Upgrades Intersect at Newly Reopened Diamond Bar GC

WHEN LOS ANGELES COUNTY planned to improve the historically dangerous interchange of Route 57 and Highway 60 in 2021, it meant that approximately 10 acres of the Diamond Bar GC would be needed to accommodate the project. This gave the County the opportunity to rethink its own layout in order to continue to exist in its current location. Instead of just closing the 1963 William Bell gem during the two-year freeway project, they opted to upgrade it. The loss of acreage did not result in the loss of any yardage but, instead, yielded a vastly improved layout.

Course renovations included reconfiguring six holes on the front nine, reducing the property by 10 acres (to 161.9 total) due to freeway encroachment, installing new tees and sand traps, erecting netting along the freeway, revising the practice area, building a fresh maintenance facility and adding a completely new irrigation system. Plus, several holes were rerouted to accommodate the property reduction while still ensuring an easy flow of play.

All 18 holes got upgraded tee boxes — there are now six sets of tees per hole — and new bunkers were built on the renovated holes. The fresh turf throughout the course now includes Bentgrass greens, hybrid Bermuda tees and Kikuyu fairways and rough.

Local course architect Casey O’Callaghan designed the upgrades, with stipulations to keep the same par and 6,801-yard length from before. “We focused on trying to create an interesting, fun and playable course — knowing it’s a public course that gets a lot of rounds,” O’Callaghan said. “We rebuilt every tee, every bunker, every green and relocated numerous holes. Yet we were able to get some different looks on the par-3s and make sure there was a completely different playing experience from one par 3 to the next.”

O’Callaghan also wanted better players to think their way through the course, so he made reachable hazards for them while keeping them out of reach for shorter hitters. To give players different approach lines into the greens, he allowed bump-and-run shots into certain portions of the greens. “But if there’s going to be a tucked pin, you have to fly the ball back to that location or to that front pin location. There was a lot of thought put into how the course was going to be played and who the golf clientele is.”

The new bunkers now have a lot more personality, character and flair — with protruding fingers that both frame the greens and challenge golfers, and consistent new sand from one to the next. And with the new irrigation system, the grass is prepared to
handle the heavy traffic that a popular city course experiences.

The course is better than ever, according to the many locals and regulars who play here. There was such anticipation for the reopening that community residents often wandered by during the closure to check up on the progress.

(L-R) Kevin Regan (LA County Parks & Rec), Paul Ballam (American Golf), Ed Reese (SGVCOG), Hilda Solis (LA County),
Norma Garcia (LA County Parks & rec), Stan Liu mayor of Diamond Bar), Jorge Badel (American Golf)

“Even when we were closed, people were trickling in to see the course improvements and commented that it looks great,” recalled General Manager Mark Kuramoto. “Some drove by on the freeway, stopped in and wanted to know when we were opening. The excitement and interest was really fun. County officials wanted to do the property right and make it really shine. We did it for the local golfers, the residents of Diamond Bar and the surrounding communities.”

Kuramoto said he’s blown away by the demand for tee times ever since the course reopened on April 20. “Bookings have been ridiculous,” he says. “Like any other L.A. County course where the tee sheets and times become available nine days in advance starting at 9 a.m., we’re booked until 4:30 p.m. every day, nine days out. But a lot of people still want a tee time because they want to see the course. And we’re also getting those returning golfers, which is really cool. People are calling in for a time and the only thing available is 5 p.m. But they quickly take it because they’re itching to come play the course and see the changes.”

Non-golf traffic from adjacent neighborhoods is also up, Kuramoto said, thanks to a revised restaurant menu and new chef. Officials are seeing families come to eat, as well as people working locally stopping in for lunch.

To drown freeway noise, there’s a new music system piping out songs around the clubhouse and driving range. But it’s great to see traffic on the course — and not just on the freeway — at Diamond Bar GC once again.