Restoration of Lakeside Golf Club course reaches completion

The course at Lakeside Golf Club in Los Angeles, California, has undergone a restoration and renovation project led by Todd Eckenrode - Origins Golf Design.

One of just a handful originally designed by renowned writer and editor Max Behr, the Lakeside course opened in 1924.

Located on a site close to the Los Angeles River, the course was created as a manmade dunes course and the site has sandy soils at its base. Wide fairways, bold contours and large greens characterise the course, which has been lauded over the years by the likes of Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones.

“Lakeside Golf Club is a significant golf course, with a storied lineage of members and an iconic original designer,” said Eckenrode. “This project represents a huge step forward for the club by restoring its character and elevating its best features.”

Todd Eckenrode - Origins Golf Design began working with the club in 2011, when all infrastructure on the course was replaced. Fairways were turfed with hybrid bermudagrass, while green approaches were opened up and renovated.

These initial steps helped reduce water use and ensured fast and firm conditions for golfers.

The recent work has focused on enhancing the interest, variety and playability of the Lakeside course.

Eckenrode and the project team has restored elements of the course in keeping with its original design using historic aerial and ground photographs. These have helped the architect gain a better understanding of green perimeters and bunker locations on the course. As such, a number of original green perimeters have been restored and lost hole locations brought back into play.

A new green was created on the second hole at a location as close as was possible to its original location. The green had been wiped out during a flood in the late 1930s, with a new version built at a site 50 yards further back.

Many non-original bunkers were removed, and the majority of original bunkers were restored. Old aerial photographs played a major role in this, though Eckenrode focused more on locations than style of bunker.

Short-cut chipping areas were added in places adjacent to greens, and several fairways were also renovated.

Significant work also took place on the short fifteenth hole, where the original greenside bunkering concept has been restored. The green has been expanded all the way to the left and right flanks and into a backstop. The green is now three times the size of its previous version and surrounded by hazards.

Eckenrode and the project team worked with course superintendent Robert Hertzing, and lead shapers were Jonathon Reisetter and Andrew Littlefield, with assistance from Kye Goalby and Blake Conant. The project’s contractor was Landscapes Unlimited.

Sean DudleySean Dudley

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