Public

Palos Verdes Course

Palos Verdes Golf Club

Palos Verdes Estates, CA, USA
jerenoyd
RFimbo14
Cory
The Grass Guy
chasenicolai
+8
18 holesPar 716,313 yds74.8/130

About this course

Palos Verdes Golf Club occupies a dramatic clifftop setting on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, roughly twenty miles south of downtown Los Angeles. George C. Thomas designed the course in 1924, with William P. Bell serving as construction supervisor and collaborator—a partnership that produced several notable Southern California layouts during the Golden Age. The property sits atop coastal bluffs with views across the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica Bay, and the routing takes advantage of the natural terrain's elevation changes and canyon features. Thomas routed the course across rolling, sometimes severe topography that includes barrancas and ridgelines characteristic of the peninsula's geology. The design reflects his strategic principles, with holes that reward thoughtful positioning and offer multiple routes of play depending on skill and risk tolerance. Several holes play along or across ravines, and the clifftop setting exposes the course to coastal winds that can significantly affect play and club selection. The club has maintained a private membership since its founding and occupies a relatively compact footprint given the dramatic land. Palos Verdes represents one of Thomas's surviving works in Southern California, alongside Riviera and Bel-Air, though it receives less national attention than those more prominent designs. The course has undergone periodic updates over the decades to address agronomic needs and modern equipment, but the essential character of the Thomas routing and the distinctive coastal setting remain intact.

Quick facts

Location
Palos Verdes Estates, CA, USA
Access
Public
Year built
1924
Holes
18
Par
71
Length
6,313 yards
Difficulty
74.8/130
Course Vaults score
8.2

Getting there

Most visitors arrive via Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), a straightforward twenty-five-minute drive north along the coast, though private aircraft often favor Hawthorne Municipal or Torrance's Zamperini Field for a quieter descent into the South Bay. The route climbs steadily from sea level into the Palos Verdes Peninsula, trading the urban sprawl of the basin for winding residential lanes shaded by eucalyptus and framed by glimpses of the Pacific far below. As the road crests the bluffs and narrows into Palos Verdes Estates, the arrival at Palos Verdes Golf Club feels less like entering a facility than slipping into a private enclave - one where the city's hum fades entirely and the clifftop calm takes hold.

FAQ

Common questions about Palos Verdes

Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.

Palos Verdes has a Course Vaults score of 8.2 out of 10 based on 13 logged golfers.

Palos Verdes was designed by George C. Thomas and William Francis Bell.

Yes. Palos Verdes is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.

Par at Palos Verdes is 71.

Palos Verdes plays 6,313 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.

The slope rating at Palos Verdes is 130.

250,000+
Course Reviews
+ 4.8
App Store

How many courses have you played?

Download Course Vaults on iOS and begin your golf legacy.

Course Vaults on three iPhones: player passport, map discovery, and course detail