Course History
The world-class Ojai Country Club was one of the first great golf courses in Southern California. Designed and originally built in 1923 under the direction of George C. Thomas, Jr. and Billy Bell, the course was hailed as "a marvel of golfing architecture." Thomas, who also designed courses at the Riviera, Bel-Air and Los Angeles country clubs, had two initial considerations for the Ojai course: "...that the average golfer could enjoy his round without too great a penalty, and that a test must be afforded requiring the low-handicap man to play fine golf in order to secure pars."
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In its eight decades, the golf course has been made even more famous by the pros and celebrities who have chosen it for exhibition play and competition. Jimmy Demaret and Doug Sanders have been resident pros, while Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Will Smith, Kevin Costner, Michael Douglas and a host of Hollywood stars have visited over the years to play the course. The Inn has hosted seven Senior PGA TOUR events that brought legendary superstars such as Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Tom Weiskopf, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Ben Crenshaw and others to challenge our historic course and two EMC2 Golf Skills Challenges, as seen on NBC.
The 18-hole golf course and the greens were considerably toughened in 1988 by famous course designer Jay Morrish. At 6,292 yards from the blue tees, it is a par 70 course with six par 4's over 400 yards, and three par 3's of over 200 yards.
In 1999, this luxury golf resort reintroduced the "Lost Holes." Two original golf holes designed by George C. Thomas, Jr. in 1923 were lost when the course was redesigned following WWII. These two holes have been restored and brought back within their original layout. We hope you find the course to be challenging and a rewarding golfing experience no matter what your level of play. Come to Ojai, California for a golf vacation and experience firsthand one of the world's championship golf courses.
AWARDS
