Golfadelphia

1,239 yards, 89 slope from the Back tees

Growing up in Southern California was not bad in terms of amusements parks. Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain. And Marineland. I have always been competitive and I fiercely guarded our amusement parks over those in other parts of the country. I’d argue with some kid for hours about how Disneyland was better than Disneyworld (even though I didn’t visit Disneyworld for the first time until I was 30). This also included arguing that Marineland was better than Sea World down in San Diego. The location right on the cliffs of the South Bay was much better and our killer whales were a lot better, named Orky and Corky. Sea World must have agreed because they ended up buying Marineland and shipping the killer whales to their park in the late 1980’s. The park remained closed for years. Its famed tower, however, remained in place, a vestige of what once was. At some point in the 1990’s, MTV used the park for one of its Spring Break locales. My friend and I got as far as the parking lot before realizing the whole MTV Spring Break vibe just wasn’t for us. The park became smaller and smaller in the car’s rear view mirror and eventually faded from sight as we left. That would be the last time I would lay eyes on good old Marineland.

It would be another fifteen years before I set foot on the property again. This time, to golf. The right developers finally purchased the land and were able to negotiate the environmental and public access issues to build an impressive resort. There is a hotel, spa, bungalows, event space, housing and eight restaurants. A trail along the cliff’s edge overlooking the Pacific is open to all, as are many of the restaurants. The area has been rejuvenated to enjoy one of the more beautiful corners of the world. The views of the Pacific extend to Catalina and the rest of the Channel Islands and in contrast with the towering cliffs, it’s a sight to behold and one I had the fortune of growing up with. The place is now named Terranea.

Todd Eckenrode designed the course, which opened in 2009. All nine holes are par 3’s and it is walking only. The routing does well to loop around the cliffside and shows off the remarkable ocean views. The holes have a good deal of variety with a lot of the creativity at the greens. Bunkering is effective yet restrained, as the terrain is packed with movement and Eckenrode was wise to allow the ground movement to flourish. The greens are an extension of that wonderful movement, ensuring that those managing to hit the green from the tee still have a lot of work to do before the ball gets in the hole. And yes, there’s always the possibility of the ball running off the green altogether from certain spots. The course is open to the public, not just resort guests. While any old golf holes could have been put in and done well with the views and setting, Eckenrode did well to design an engaging short course for golfers of all levels. To wit, I most recently played there with various members of my family, ranging from 7 to 75 years old, and we all had a blast. The round takes maybe an hour, or a little over depending, so it’s much easier to get in day in and day out. The setting is indeed splendid. Like most things in Southern California especially on the coast, it is not cheap, yet a little out of necessity to prevent too much of a crowd. For those looking to spend some time among the golden coast and play a little bit of pretty good golf, Terranea is a pretty good option.

The First is a 123 yard par 3 (from the Back tees). “Long Point.” Named for the land upon which the course is set, we start out north, then south, before moving east and finishing west. The green is a bit uphill, the left side is no good at all while a waste area and greenside bunker menace on the right. The green is large and moves from back to right and there’s room long, so use the green space smartly.

The Second is a 104 yard par 3. “Boomerang.” Named for the boomerang green that stretched around a front center line bunker that is wide yet shallow. There’s a general right to left movement towards the ocean that should be especially accounted for here, as the sandy waste land to the left below the green is no where to be. The entry points of the green or just over the bunker provide the most landing room off the tee yet if one feels the need to miss, miss short of all the trouble and pitch on.

The Third is a 172 yard par 3. “Captain’s Bluff.” A longer par 3 uphill, the hole plays some what like a Redan. Strong right to left movement and the ball will propel forward if landed short high right of the green. Just like the hole prior, the lower left sandy bunker graves should be avoided, as they’re among the tougher recoveries on the course. The left side of the green is turned up though, so there’s not too much of a risk of shots moving off on that side like one sees on many Redans. A great view of the Pacific awaits as this is the closest the course gets to the ocean.

The Fourth is a 136 yard par 3. “Point Fermin.” We start to switch back west and alas, downhill. Bunker positioning complicates the tee shot, as the two in front encourage an aerial approach yet there is room over on the left to steer away from the trouble. The right side is now lower and like the prior holes, the lower side always means stiff steep recoveries from sand or rough. The green sure does move quickly from left to right here as well.

The Fifth is a 115 yard par 3. “Little Blue.” A shorter shot made even shorter when the coastal wind moves out to sea, the Pacific is beyond in all its glory. The green is wide and shallow and set at an angle from the tee, with a couple bunkers guarding the front. Mind the hidden rear bunker, low and off to the right.

The Sixth is a 145 yard par 3. “Portuguese Bend.” The cliffs create a series of bays as one moves along the coast. The tee faces Portuguese Bend, which is two bays over, just after Sacred Cove and Abalone Cove, respectively. The terrain movement is fairly wild and right to left prevalently. The center bunkers are narrow yet deep and everything seems to signal to hit to the left and have it fall towards center. The extreme right has the lower pit of bunkers no one wants to see all that closely.

The Seventh is a 150 yard par 3. “Punchbowl.” Back across the entrance road and now going all uphill, the tee shot is rather blind since it’s rather tough to see all the way up the hill on the green. The hole plays longer than the stated yardage, so the golfer will likely need to club up and go well past the left bunker to reach the green. The fairway leading up to the green is one big punchbowl while the green is a semi-punchbowl, as the front falls off back into the fairway. Staying below the hole is especially advisable here.

The Eighth is a 173 yard par 3. “Catalina.” The views abound now as Catalina can be seen beyond. I used to know the other islands out there, Anacapa is another. This is the most downhill hole and there will be some running forward after the ball lands, especially if it just clears the right bunker before the green. The right side of the green falls off considerably as well, forcing the golfer to take a line at the left side of the green.

The Ninth is a 121 yard par 3. “Whale Road.” The last gets us back to the cliffs, still facing the ocean. The namesake refers to the whales that are often milling about between the coast and Channel Islands. Growing up, school field trips included getting on a boat for some whale watching, then going to the islands and studying tide pools with sea anemones and the like. The tee shot must carry a ravine and avoid the trio of bunkers lining the rear. The green kind of lists off to the right which signals its movement as well. Out of the all the holes, this is the one that is most imperative to hit off the tee since most off greed areas consist of fairway tough recoveries.

I would rank the nine holes 6, 8, 2, 7, 3, 9, 5, 4, 1.

Generally, Terranea is unique in that it’s the only nine hole par 3 course I have played, but it does a lot within its short window of golf. The routing about the property is diverse so that the golfer gets a good range of wind direction, terrain movement and views while each hole is different from the next in structure of play. There is a good amount of strategy in that going right at the hole is not the ideal play a lot of the time but rather coaxing the terrain and wind will do much better in getting it close. This kind of emphasis on thoughtful golf is one of the main reasons why the course enjoys some sophistication, which in turn makes it a worthy play for any type of golfer as they marvel at the unrivaled views. In all, it’s not a bad way to spend an hour.

Clubhouse/Pro Shop: Unimposing, the pro shop is well stocked with televisions inside playing whatever golf is on. I suppose the clubhouse is the resort and as such, I suggest heading to Nelson’s for the Nineteenth hole, where you can hear the waves crashing below as you gaze yonder to Catalina. If you’re a guest, there are multiple pools and restaurants, so figure out how to go to them all.

Practice area: This is a highlight for the course, as the short game area is definitely worth getting some time in before the round. There’s also a putting green and a couple of simulators behind the pro shop. I venture to proclaim this is the most well equipped par 3 nine hole course out there and welcome any comparisons.