Oak Quarry golf club is another of the hidden gems of Southern California golf. Located in Riverside, CA, about an hour inland from Los Angeles, it is worth the freeway drive east to get in 18 on this track. While I would tell readers not to expect a lot of extras up at the Oak, they leave the golf to do the talking for itself. While it is not a resort like experience, they will treat you well and set you and your group up with a smile. Some golf in the So Cal area can get pretty expensive, but Quarry is pretty reasonable for the punch it packs. We played twilight for $50. The only downside to this seemed to be that the rate, and quality of golf seem to make this a popular track, at least on weekend afternoons and at times it moved pretty slow. Marshalls could do a better job moving slower groups along for sure. But it isn’t as bad as it seems as often you can find yourself staring off into the fantastic views provided from this course’s perch in the Jarupa Mountain range.
The name Oak Quarry comes from the fact that the course was designed and cut out of the once renowned Jansen Quarry, which mined limestone, marble, and many other minerals for the rapid construction of the So Cal area. In a way, it is the best of both worlds, beautiful terrain surrounded by fantastic surroundings.
OQ is not the toughest of tracks, but be prepared to lose some balls into the rocks if you aren’t an accurate golfer. The first few holes take you all the way to the top of the mountain where you will see, not only the golf to come but the great views of the valley below. From here things toughen up a bit. With many holes bending to fit the terrain, such as the par 4 4th hole, the course offers many risk reward opportunities. Greens can be surprisingly driven on downhill holes, especially if the wind is at your back. However, short wedge shots and being near the green does always lead to low scores. The greens are tough, with lots of undulation, but well manicured and a with a little course knowledge you can circle your fair share of scores on this course. Seemingly on the backside, every hole requires a carry over a deep mined out crevasse or a body of water is necessary. All of this culminates at the Par 3 14th hole, clearly the signature hole of the course. With a huge lake left, and a mountainous wall right, this is both an intimidating and stunningly exquisite hole. Take your best shot, at 211 yards from the tips, this one is no cookie. Catch your breath on 15, because the finishing holes here are tough. 16 is a par 5 guarded heavily by water on the left. 17 is an uphill par 4 that requires a blind shot to the green. And 18 takes you down and around the corner with perfectly placed bunkers and water forcing a great tee shot. With the green tilted away from you the landing area for the approach can be just as demanding.
Oak Quarry, partly target golf, partly risk/reward golf, is a well designed course in a spectacular location. While you will have the scenery to pass the time, no one likes to wait, so playing this spread on a weekday may be the way to go. It is still a great value regardless, and since most good golf requires a drive from the Los Angeles area, it is worth the extra 15 or20 minutes to make it out to just to see the 14th hole alone. And from what I am told, they always keep the course in immaculate shape.
Hey RNL, Feel free to quote a post, just make sure you are clear where it is coming from and that do link to the article. THanks.
I couldent have maid the point any clearer even if I had written the blog my self.
……..
I used to be very happy to search out this web-site.I wanted to thanks on your time for this glorious learn!! I definitely having fun with every little little bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you blog post….