Par 71, 6,500 yards 130 Slope, 72.0 Rating Course Record: George Downing & Kevin Marsh (62)
Original Architect(s): Thomas Bendelow (1918), George C. Thomas & William P. Bell (1925), William F. Bell (1957)
Notable Championships Played: 1930 U.S. Amateur 1976 U.S. Amateur 1983 U.S. Senior Open 2008 U.S. Senior Open
Hole 1: Par 4, 415 Yards
The 1st hole opens with a downhill tee shot to an inviting and generous fairway
The 1st hole tee shot from the back tee
The interesting horseshoe-shaped left fairway bunker of the 1st hole
The 1st hole approach viewed from the left horseshoe-shaped fairway bunker
The 1st hole approach from the left side of the fairway
The 1st hole approach from the right center of the fairway
The left green side bunker of the 1st hole
The 1st hole green viewed from behind
Hole 2: Par 4, 356 Yards
The 2nd hole at La Cumbre requires a drive threading the groves of eucalyptus trees framing both sides of the hole
The 2nd hole tee shot from the back tee
The 2nd hole fairway — center or center-left are the ideal places for the tee shot
The two left fairway bunkers of the 2nd hole
The 2nd hole approach from the fairway — an uphill shot to a tricky green sloped severely from back-to-front with two distinct tiers
The 2nd hole green commands respect — any putts from above the hole are at risk of rolling off the green
Various vantage points of the 2nd hole green
The 2nd hole green viewed from behind
Hole 3: Par 4, 392 Yards
The 3rd hole starts with a downhill tee shot then goes straight uphill to the green
The 3rd hole tee shot from the back tee
The 3rd hole left fairway bunker with the green beckoning up the hill
The 3rd hole green viewed from 50 yards away
The 3rd hole green viewed from the front right
The 3rd hole green viewed from the back right
The 3rd hole green viewed from behind
Hole 4: Par 4, 378 Yards
The 4th hole gives the first glimpse of Laguna Blanca in the distance and comes mostly into play later on during the back nine holes
The 4th hole tee shot from the back tee — a strategic layup is required down the fairway to set up the approach
The 4th hole doglegs sharply to the left — if a player does not get a tee shot far enough down the fairway, the approach will likely be blocked
The lone right fairway bunker — a player is best to be just short or left of it to have a clear approach to the green
The 4th hole approach from the fairway — the green is perched atop a knoll and surrounded by trees that can bat down loose approach shots
The right green side bunker protecting the 4th hole green
The 4th hole green from the front
The 4th hole green from the front left — there is room to miss to the left of this green, but missing right leaves a far more difficult recovery shot
The 4th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 5: Par 3, 159 Yards
The 5th hole is the first par-3 hole at La Cumbre — the left side of the green is guarded by a front green side bunker and one in the back
The 5th hole tee shot from the back tee — the miss is out to the right
The 5th hole green from the front right
The 5th hole green from the left — the left green side bunker tends to catch many balls from pulled and short approach shots
The 5th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 6: Par 5, 528 Yards
The 6th hole is the first par-5 hole at La Cumbre, tumbling downhill into a low area
The 6th hole fairway has broad left-to-right movement but can be completely circumvented with a long tee shot — out-of-bounds guards both sides of the fairway
The approach into the 6th hole green is guarded by multiple well-crafted bunkers
A closer look at the 6th hole approach further up the fairway
The 6th hole has one of the most idyllic green settings at La Cumbre
The right fairway bunker of the 6th hole — designed to give some concern on the second shot into the hole
The front left green side bunker of the 6th hole
The left green side bunker of the 6th hole
The front of the 6th hole green
The 6th hole green viewed from the back right
Hole 7: Par 3, 159 Yards
The 7th hole at La Cumbre is one of its prettiest — and also one of its deadliest
The 7th hole tee from the back tee — the approach shot requires a precise strike down the hill to a narrow green situated inside a small canyon
The 7th hole green is narrow and protected by bunkers on its left side and a hazard area that tightly guards its right side — any shots peeling right will bound into the hazard
The 7th hole green viewed from the front — long and narrow in shape
The 7th hole green viewed from the front left
A more picturesque view of the 7th hole green
A closer look at the two green side bunkers guarding the left side of the 7th hole
The 7th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 8: Par 4, 401 Yards
The No. 1 handicap hole at La Cumbre and for good reason — one of the most demanding tee shots is required on the 8th hole
The 8th hole tee shot from the back tee — one of the most claustrophobic and intimidating tee shots in all of Southern California
There is no doubt that the 8th hole is a scary tee shot and a test of a player’s nerve
