El Dorado Park Golf Course

Intro to El Dorado Park Golf Course

Located along the San Gabriel River channel, in a quiet corner of Long Beach, El Dorado Park Golf course has tight, tree-lined fairways with water in play on six holes. This flat layout, which opened in 1962 and was designed by Ted Robinson, Sr., has smallish greens, many of which are elevated, requiring players to carry approach shots all the way to the pin. While it isn’t long, trees seem diabolically positioned—sometimes in the middle of the fairway—to knock down wayward shots.

Playing El Dorado Park

Blue Tees (6,461 yards)

While it’s not long, the first hole is a tricky dogleg left with water in play on your approach shot. A front left pin placement can be nearly impossible if you get above the hole. Number two is also short at only 353 yards from the blues but if you find yourself on the right side of the fairway you’ll need a towering approach shot over a tree. The third hole is a 155-yard par 3 with a visually intimidating greenside bunker. A short walk under Willow Street brings you to the fourth hole, a par 5 dogleg right which requires two careful shots to keep away from the trees. The green is elevated making the approach shot challenging.

The fifth and sixth holes are medium-length par 4s that offer a chance for a birdie, though the slick sixth green can be tricky, especially if you're trying to pitch up onto it and get the ball to stop. The seventh hole is a par 5 with water on the right to catch long hitters trying to get home in two.

The par-4 eighth at Eldo might be the hardest golf hole in Long Beach.

Back under Willow Street and it’s time for what might be the hardest golf hole in Long Beach, a 423-yard, dogleg-left par 4 with water left of the small green. A well-bunkered 195-yard par 3, which often plays into the wind, caps off the front 9.

Making the Turn

The back nine starts with a 543-yard par 5 that requires a precise second shot down a narrow avenue of trees with bunkers on the left. Just for fun, the eleventh hole has a tree in the fairway and water short left of the green. After a 196-yard par 3 with power towers to your right, you face a series of three tough holes.

The par-4 thirteenth is treacherous coming back, with water along the left and a tall tree guarding a green that slopes from front to back. If you hit your tee shot in the fourteenth fairway, a par or birdie could be your reward. There’s more water on the longish fifteenth hole with a deep, sloping green. As if to provide relief, the last three holes are easier with a short par 4, a 168-yard par 3 and a scenic par-5 finishing hole with water on the approach shot. 

Conditions & Pace of Play

The condition of "Eldo," as it's known to locals, varies dramatically. All-too-often there are dirt patches even in the fairway. Don't even ask about the rough because it's filled with tufted clumps of weeds and grass. The greens can be slippery and true or slippery and bumpy—a bad combination. But if you catch it just before or after a tournament, it can be tuned up for a good round of golf. 

Parting Thoughts

The Long Beach Open is played here each year for a good reason: this course is a real test of a golfer’s skill and patience. At a 127 slope rating from the blue tees, shooting a good score will require accuracy off the tee and precise approach shots. While the greens aren’t multi-tiered, they can be fast and sloping, requiring careful distance control. But if you stay away from trouble, this verdant oasis can be a rewarding walk in the park.

  by Philip Reed

Playing out of the LBC, Phil grips his own clubs and even trues his own shafts when he's not using them to shoot in the 70s. In between rounds, he's been known to frequent the blackjack tables.