Suburban Golf Retreat in Los Angeles

Some 25 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, and right in the middle of Southern California's urban and suburban growth, Robinson Ranch has captured the feeling of golfing in the country. Co-architects, Ted Robinson Sr. and Ted Jr., whose family has ties to the Golden State dating back to when the early settlers traveled the Sierra Nevada=s by foot, have given golfers a glimpse of California's lost heritage, "The Way It Used to Be."

The 400-acre complex sets on rolling hills, rock outcroppings and dry stream beds with hundreds of stately oak trees, natural alluvial and coastal sage, bordering the Angeles National Forest. It is one of the few places a golfer is more likely to look at some of the wildlife, such as raccoons, weasels, deer, bobcats, coyote, fox and even bear - instead of looking at their wild golf shots!

Ted Robinson, Sr. has designed more than 170 courses around the world. As a team, both father and son combined their experience in, and passion for, golf with a spectacular layout. For instance, bi-level and undulating greens, numerous dogleg par 4's and 5's, uphill fairways, cliff-hanging tee-off boxes, strategically-placed deep bunkers, stream-dissecting fairways, middle-of-the-fairway oak trees, sometimes wide-open and beautiful fairways, canyons surrounding greens, and refreshing, but non-golfer-friendly lakes are some of the eclectic features of the two courses - Mountain and Valley.

One of the true signature holes of the Valley Course is the scenic par 3, hole seven called the "Tarantula." The golfers' tee-off from some 100 feet above the green, approximately 200 yards away.

THE TOUGHEST HOLE -

The toughest hole on the Valley Course rated by the lowest handicap index on the scorecard is the par 4, hole four. This hole is a slight dogleg left, bordered by a left side fairway bunker and a dry stream bed to the right. The second shot to reach the green in regulation is between two large heritage oak trees.

Jetsetters Magazine Golf MallThe strangest hole (nine) on Valley and maybe the true signature hole, called "Saddleback" is a par 5 with one fairway to the left and another fairway to the right. A large heritage oak tree in the middle separates the two fairways and is very reachable with the driver. If you hit left, it is a traditional three-shot hole, laying up short of the lake that fronts the moderately sloping putting surface with a waterfall backdrop. However, if the golfer hits the ball to the right Saddleback fairway with a bit of zip on their driver, they stand the chance to reach the green in two! This golfer/reporter had the fortune to hit a provisional (ball) after the first gamble to go right posed a few doubts after watching it fall from the elevated tee-off box some 90 feet above the fairway. Therefore, I hit my second ball to the left fairway. Luckily, I learned my lesson without taking my medicine, and shortly later I was able to find my daring first shot to par the hole!

All the greens rated 10 on this reporter's meter as being one of the finest in the entire West. One has to wonder if PGA tour golf professionals like Tiger Woods and Davis Love III gets these fine of greens to putt on "week-in-and-week-out?!"

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By Mel Barosay, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com