest Round Table?

As Arthur Marx wrote in an article some time ago- "The Hillcrest Round Table of Comedians, a comedic moniker playing off New York’s renown Algonquin Round Table frequented by writers and intellectuals of the '20's, didn't begin as a club at all.

Who played golf with the Ritz brothers?

It came about because Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Harpo, Chico and Groucho Marx, George Jessel, Eddie Cantor, Lou Holtz, the Ritz Brothers, Danny Kaye and George Burns all liked to play golf, and in order to play they had to belong to a club.

Who said "I would never be a member of a club which would have me as one of its members"?

Groucho Marx famously said, “I would never be a member of a Club which would have me as one of its members…” just before he and the other Marx brothers joined Hillcrest Country Club.

Is the Round Table on the golf course?

The Round Table. The most cherished area on the massive grounds of Hillcrest Country Club probably isn't on the golf course, in fact, it's not on any of the tennis courts nor in either of the locker rooms. Hillcrest’s most famous site is undeniably a large, round oak table that rests inconspicuously in The Grill.

Overview

The club

Located in Los Angeles's Cheviot Hills neighborhood, Hillcrest opened in 1920 as the first country club for the city's Jewish community. In 1972, the Los Angeles Times referred to Hillcrest as "the leading Jewish country club in Southern California." The property includes tennis courts, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and an 18-hole golf course, as well as a clubhouse with dining and meeting facilities for its members and their guests. The golf course, originally designed by Willi…

Early years

Hillcrest was established in the early days of the movie industry in Hollywood, when Jews were not permitted to join non-Jewish country clubs. In An Empire of Their Own, Neal Gabler described charity dinners of the 1930s at the all-Jewish club, where movie moguls would gather and outbid one-another with gifts to the United Jewish Welfare Fund and other Jewish causes. In the 1940s Hillcrest attracted many of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Danny Thomas, Milton Berle, Jac…

Groucho makes an exception to his policy

Groucho Marx was a member of Hillcrest, even though he once famously proclaimed that he would not want to be a member of any club willing to have him as a member. (When one club offered to waive its no-Jews rule for Groucho, provided he abstained from using the swimming pool, he remarked, "My daughter's only half Jewish, can she wade in up to her knees?") Groucho once noted: "As you may recall, the Hillcrest is the only country club in all of Greater Los Angele…

The Hillcrest "Round Table"

For years, many of Hollywood's top comedians, including Jack Benny, George Burns, George Jessel, Groucho Marx, Danny Kaye, and later Milton Berle and Don Rickles, got together for a regular Friday lunch at Hillcrest, where they would socialize, try new material out on their friends, and talk "shop." Alan King said the Friday lunches at Hillcrest were like a college for comedy. In 1972, the Los Ang…

Admission of non-Jews

When Hillcrest membership opened to non-Jews, their first choice for a new member was Danny Thomas, a Lebanese Catholic. At the time, Jack Benny quipped to Thomas that the least the club could have done was to admit a member who looked like a gentile. Other notable non-Jewish members over the years have included Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, actor Jack Lemmon, Sidney Poitier, and Oscar-winning film producers Darryl F. Zanuck and Richard D. Zanuck.

External links

• Official website
• Leonardo Ciampa, "The Hillcrest Round Table: Remembering George Burns, Jack Benny, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, George Jessel, Milton Berle, the Marx Brothers, the Ritz Brothers, and Lou Holtz" ISBN 978-1-4259-8338-3
• Classic Photograph of the Hillcrest Round Table