Ojai Valley

Ojai Valley Golf Course:  In a recessed valley east of coastal Ventura, California lies the quaint town of Ojai, known for its music, art and tradition.  It is here where George C. Thomas and his mate Billy Bell designed this wonderful short, but difficult par - 70 course.  What is now the front nine was originally the back nine and it is my favorite nine holes. There are more subtleties and strategic choices on this nine hole route than most 18 hole venues. The routing weaves through elevation changes ever downward, across barrancas and through heavily wooded areas out into the open then back into the woods on the short par-3, 8th and concludes with an uphill par-5 with a large two tiered green guarded by bunkers in front and OB in back.  What is now the back nine was originally the front and included two holes that are no longer there.  Two holes, the 16th & 17th have been added to the route and are called the "lost holes", supposedly lost during WWII when the military took over part of the land in the area.  These two holes restored and renovated by Jay Moorish are said to have been part of the original routing.  Although I am not knowledgeable about the historical facts to support this theory, I strongly doubt that these two holes were ever part of the original routing.  First it would have been and extraordinarily long walk to the 16th tee from the 15th green (originally the 3rd) and the 17th seems way too crowded between a steep hill on the left and the deep gulley on the right.  It's far too funky a hole for the sophistication of the rest of the course.  Nevertheless, the removal of the original 5th and 6th holes made room for many more newly built rooms for the Inn and Spa. Still this is a course that is always challenging, well maintained and a joy to play.  The Champions Tour had an event here for several years and Jimmy Demerit was the Pro here drawing many great luminaries from the history of golf.

For questions or comments please send e-mail to David.

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Artists' Golf is a conceptual work of art Copyright 1995 - 2008 by David B. Lewis and all original paintings, drawings and art works are Copyright by David B. Lewis. All rights reserved.  Maps of existing courses are original artistic interpretations and impressions from a variety of sources and are not intended to be accurate renderings or representations of the actual courses.  They indicate my interest and study and are intended purely for the pleasure and information of the viewers and are not for sale or profit.