This cult-classic golf course ripped my coronary heart out — however I nonetheless beloved it

It was 3:28 p.m. on a Thursday with sundown coming at 4:42, so I ran as much as the seventh tee, positioned my peg within the floor and ripped a pitching wedge on the center of the inexperienced on the par-3 inexperienced.

The ball seemingly landed good of the outlet, kicked left and disappeared. Abruptly, the fixed drone from the freeway only a few hundred toes away was interrupted with, “Did that go in?”

“Yeah, that went in!”

“I feel that went in, Jacky-boy!”

I began laughing as I let my 5 taking part in companions, all colleagues right here at GOLF and our 8AM Golf household, persuade me I had simply made my second-ever hole-in-one as we rushed to get in as many holes earlier than darkish.

However — spoiler alert! — the ball hadn’t gone in. After I arrived on the inexperienced, I found that my ball was 15 toes past the pin, hidden by contours. Nonetheless, that second encapsulated the magic of Goat Hill Park, and late-afternoon golf (late afternoon for this time of yr, anyway) with nice associates.

In 2024, I used to be fortunate sufficient to cross off three from my bucket listing in The Nation Membership in Brookline, Mass.; Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course in South Carolina; and Cabot Highland’s Fort Stuart within the Scottish Highlands. Scotland’s Royal Dornoch and Nairn, and frequent journeys round Philadelphia Cricket Membership’s Wissahickon course, rounded out my dance card.

These programs dot GOLF’s lists of High 100 U.S. and High 100 World programs.

But when we’re speaking about essentially the most enjoyable I had on a golf course this yr, I’d nominate two rounds chasing the solar at Goat Hill Park, a beloved and legendary muni in Southern California that price me $80 whole. There’s a cause lots of our employees have come away raving about Goat Hill.

In the event you’re unfamiliar, “The Goat” was initially a regulation nine-holer, the primary course in San Diego County on a wildly undulating plateau in now-golf-crazy Oceanside, proper subsequent to Interstate 5. Within the Nineteen Nineties, the course was redesigned into its present 18-hole, short-course type, however the place took a downturn within the early 2000s.

In 2014, a bunch of locals efficiently fought again in opposition to the redevelopment of the land, and a brand new administration crew led by John Ashworth reworked the 4,500-yard design into the gem it’s right this moment.

Today, the course isn’t in excellent form — the tees have brown spots, the tough is gentle and a number of the cart paths are cracked — however the greens are clean and true and fairways well-maintained. It’s an unimaginable worth for a $25 strolling price.

How a golf course was constructed on this website is mystifying. The 75-acre parcel has unimaginable views of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding mountains, however the terrain has you go up, down and round large undulations of earth. Many locals stroll, some with furry companions at their facet, however typically with lighter luggage and fewer than 14 golf equipment, a becoming method to play the brief course. Which isn’t to say you gained’t want all 14 golf equipment.

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The most effective a part of Goat Hill is the coolness vibe: golfers, canine, vary goers, music listeners, beer drinkers all coexisting with not a care on the planet. There’s not a lot of a gown code, except for shirt, footwear, and so on. You wouldn’t need one both for a spot whose motto is “World Class / Working Class.” In the event you’re on the lookout for a course to identify Tour execs practising in road garments, that is it.

We performed as a sixsome and have been instructed solely to ensure we saved up, which we did.

There are even shorter tees for youths referred to as the “Child Goat.” Wish to play frisbee golf as an alternative? They’ve that, too.

Each afternoons-into-evenings we performed the course, the car parking zone was packed effectively after sundown. Taking part in simply after 2:30 p.m. earned us a twilight charge of simply $35 and sufficient time to zip round 16 holes.

Additionally, simply because the holes are brief, doesn’t make them any much less difficult. The second inexperienced performs to a inexperienced perched above you and over a chasm. Miss brief, your ball funnels down some 60 toes and 60 yards away. Miss too far left and also you would possibly end up within the bowl of the sixteenth inexperienced.

Holes that may appear drivable, just like the par-4 4th, require a 270-yard compelled carry over one other chasm, or face one other lengthy uphill pitch to a blind inexperienced.

You should hit pictures at Goat Hill Park, however you don’t have to. There are not any water hazards and it’s troublesome to lose a ball.

However you possibly can simply lose your self within the expertise.