Bel-Air Country Club

Bel-Air Country Club was founded in the mid-1920s by oil magnate Alphonzo Bell as the centerpiece of his upscale Bel Air Estates residential community, intended to attract Hollywood's elite to the rolling canyons above Los Angeles. George C. Thomas Jr. designed the course in 1925-1926 with assistance from Jack Neville and Billy Bell handling construction and bunkering. It was the first of Thomas's legendary Los Angeles trilogy, followed by Riviera (1927) and the renovation of the North Course at Los Angeles Country Club.

The site presented extraordinary challenges. Thomas originally planned to route the course across relatively flat land to the south, but UCLA's acquisition of that property forced him into the steep canyons — a constraint that sparked genius. The resulting layout required remarkable engineering: multiple tunnels cut through canyon walls to connect separated sections, a swinging suspension bridge spanning a deep gorge, and an elevator transporting players between different elevations. No other classic course in the world features such infrastructure.

Over the decades, the club attracted a membership roster of politicians, entertainers, and power brokers including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Howard Hughes. Hughes famously landed his Sikorsky airplane on the 8th fairway in 1936 to impress actress Katharine Hepburn. Successive renovations by Dick Wilson (1962), Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1974), and Tom Fazio altered Thomas's original design.

In 2018, Tom Doak's Renaissance Golf Design completed a comprehensive restoration that returned the course to Thomas's original vision. Doak's team discovered original bunker dimensions by excavating buried sand layers from previous construction, removed ponds that had been added in later renovations, reduced the overall bunker count, and rebuilt green complexes to match Thomas's design philosophy. The restoration recovered three bunkerless holes and stripped away features that obscured the original landscape character.

Bel-Air hosted the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur and is set to host the 2026 Curtis Cup Match (June 12-14), showcasing the restored layout on the international stage. The suspension bridge, now 100 years old, remains the most recognizable feature of one of America's most architecturally significant golf courses.

Bel-Air is unlike any other golf course in the world. The routing winds through steep canyons above UCLA's campus, connected by tunnels, an elevator, and the famous century-old suspension bridge. The infrastructure alone makes this an unforgettable experience, but Thomas's architecture elevates it further — bold bunkering in a distinctive Southern California style, serpentine fairways through canyon bottoms, and green complexes that mix deep bunkers with natural landforms.

At 6,619 yards and par 71, the course does not overwhelm with length. The challenge comes from the terrain: elevation changes, blind and semi-blind shots, sidehill lies, and canyon crossings that demand confident ball-striking. The par 3s serve as creative connectors between separated terrain pockets, each with unique character. The compact routing means holes occasionally run close together, with staggered landing zones managing safety across parallel fairways.

The Tom Doak restoration stripped away decades of accumulated alterations and returned the course to Thomas's original strategic intent. Ponds were removed, bunker counts reduced, and several holes regained their bunkerless character, letting the natural terrain provide the defense. The result is a course that rewards creative shotmaking, ground-game approaches, and precise positioning over raw power.

Leave the driver in the bag on most holes. Bel-Air rewards accuracy and positioning over distance, and the canyons punish wayward shots severely. A well-placed iron off the tee sets up better angles into Thomas's demanding green complexes.

The elevation changes affect club selection dramatically. Uphill shots to canyon-top greens play longer than yardage suggests, while downhill shots into canyon bottoms may need less club. Trust your caddie's advice on the first visit.

On the par 3s, especially the iconic 10th, commit fully to the shot. The canyons create wind channels that can shift direction between the tee and the green. The punchbowl green on 10 is more receptive than it appears — aim for the center and let the contours work.

The restored bunkerless holes (including the 12th "Mae West") require a different mindset. Without sand to frame the target, reading the landform and understanding the natural slopes is essential. Shots that miss on the low side of these greens are far easier to recover than those that go high.

Take a moment on the suspension bridge to appreciate the view — downtown Los Angeles is visible on clear days, and the bridge itself is a century-old landmark worth savoring.