Wilshire Country Club is a private, member-owned club set on a compact 104-acre site in the historic Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Founded in 1919, its Norman Macbeth-designed course is a Golden Age gem, threaded by a meandering barranca that comes into play on more than half the holes. The par-71 layout is bisected by Beverly Boulevard, with a tunnel connecting the front and back nines.

Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Established	1919
Architect	Norman Macbeth (restored by Kyle Phillips, 2008)
Type	Private
Holes / Par	18 / 71
Yardage	6,506 yards
Course Rating / Slope	71.8 / 132
Grass	Poa annua greens, Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda fairways
Location	Hancock Park, Los Angeles, CA

Course History

Wilshire Country Club was founded in 1919 in the then-emerging Hancock Park district, with the Norman Macbeth course opening the following year. In its early decades the club became a fixture of Los Angeles competitive golf, hosting the PGA Tour's Los Angeles Open in 1928, 1931, 1933 and 1944. Olin Dutra served as an early club professional, and the course record of 61 has been shared by Ellsworth Vines and Jerry Barber.

In the modern era the club has continued to draw championship golf, including the Senior PGA Tour's SBC Senior Classic (1995-2000) and LPGA events such as the Office Depot Championship (2001) and the LA Open (2018-2022). Howard Hughes's former mansion borders the course's southern perimeter, a reminder of the club's deep ties to old Hollywood.

The Design & Architecture

Norman Macbeth routed the course across a tight urban parcel, using a snaking barranca as the central strategic feature; it threatens tee shots and approaches on more than half the holes. After playing with Alister MacKenzie at the 1928 opening of Cypress Point, Macbeth rebuilt Wilshire's bunkers in the jagged, natural style he admired. A 2008 restoration by Kyle Phillips revived that Golden Age character to critical acclaim, reclaiming lost fairway width and bunker edges.

Playing the Course

At 6,506 yards, par 71, with a course rating of 71.8 and a slope of 132, Wilshire is not overpowering in length but demands precision and course management. The par 3s at the 7th and 10th play to long, shallow greens ringed by deep, jagged-edged bunkers, while the 555-yard 16th wraps around a large U-shaped bend of the creek to one of the club's most memorable greens. The closing 18th, its green set beneath the clubhouse in the elbow of the barranca, ranks among the best finishing holes in the city.

Know Before You Go

Access: Private club open to members and their accompanied guests only.
Location: 301 N. Rossmore Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004, in the Hancock Park neighborhood.
Contact: (323) 934-1121; visit wilshirecountryclub.com for membership information.
Tip: Scoring hinges on staying out of the barranca and controlling distance into the shallow, well-bunkered greens rather than chasing raw length.