The Takeaway:  The next great golf course in Southern California, Ladera is a Gil Hanse creation that maximizes the desert terrain the track is laid out on. Wide fairways, contoured greens, and knowing the right angles is what this course is all about. The club is ultra-exclusive.  Grade A-

Quick Facts

Designer:  Gill Hanse 2023

Cost:  Private

Phone Number:  832.216.3632

Course Website:  Official Website - Visit Ladera Golf Club's official website by clicking on the link provided.

Directions:  Get here! - 69501 Lemon Blossom Ln, Thermal, California  92274 – UNITED STATES

Photos:  See additional photos of Ladera Golf Club

What to Expect:  Developed by music mogul Irving Azoff and Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue, the ultra exclusive Ladera Golf Club is anchored by a Gil Hanse design with no limitations except the land he was working with and the imagination in his mind. The relatively flat ground was molded by Hanse and Jim Wagner to create interesting design features, second-shot strategy, and incredibly engaging greens. Rather than putting in artificial water features, palm trees, and other features that desert courses do in an attempt to create an oasis, the team of Hanse and Wagner decided to keep the property in a more natural state using the natural mountain backdrops, sandy channels, and native vegetation to create the setting. There is a ton of width off the tee, but hitting the ideal lines will offer a superior angle or shorter distance into the green. The green complexes are simply fantastic with great shaping, bunkering, and strategy without getting too wild. Conditioning couldn't be better with absolutely perfect turf which is partially achieved due to how few of daily rounds are being played, and when they are, it is walking only. Ladera doesn't overseed, but instead maintains Bermuda grass year-round which varies in how firm and fast the course will play based on the time of year. Ultimately, Hanse did a fantastic job with Ladera and produced a compelling golf course. The course was built on a lemon grove site that had few natural features to work with when creating the design, but he did a great job with what he had.

By the Numbers

Individual Hole Analysis

Signature Hole:  10th Hole – 525 Yard Par 5

Best Par 3:  8th Hole – 140 Yards

Best Par 4:  13th Hole – 515 Yards

Best Par 5:  17th Hole – 580 Yards

Birdie Time:  15th Hole – 320 Yard Par 4

Bogey Beware:  12th Hole – 270 Yard Par 3 – Likely the longest approach shot you'll attempt all day when trying to reach the green in regulation, the 12th is one of the stiffest one-shotters you'll ever face on a golf course. Tipping out at a mighty 270 yards, the 12th additionally plays slightly uphill and will require all of your merit to find the putting surface with your first stroke. Pins in the back of the green are particularly difficult to get to considering the large swell in the putting surface that requires deft touch to navigate properly. Add in some bunkers behind the green and along the right side, and you have one tough hole to card a three on.

12th Hole at Ladera Golf Club (270 Yard Par 3)