Golfadelphia

4,339 yards, 95 slope from the Blues

Most of us have been steps away from Westchester without ever realizing it. Hundreds of times for some. Resting right next to LAX, the scream of the jets is right within the fabric of the round here. Some might have even seen it while taxiing or just after take off. Westchester, or “Chesty’s” as it’s often called, is one of the public options in Los Angeles proper. There should be a good deal of admiration for the LA public golfer. With not enough supply for an overwhelming demand, the public courses are to the brim day in and day out. The infamous LA traffic makes it tough to travel around and now, there’s a hijacking issue with the online tee times, making it even tougher if not impossible to find a round of golf. For some, it’s not even an issue of playing at a course they prefer or even like; it’s an issue if they can even find some where to play.

One of the options out there is good old Chesty’s. Designed in 1965 by Lawrence Hughes, it’s an eighteen hole short course. In the 1990’s, it lost three holes when LAX expanded, which led to some road reconfigurations. After prolonged efforts and seventeen years, the course was finally able to add three additional holes (15, 16 and 17) in 2010, which included a par 5. The greens are fun and move true. Even more appealing, it’s set up for night golf. There are nets on some of the holes since there are space issues, drainage spots create a few muddy areas while some are hardpan and the wait between shots can get to be a trial of patience. No matter. It’s golf. And on the Saturday early evening I went with my brother in law, we snagged a few tall boys, I played with his back up set of Tour Model II irons that were probably made the same year the course opened and we played as the sun set, then played with the night sky above, all while the jet airliners did their thing. It’s a unique place for golf that evokes an aspect of the multi-faceted LA scene. And as we finished the round with Saturday night in full swing, I looked back on the round fondly.

Golf takes all kinds of forms. This review is some what different from most we do, but shows a side of the game worth looking at. A bastion of public golf in LA for decades, the airport background and night time option make Chesty’s a fun casual place for the game. Maybe you have a couple hours to kill before a flight, maybe you’re looking for something to do before hitting the Clippers game, maybe you’re at the beach and feel like some golf or maybe you just want to swing the clubs for a bit. For any and all, day or even night, Chesty’s is here, waiting. Bright lights, big city, the pulse of flight surging all around.

The First is a 108 yard par 3 (from the Blues). Adjacent to the driving range and just beyond the clubhouse, things start off with a short par 3. Save for a bunker and tree on the left, things are relatively wide open, with the green running back to front.

The Second is a 317 yard par 4. A short par 4 with a pond short of the green. The golfer must decide to lay up short of the green or try to go for it, raising the temptation for most and bringing the water in play more often than it should be. It’s a short pitch to the green from just short of the water, with the green deep and narrow yet no bunkers, only a few trees crowding on the right.

The Third is a 176 yard par 3. A longer par 3 this time, the green pushed up with no bunkers to consider. The green is wide and shallow and going off the back probably gets your ball close to the back of the driving range, so shorter is better.

The Fourth is a 145 yard par 3. Now we move along the rear of the driving range to the northern side of the course. Mind the bunker at the front left of the green. There’s enough room to play with on the right and with the deep green, running something on should always be an option.

The Fifth is a 267 yard par 4. LAX reveals itself in the background of this short par 4 as the horizon presides over it all. The green is set at an angle from the fairway with the greenside bunker front left. Hughes really liked his front left greenside bunkers. The green has some interesting movement towards the front right. Driver off the tee, iron then wedge, the world is your oyster as the planes shuttle millions to all corners of the world.

The Sixth is a 287 yard par 4. Another short par 4 going the other way, trees press on either side while there’s nary a bunker to worry about. There’s a tightness here that should have some reconsider going for it with driver and just like the hole prior, the golfer can really split the tee shot and approach up as he wishes if driver doesn’t seem like the right option. The green also has some nice movement as it’s slightly pushed up.

The Seventh is a 286 yard par 4. Nightfall started in for us at this dog leg left. The swaying palm trees define the turn and defend the green well. Some may try to carry the trees and turn to reach the green from the tee while the fairway is nice and inviting for anyone else who wishes to get to the elbow for a clear approach. The greens continue to opt for depth and narrowness and that is the case here as well. Some of the interior slopes instill a little more interest for those sweating over a score.

The Eighth is a 141 yard par 3. The pond we came across at the Second is off to the left and comes into play for hooked tee shots and the green moves in that direction as well while dense trees are along the right.

The Ninth is a 336 yard par 4. Leading back to the clubhouse, hardwoods once again structure the hole and an acceptable tee shot, which needs to favor the right or carry the larger tree standing left center. The trees yield at the approach although the fairway narrows the closer it gets to the green, which is guarded by a bunker on the left.

