Bel-Air Country Club

Commissioned in 1925 by developer Alphonzo E. Bell and opened in 1926, its 18-hole, par-70 course was designed by George C. Thomas Jr. with construction by William P. "Billy" Bell. Routed through a series of steep canyons and barrancas, the course is famous for the tunnels, bridges, and iconic Swinging Bridge that connect its holes.

Course History

Bel-Air Country Club was founded by oilman and real-estate developer Alphonzo E. Bell Sr., who envisioned an exclusive golf club as the centerpiece of his new Bel-Air residential community. Bell commissioned George C. Thomas Jr. — the gentleman-architect also responsible for Riviera and the North Course at Los Angeles Country Club — to route a course through the property's rugged canyon terrain.

The club opened in 1926 and quickly became one of the most exclusive addresses in American golf, as celebrated for its Hollywood and business membership as for its architecture. In 2018 the club completed a comprehensive restoration led by architect Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf Design, reviving many of Thomas's original design ideas.

The Design & Architecture

George C. Thomas Jr. designed with a philosophy that prized strategy and natural beauty over sheer length, and Bel-Air's tight, fingerlike canyons demanded ingenuity. To link holes stranded in separate ravines, Thomas and constructor Billy Bell drilled tunnels through the ridges and spanned the barrancas with bridges. The most celebrated is the par-3 10th, whose tee shot flies across a deep ravine to a green reached by the club's famous Swinging Bridge; players are carried from the ninth green up to the tenth tee by an elevator built into the hillside beneath the clubhouse. Over eighteen holes, golfers pass through several tunnels and across bridges that make the routing unlike any other in American golf.

Playing the Course

Playing to a par of 70 over roughly 6,500 yards, Bel-Air rewards precision and shot-making rather than raw power. Sloping fairways, canyon carries, and small, well-defended greens place a premium on angles and control. The dramatic elevation changes and the theatrical walk across the Swinging Bridge make a round here as memorable for its setting as for its shot values.

Know Before You Go

• Access: Strictly private — open to members and their accompanying guests only; there is no public play.

• Location: 10768 Bellagio Road, Los Angeles, CA 90077.

• Contact: (310) 472-9563 | www.bel-aircc.golf.

• Tip: If you are fortunate enough to play, don't miss the walk across the Swinging Bridge at the par-3 10th — it is the club's signature experience.