Believe it or not, a fairway does exist on the 8th hole once past the eucalyptus trees guarding the tee shot
The 8th hole fairway — a canyon runs alongside the entire length of the right side of the hole
The 8th hole approach from the right side of the fairway — not an ideal angle to approach the green
The 8th hole approach from the middle of the fairway
The canyon guards the right side of the 8th hole green — the original hole once had the canyon cut in much closer in front of the green and required a more pronounced carry over it. It has since been filled in (much to the chagrin of George Thomas architecture fans)
A conceptual sketch of the 8th hole (originally the 16th hole) — you can see the canyon cutting more in front of the green and the green oriented in a different angle — those who boldly drove to the left hand side would have the better and safer angle to the green while those who did not would have to contend more with the canyon on the approach. (Credit to La Cumbre superintendent Wayne Mills for graciously providing this sketch)
A look back towards the tee shows the severity of the canyon along the 8th hole
The 8th hole green approach viewed from 40 yards away
A closer look at the 8th hole green from the front
The 8th hole green viewed from behind and looking back towards the fairway
The 8th hole green viewed from the back left
Hole 9: Par 5, 473 Yards
The 9th hole has a reverse camber fairway and doglegs gently to the right up the hill
The 9th hole tee shot from the back tee
The 9th hole approach from the fairway — an uphill shot awaits to a green heavily guarded by bunkers
A closer look at the 9th hole approach
The beautiful left fairway bunker of the 9th hole
A look back at the 9th hole left fairway bunker towards the tee
The view of the 9th hole green from the left fairway bunker
The right green side bunker of the 9th hole
The 9th hole green from the front right
The 9th hole green from the left
The 9th hole green from the back right — the green has plenty of slope to keep players honest with putting
The 9th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 10: Par 5, 494 Yards
The back nine at La Cumbre starts off with a dramatic and unnerving tee shot down to the 10th hole fairway
The 10th hole tee shot from the back tee — the angled fairway nearly 100 feet downhill feels narrow and awkward to pick the proper line
A closer look at the 10th hole fairway — the power lines that cut across are an unfortunate nuisance but luckily it’s an automatic re-tee with no penalty if a player hits them
A view of the entire length of the 10th hole fairway
The left fairway bunker that guards the 10th hole fairway (and it is not visible from the back tee)
The 10th hole approach from the fairway
The 10th hole approach from 100 yards away — two green side bunkers protect the front right and front left and the green falls off on the back left and behind it
The front right green side bunker guarding the 10th hole green
The left front green side bunker of the 10th hole
The 10th hole green viewed from the front left
The 10th hole green from the back left — the green falls off sharply along its back left and behind it, leaving tricky pitch shots to get up and down
The 10th hole green from behind
Hole 11: Par 3, 161 Yards
The relatively benign 11th hole makes you wonder there must have been more going on with this hole in the past — not much of George Thomas’ design is left in the current version of La Cumbre
The left green side bunker of the 11th hole
The 11th hole green from the front left — the green is two-tiered
The 11th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 12: Par 5, 525 Yards
The 12th hole at La Cumbre is a player’s first real encounter with Laguna Blanca
The 12th hole tee shot from the back tee. The risk-reward strategy of this hole is clear — the more aggressive a player is with hitting over the lagoon, the shorter the approach shot will be. Bailing out to the right will leave a longer approach shot
How much are you willing to risk over the lagoon?
Once successfully clearing Laguna Blanca with the tee shot, a player faces this approach into the 12th hole green. Towering trees frame the second shot
A closer look at the 12th hole approach
Three bunkers guard the 12th hole green
A view of the front right green side bunker of the 12th hole
The 12th hole green from the front right — the back left shelf of the green can be tricky to access when out of position
The 12th hole green from the back right
The 12th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 13: Par 3, 225 Yards
The 13th hole was originally inspired by Thomas who implemented a bold cape redan design — while the hole has evolved over the years, it still retains its intimidating nature with Laguna Blanca guarding the entire left side of the hole
The 13th hole from the back tee — a 200+ yards carry is required over the lagoon to safely reach the green
Interestingly, the club designed a new alternate par-3 13th hole by building an island green that juts out into the lagoon — which version do you think is better?
