Public

Wilson Course

Griffith Park Golf Complex

Los Angeles, CA, USA
zevy
ALTrojan
nmccurley1
Zombiesonics
Urannimal
+27
18 holesPar 727,002 yds78.6/135

About this course

The Wilson Course at Griffith Park Golf Complex occupies a distinctive hillside setting in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains, overlooking downtown Los Angeles and the Los Angeles River basin. Designed by George C. Thomas Jr. and William H. Johnson and opened in 1923, it represents one of the earliest public golf facilities in Southern California. Thomas, who also designed Riviera and Los Angeles Country Club's North Course during this period, brought his strategic design principles to this municipal project, creating a layout that uses the natural terrain to challenge golfers of varying abilities. The routing works across rolling, chaparral-covered slopes with significant elevation changes throughout the round. Several holes play uphill or downhill along ridgelines, while others traverse the hillside laterally. The course features small, subtly contoured greens typical of Thomas's work, with strategic bunkering that rewards thoughtful placement over raw distance. Views extend across the Los Angeles basin, though the urban setting means nearby roadways and the park's other facilities remain visible throughout play. Griffith Park Golf Complex, which also includes the Harding Course, serves as one of the busiest municipal golf facilities in the United States, hosting hundreds of thousands of rounds annually. The Wilson Course has undergone various restoration and renovation efforts over the decades to address heavy play and maintenance challenges inherent to high-volume public golf. Despite these pressures, the layout retains much of Thomas's original strategic character, offering accessible public golf on terrain and with design features rarely found at municipal facilities.

Rankings

Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.

2537

Best in World

2309

Best in USA

148

Best in CA

Quick facts

Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Access
Public
Year built
1914
Holes
18
Par
72
Length
7,002 yards
Difficulty
78.6/135
Course Vaults score
7.2

Getting there

Most visitors to Griffith Park Golf Complex arrive through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), roughly forty minutes southwest via the 405 and 101 freeways, though Burbank's Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) often proves closer for those approaching from the north. The drive itself is quintessentially Angeleno - a gradual climb from the basin into the foothills, where the urban grid gives way to chaparral-covered slopes and the sprawling greenery of Griffith Park comes into view. As you wind up through the park's eastern edge, the city's hum softens, replaced by the sight of fairways tucked beneath the ridgeline, a municipal oasis perched improbably between downtown's towers and the Hollywood Hills.

FAQ

Common questions about Wilson at Griffith Park Golf Complex

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

Wilson at Griffith Park Golf Complex has a Course Vaults score of 7.2 out of 10 based on 32 logged golfers.

Wilson was designed by George C. Thomas and William H. Johnson.

Yes. Wilson at Griffith Park Golf Complex is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.

Par at Wilson is 72.

Wilson plays 7,002 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.

The slope rating at Wilson is 135.

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Course Reviews
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