A perfect Saturday in LA. Not a bad day for a spot of sightseeing and a trip down south to the Terranea Resort for a cheeky 9 holes of golf on their new 9 hole resort style course.
Dodgy took to the roads and after an hour or so of seeing some sights we were at the resort and treated to a very warm welcome from the local pro Buddy. The Terranea resort is in a stunning location perched atop the cliffs in a dramatic setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean (we could nearly see NZ) and with huge waves crashing down below. The resort is very close to the cliffs with the 9 hole par three golf course sitting on the higher ground behind the buildings. A pretty good design as we could still enjoy the million dollar views from the golf course.
The resort and golf course were built in the middle of the GFC so it's likely that the place has had a pretty difficult first year or so in operation. But all day we experienced first rate service and could really relax and enjoy the day.
The golf course is probably the best 9 holer we've played this year (although Mahia pushes it pretty close on a budget about 1/1000th the size). There are no trees and is very exposed to the wind so despite being all par threes, I wouldn't say it's a simple track. There are big features around the greens and the greens themselves have some huge swales in and around them. The first few holes into the wind were tough going, but then back down wind trying to stop a wedge on a shallow green was tough work. I must admit to hitting some aweful % shots away from the pin to help score ok.
Golf here was a huge amount of fun. A great contrast to the championship golf courses we've been playing day in day out. It also took about 80 minutes to play, which is great if you don't want your golf taking up the entire day! Bottom line is if I was a guest here I'd definitely enjoy going out for a hit of golf (and if you're after championship golf I think the Trump National course isn't too far away). Jamie and I knocked it around ok as well and were about 3 and 1 over par respectively.
After golf we were couriered down to one of the many restaurants here, Nelsons, where a table was reserved for us. The manager Jessica said g'day and the service from the staff was top notch. Looking around there were people from a wide variety of ages enjoying a drink or two and soaking in the views (Nelsons is right on the cliff tops and crucially, protected from the wind by a glass fence). Jamie had the pork which he described as epic, and I had some pretty handy fish. We washed it down with a local drop called Stones IPA which was just what the doctor ordered after the tough walk around Terranea. Yeah Right.
For us, this was the perfect way to see LA and recharge our batteries for the long road ahead across the country.
Before I go, I'll share with you some refreshing news that we've managed to find time amongst our long round today to do the tourist thing and we've checked out Hollywood Blvd, Santa Monica and Sunset Blvd. I've also had time to briefly catch up with an old friend, Jodene, and Jamie and I met with Paul Parlane, a kiwi golf coach who coaches a few of the A listers over here (including Samuel L Jackson, Pete Sampras and Phil Tataurangi). We had a beer with Paul at a place called Hughs and heard about life for a kiwi guy in LA - doesn't sound too bad at all! Later on we headed out with our champion host, John Shelton who has kindly looked after us here for the last few nights, for a spot of mexican and a pearler of a cocktail at the famous El Coyote's joint just around the corner from our base. All in all a great day.
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Chisholm Park
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