The front nine has a nice mixture of short par 4’s and par 3’s that emphasize acumen with the irons and a deft short game with those narrow greens. I would rank them 5, 7, 2, 6, 9, 3, 8, 4, 1.

The back nine starts with the 340 yard par 4 Tenth. The front covers the northern part of the property while the back covers the southern. We head out from the clubhouse once again at this slight dog leg right, palm trees defining the turn. A deep greenside bunker is on the right and not to be trifled with while the green seems to move towards it.

The Eleventh is a 160 yard par 3. With the lights at full illumination, some of the photos were tough to capture the right way. So be it. I think the feel of the round is captured at least, as the golfer negotiates the dark and shadows interspersed with the stadium lighting about the course, along with the lights coming off of LAX. We begin a series of par 3’s here, the tee right behind the Tenth green. A bunker at the front left and the front of the green small before expanding as it moves towards the rear, there is more room at the rear to work with, which also gets you past the bunker.

The Twelfth is a 148 yard par 3. Trees line the right side as the green is beside Westchester Parkway closest to the airport. There are no bunkers to speak of but the angle into the green from the tee can be challenging while anything even a little to the left of the green will run the risk of moving out of bounds and failing to leave much of a recovery. All of this is evident in the photo below. A picture is worth a thousand words, they say.

The Thirteenth is a 148 yard par 3. Yes, same distance as the hole prior. LAX and Westchester Parkway are now beside us on the right, the Super Heavies dropping down from the sky or climbing high above, all the while letting us know about it either way in rather prevalent thunderous sound. There’s a road hole thing going on here with the cart paths coming in on the left and not a whole lot of room to miss other than short. So go with that if you feel the need to miss.

The Fourteenth is a 150 yard par 3. Well, we get two more yards on this one compared to the last couple holes. There’s an environmentally protected area off to the right that the course steers away from, marked by the trees on the right and anything over there is out of bounds. Then there’s a bunker on the right side of the green, underscoring the importance of avoiding that side altogether. The green moves from front to back, the first one to do so.

The Fifteenth is a 515 yard par 5. We head into the new land and come upon the lone par 5 on the course, which is a slight dog leg left. Trees and the fairway turn are the only features holding the golfer back from whaling away with everything he has for the green while the right side remains out of bounds. Sand asserts itself closer to the green as the 100 yards before the green curl to the left. That leaves the green off to the left of the fairway and those who want to try and shorten things will need to carry all of the bunkers to clear the curl. Others may opt to get between the bunkers, which opens up the entirety of the green.

The Sixteenth is a 160 yard par 3. Bunkers guard the front corners of the green, which sits a bit below the tee. There is more room at the rear but the green is a bit smaller than we’ve been used to and moves at a good pace from right to left. Those off the green at the right will be left with a tricky recovery shot with the movement away from them. Missing left leaves better odds for recovery.

The Seventeenth is a 355 yard par 4. A slight dog leg right. The right side stays out of bounds the entire way except at the green. Left to left center is the play off the tee, clearing the prevalent tree on that side. The green contours suggest an approach from the left, a bunker short needs to be cleared to reach that side and a bunker on the right of the green is to be avoided. There’s some fun movement here that indeed should be accounted for on the approach.

The Eighteenth is a 300 yard par 4. The home hole is a short par 4 that bends to the left the whole way. A large bunker on the left side of the green signals to us all to favor the right side. Even those who have visions of reaching the green from the tee and want to carry that bunker will need to do so with considerable height, as there’s not a lot of room for roll out. Getting far enough to the right for an approach clear of the bunker is no small task and most approaches will need to deal with it one way or another. The green sits slightly above the fairway, moving back to front, so plan accordingly.

The back nine starts and ends with par 4’s, while the middle sets the golfer up with a long par 5 after a series of par 3’s. The newer holes spice up the round with some newfound challenges while the final hole is a nice short par 4 with some strategic tones. I would rank them 18, 15, 17, 10, 11, 12, 16, 14, 13.

Generally, Westchester is a good public short course in the Los Angeles metro area with a unique backdrop of LAX. I most enjoyed the array of short par 4’s, which have a good variety to them and entice the golfer into a good amount of decisions. The greens strike a nice tone of fun without being overly done or dull. The par 3’s were fine, many didn’t have a whole lot to them but in any event, the golfer gets a lot of work in with his irons. Places like Westchester are vital for the game. Whether for a casual round, those just beginning or even those looking for some where to get a match in with their friends, Chesty’s is a good affordable option with fun character.

Clubhouse/Pro Shop: There are places to sit inside or out for food and drinks while the pro shop has some inventory. Consider glow in the dark balls out there but just know they are a lot heavier than regular balls.

Practice area: There’s a range and putting green.