You Take The High Road and I'll Take the L.A. Road

Tom Tuchscher

Special to the Mirror

   On the Scottish coast, facing the North Sea on the Firth of the Forth, sits St. Andrews, the home of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and the birthplace of golf. Obtaining a tee time at the Old Course, the world's oldest golf course, can be nearly impossible. For the non-VIP, it can mean a reservation with a year-long wait. Today, with the sun shining and with little wind, the Old Course is playable by the high-handicapper. But if the conditions reverse and the wind begins to gust off the icy white caps of the North Sea, the golf can be an exercise in frustration. Hitting the greens becomes less important than actually finding your ball.
   But wait, I may be visiting the birthplace of golf, but I write for the Mirror. We may not have the most venerable golf course in the world on the Westside, but we do have some decent places to put club to ball. Penmar, for one. 
   Penmar Golf Course in Venice, CA is a far cry from St. Andrews. Wind is negligible, the fairways are well manicured and soft, the greens are flat. Penmar is the epitome of Southern California golf. We can only be considered a year round golf paradise. In this Eden, Penmar is a perfect afternoon course. Considered an "executive course" because it is only nine holes with no par fives, Penmar can be played in less than two hours, making it perfect for long lunch breaks or the after work twilight.  The $10 green fee makes it affordable to play a couple of times a week.
   The Good: The fairways are nicely kept. For a non-private course, the fairways are in surprisingly good condition. The local public courses tend to play by winter rules, not because of foul weather, but because of the harsh conditions - like hard packed dirt and clumpy grass marring the fairways. Penmar has very few 'ground under repair' signs, and that helps with quick and easy play.
   The Bad: The greens have recently been reworked. They went from being "quirky" with many mounds and undulations to being mesa flat. All the break that I read was not actually there.
   The Ugly: The only detraction from Penmar is the allowance for playing in groups of five, rather than the usual foursomes. On weekends and busy days, this can make play slow to a crawl.
   Venice, CA may not be St. Andrews, Scotland, but golf is golf the world around. Penmar, when compared to the Scottish links, leaves much to be desired. But no course can really compare to the traditions and history of Scottish golf. True golfers will play Penmar with the same respect, if with less trepidation, as playing The Old Course.