Norma García — González has led the way for L.A. County’s beloved golf courses, in good times and bad.

It’s a good bet that a large majority of concertgoers who saw Diana Ross or John Fogerty or belted out songs at the Grease singalong this year at the Hollywood Bowl probably have no idea that one of the region’s oldest and most beloved venues is run by the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation. It’s the same for taking in the peace and beauty of the Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Arcadia. Combined, those two attractions drew more than 2.6 million patrons in the most recent fiscal year.

They are jewels to Southland residents and visitors, in addition to bringing in much-needed revenue for many other county-run programs. But as good as music and flowers are, they can’t beat the top dog in the parks and rec world: golf.

In the fiscal year that ended in June 2025, L.A. County saw 1.45 million rounds played on its 20 golf courses at 18 facilities, spread from Palos Verdes to Sylmar. That makes it the busiest entity and largest revenue producer from the entire system, and a source of considerable pride for the department and its director for the past five years, Norma García-González.

“I always talk about when you play L.A. County golf you earn your angel’s wings,” García-González said. “You get outdoors; you get that respite and connect with nature; you get exercise; and you support the parks programs for our highest-need communities.”

As the director pointed out, it is a circle of giving. Golfers pay their comparably affordable county green fees, a portion of that goes into staff and maintenance at the courses, and the rest supports thousands of others, including children who are part of after-school programs, or keeps the pools open for families to have something fun to do in the summer.

The first woman to serve as the parks director since its inception in 1944, and the daughter of an immigrant farm worker who loved growing things, García-González readily admits that she’s not a golfer. But she got a crash course in the county’s golf system when she was promoted from her deputy position in 2020 in the immediate throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During that frenetic time, García-González said, “I made it a point to educate myself on every aspect of golf course operations; to understand the game; to understand the business; and to understand where we’ve been and where we can get better.”

In that endeavor, the director has truly put money where her ambitions lie. Before the 2023 U.S. Open, a committee of members from that year’s host, The Los Angeles Country Club, began collaborating with the Southern California Golf Association and United States Golf Association on their desire to raise millions of dollars to make a lasting impact on Southland golf. They chose the par-3 Maggie Hathaway GC in South Los Angeles for a potential renovation, and the discussions began with 2nd District County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and García-González and her staff.

All of those involved deemed it a worthy endeavor to upgrade the 63-year-old facility, in an underserved community, that bears the name of an L.A. civil rights leader, singer and actress. But the price tag would be large. Including a full renovation of the course, a new practice range and new clubhouse and community center, the costs rose to $21 million. The ultimate number that García-González agreed to contribute to the project was $7.8 million.

That’s not a small amount to explain to her constituents who don’t play golf, but García-González had a much bigger picture in mind: Expose kids to golf early with the hope that they fall in love with the game and play it for a lifetime.

“There is a history of access and affordability in our public golf course system, and one that I will continue to steward. I’m standing on the shoulders of Maggie Hathaway, who fought for that access and equity,” she said.

“There is a history of access and affordability in our public golf course system, and one that I will continue to steward.”

The Maggie Hathaway course is well on its way to completion later in 2025, while the clubhouse is expected to open next year.

In the meantime, the county has another project of great importance and concern. In the L.A. wildfires in February, the buildings at the 115-year-old Altadena GC were badly damaged, and the course became a staging area for the cleanup of hazardous materials in the surrounding neighborhood. The Army Corps of Engineers has now cleared the property, but as evidenced by aerial photographs of the site, the golf course will require extensive work to reopen.

García-González couldn’t put a timeline on when that would be completed. “The surrounding community is very supportive of us rebuilding that golf course, and we want to make sure that we deliver,” she said.