The Best Golf Courses on the Westside of Los Angeles: A 2026 Guide

The Westside of Los Angeles offers a genuine range of golf, from affordable municipal courses to storied private clubs. The most convenient public options for Westchester, Playa Vista, and the surrounding coastal neighborhoods are Westchester Golf Course, just north of LAX, and Rancho Park Golf Course in Cheviot Hills, with the executive Penmar course in Venice a short-game favorite. Private clubs like Riviera and Wilshire round out the picture at the top end. Here is a complete guide to playing golf on the Westside.

One of the underrated pleasures of living on the Westside is how much good golf is within easy reach. You do not have to drive to the desert or the valley to find a round. Between the affordable municipal tracks minutes from the beach and the private clubs with real pedigree, the Westside has options for every kind of golfer, whether you are learning the game, squeezing in nine holes before work, or looking for a serious test.

We are the Stephanie Younger Group, based in Westchester, and golf is part of the fabric of the neighborhoods we serve. Here is our guide to the courses worth knowing, starting in our own backyard.

Westchester Golf Course

The closest course to home for most of the neighborhoods we serve, Westchester Golf Course sits just north of LAX at 6900 West Manchester Avenue, minutes from Westchester, Playa del Rey, and Playa Vista. It is a public course with a genuinely casual, welcoming feel, and it is a favorite of local golfers for good reason.

Recently, the course completed a notable renovation. After operating as a 15-hole facility for years, it added new holes to return to a full 18-hole, par-64 layout, with new and newly renovated holes bringing fresh energy to the course. Beyond the main course, it offers a world-class short-game practice area and a popular driving range open until 10pm nightly, which makes it as good for spontaneous practice as for a scheduled round. Impeccable greens, nighttime play, and an affordable, all-abilities-welcome atmosphere make it the everyday home course for a lot of Westside golfers.

For anyone living in Westchester, Kentwood, or the surrounding area, having a full 18-hole course and a late-night driving range this close is a genuine lifestyle perk.

Rancho Park Golf Course

A short drive northeast in Cheviot Hills, Rancho Park Golf Course is one of the most storied municipal courses in the entire country. Owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles, this par-71, 18-hole course was designed by William P. Bell and opened in 1947, and it carries real tournament history: it hosted the Los Angeles Open on the PGA Tour seventeen times, along with Senior PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events.

At roughly 6,839 yards with a course rating of 72.5 and a slope of 129, Rancho Park is a legitimate championship-length test, and yet it remains a public, city-operated course accessible to everyday golfers. Bermuda grass fairways and bent grass greens, mature trees, and a genuine sense of history make it one of the most rewarding rounds on the Westside. It is popular and can be busy, which is a testament to how much course you get for a municipal green fee.

Penmar Golf Course

For golfers who want a quick, walkable round or a place to sharpen the short game, Penmar Golf Course in Venice is a beloved Westside institution. Located at 1233 Rose Avenue, just blocks from Venice Beach and bordering Santa Monica, Penmar is a 9-hole executive course, par 33, at roughly 2,582 yards.

With six par 4s and three par 3s, it rewards accurate approach shots, and the ocean cross-breeze adds a genuine element of challenge on an otherwise forgiving, flat, walkable layout. Los Angeles Magazine rated it the "Best Nine Hole Golf Course," and its character is pure Venice: a diverse, laid-back membership of tech executives, artists, surfers, and longtime locals. It is a City of Los Angeles course, open to the public at very reasonable prices, and it is one of the great get-away-from-it-all rounds in the area, tucked into a residential Venice neighborhood so green you would not know you were in the heart of the Westside.

The Private Clubs

At the top of the Westside golf spectrum sit the private clubs, which combine championship courses with the amenities and exclusivity of full membership.

The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades is the most famous of them, one of the most storied golf courses in the world. Host of the annual PGA Tour event long associated with Los Angeles golf and a course with deep championship history, Riviera is a private club and a bucket-list course for serious golfers. Its presence is one of the reasons Pacific Palisades has long been associated with golf at the highest level.

Wilshire Country Club, while technically just east of the core Westside in Hancock Park, is a private club worth knowing, an 18-hole, par-71 course designed by Norman Macbeth and founded in 1919, with its own Los Angeles Open history. It represents the classic, old-line private club tradition in the city.

These clubs require membership, but for buyers for whom club golf is part of the lifestyle equation, their proximity is a meaningful part of the Westside's appeal.

