Stand-by Golf

Ladera Golf Club 2023 - Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner #83/Top 100 Private One of the most exclusive clubs in the country, Ladera was founded by music legend Irving Azoff and Apple Exec Eddie Cue with the goal of being one of the best golf experiences on the planet. Well, they did it. Ladera is unbelievable. It’s a desert golf course like no other. No housing to look at. No water hazards. No cart paths. It’s truly one of the most tranquil and scenic walks in golf. The silence is incredible. The golf is fun and strategic. It’s extremely wide, some of the widest fairways you will find. But Gil and Jim made sure the drives matter with great use of angles and bunkering. Try to be too safe and you can add 30 yards to your approach. Too risky and lost in an arroyo. The greens are the star. Big, bold, highly contoured. It’s hard to imagine having more fun. The contours and surrounds on holes 14-17 are a highlight, with 15 being one of the coolest modern holes I’ve played…a devilish 300 yard par 4 that can give you fits even in the fairway…if on the wrong side. The land was desert and a lemon grove before they got here. The natural looking areas are often anything but, Gil and Jim moved millions of cubic feet of dirt to create the landscape and yet the arroyos all look like they are part of nature. The conditions are simply perfect. It will be compared to Augusta no doubt, not a blade of grass is out of place. The native grass has matured beautifully and is absolutely gorgeous. The turf has to be seen to understand its perfection. The staff is incredible and welcoming, the service is amazing. The pros are all helpful and happy to help in any way they can. The food is great and of course the comfort stations are well stocked. Everything is top notch. Ladera is truly one of the most unique places in all of golf. It checks every box and creates some boxes of its own. It’s an amazing example of what can happen when capable people align with a great vision. A magical day with great people. Beyond blessed.

No filter. No editing. 😍 Turf so clean you feel guilty taking a divot. Hard to believe this is a real place and not AI. Pictures are great yet don’t do it justice at all.