The “new” 13th hole green from the teeing ground that is used for the hole
The 13th hole green from the bend of the cape
The 13th hole green from short right — this is typically the bail out area where a player would then face a pitch shot to get up and down
The 13th hole green viewed from the right
The 13th hole green from the front
The 13th hole green viewed from the back right
The 13th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 14: Par 4, 412 Yards
The 14th hole continues to wrap along the edge of Laguna Blanca
The 14th hole tee shot from the back tee — a player must decide how aggressive to be with the tee shot — successfully carrying the lagoon along the left will leave a shorter approach shot while being safe on the right will leave a longer approach
Risk vs. reward — how much do you want to cut off the lagoon to leave a shorter approach shot?
Laguna Blanca guards the left side of the 14th hole fairway
The 14th hole approach viewed from the fairway — the shot it approximately 30 feet uphill to a green nestled atop a ridge
The large tree guarding the left front edge of the 14th hole green
The 14th hole green from the back left — there is a collection area to the left of the green that is tricky to recover from
The 14th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 15: Par 4, 402 Yards
The 15th hole at La Cumbre seems a little too basic and not in character with the rest of the course. Much like the 11th hole, it makes one wonder what the course was once like in the past
The 15th hole tee shot from the back tee — the hole is a slight dogleg left
A view of the 15th hole fairway in its entirety
A player must be mindful of the trees along the right side of the 15th hole — they can block out approach shots
The 15th hole approach from the fairway — the green is guarded by a large front right bunker with a big nose protruding into the front of the green
The 15th hole green from the left — you can see the right front bunker and its protruding nose into the front of the green — approach shots not struck softly enough can bounce off of it and release past the green
The left green side bunker of the 15th hole
The 15th hole green from the front
The 15th hole green from the back right — this is an obvious case of a green pad that has shrunken significantly over time and likely much smaller than the original green dimensions intended by Thomas
The 15th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 16: Par 4, 426 Yards
The 16th hole is a meaty par-4 going back up the hill and has no bunkers throughout the entire hole — the hole plays as a par-5 hole for women
The 16th hole approach from the fairway — the approach shot is blind to a green perched atop a small knoll — the members characterize it as a “wedding cake” green
The flagstick is barely visible on the approach shot into the 16th hole green
The 16th hole green on top of a small knoll. Since the fairways at La Cumbre are all Kikuyu grass, approach shots that are short will usually not release onto the green
The 16th hole green from the front
The 16th hole green viewed from the right
The 16th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 17: Par 3, 163 Yards
The final par-3 hole at La Cumbre is an uphill approach well-guarded by a series of green side bunkers
The 17th hole green from 50 yards away — the back right hole location is the most difficult one to access on this green
The right green side bunker of the 17th hole
Vantage point of the right green side bunker shot. Not an easy up-and-down to a sloping green
The 17th hole green from the back right
The 17th hole green viewed from behind
Hole 18, Par 4: 425 Yards
The 18th hole at La Cumbre is a strong finisher — a downhill tee shot to a dogleg right hole with a testy uphill approach
The 18th hole tee shot from the back tee — a little tighter and narrower from here
The 18th hole fairway has an elegant turn to the right up the hill
Another vantage point of the 18th hole fairway and its movement up the hill to the green
The 18th hole approach from the fairway — the approach shot is significantly up hill and must be kept below the hole to this severely sloping green
The 18th hole approach viewed from 75 yards away
The 18th hole green from the front
The right green side bunker of the 18th hole
The 18th hole green from the right
The 18th hole green is slippery as it is severely pitched from back-to-front — putts struck above the hole will roll towards the front of the green (if not off it)
The 18th hole green from the back right
The 18th hole green viewed from behind
The 18th hole is a steep climb from fairway to green — for exhausted players, an automated rope system is in place right next to the green to pull players up to the hill where the clubhouse awaits