More Golf Within Easy Reach

Beyond the courses in the immediate Westside core, several more are a short drive away and worth knowing:

• The Lakes at El Segundo, a well-regarded executive course and practice facility in the South Bay, convenient to Westchester and El Segundo, ideal for a quick round or range session.
• Los Verdes Golf Course on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a public course famous for its dramatic ocean-bluff views, a bit further south but a spectacular round.
• The broader collection of South Bay and city municipal courses, all within reasonable driving distance of the Westside.

For golfers, one of the quiet advantages of the Westside's central location is that a wide range of courses, public and private, casual and championship, is accessible without a long drive.

Golf and the Westside Lifestyle

Golf is one of the many threads in what makes the Westside such a distinctive place to live. The ability to play a full 18 holes minutes from home at Westchester, tackle a championship municipal test at Rancho Park, squeeze in a quick nine at Penmar before the marine layer burns off, or belong to a storied club like Riviera, all within a compact, coastal radius, is a genuine lifestyle advantage.

For buyers who golf, proximity to good courses is often part of what draws them to a particular neighborhood, and it is exactly the kind of hyperlocal detail we know well from years of living and working in these communities. Whether you are evaluating Westchester, Playa Vista, Pacific Palisades, or anywhere on the Westside, we are glad to talk through not just the homes but the lifestyle that surrounds them.

The Stephanie Younger Group is based in Westchester at 7296 W. Manchester Avenue, just down the street from Westchester Golf Course. For a conversation about buying or selling on the Westside, and the lifestyle that comes with it, call 310.499.2020 or reach out online.

Course details are current as of 2026 and subject to change. Confirm hours, rates, and access directly with each course.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What golf courses are on the Westside of Los Angeles?

The Westside offers a range of golf. The most convenient public courses include Westchester Golf Course, just north of LAX near Westchester and Playa del Rey; Rancho Park Golf Course, a storied championship-length municipal course in Cheviot Hills; and Penmar Golf Course, a 9-hole executive course in Venice. Private clubs include the world-famous Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades and Wilshire Country Club in nearby Hancock Park. Additional courses like The Lakes at El Segundo and Los Verdes on the Palos Verdes Peninsula are a short drive away.

Q: What is the closest golf course to Westchester and Playa Vista?

Westchester Golf Course, located at 6900 West Manchester Avenue just north of LAX, is the closest and most convenient course for Westchester, Kentwood, Playa del Rey, and Playa Vista residents. It is a public course that recently completed a renovation returning it to a full 18-hole, par-64 layout, and it features a world-class short-game practice area and a driving range open until 10pm nightly.

Q: Is Rancho Park Golf Course open to the public?

Yes. Rancho Park Golf Course in Cheviot Hills is a municipal course owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles and open to the public. Designed by William P. Bell and opened in 1947, the par-71, 18-hole course measures roughly 6,839 yards and has hosted the Los Angeles Open on the PGA Tour seventeen times, along with Senior PGA and LPGA Tour events. It is a genuine championship-length test available at a municipal green fee, which makes it popular and often busy.

Q: What is the best short course for a quick round on the Westside?

Penmar Golf Course in Venice is the go-to for a quick, walkable round or short-game practice. Located blocks from Venice Beach, it is a 9-hole executive course, par 33, at roughly 2,582 yards, rated "Best Nine Hole Golf Course" by Los Angeles Magazine. Its flat, forgiving, walkable layout, ocean cross-breeze, and reasonable public green fees make it a beloved local institution. The Lakes at El Segundo is another good executive option a short drive south.

Q: Are there private golf clubs on the Westside?

Yes. The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades is the most famous, one of the most storied golf courses in the world and host of the annual PGA Tour event long associated with Los Angeles golf. Wilshire Country Club in nearby Hancock Park, founded in 1919, is another classic old-line private club. Both require membership, but their proximity is part of the Westside's appeal for buyers for whom club golf is part of the lifestyle.

Q: Does living on the Westside give good access to golf?

Yes, and it is one of the underrated lifestyle advantages of the area. The Westside's central location puts a wide range of courses within easy reach, from a full 18 holes at Westchester minutes from home, to championship municipal golf at Rancho Park, to a quick nine at Penmar, to private clubs like Riviera, all within a compact, coastal radius. For golfers, proximity to good courses is often part of what makes a particular Westside neighborhood appealing.