Back
TARZANA, Calif. - A new name. A new course. A new era.
The historic Braemar Country Club threw one heck of a pool party for members, guests and media in September to celebrate its transformation into the Mulholland Hills Country Club.
Invited (previously ClubCorp) invested more than $22 million to upgrade everything and rebrand the 27-hole private club it owns just 30 minutes from Los Angeles International Airport. World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins and architect Kurt Bowman are working together to completely re-imagine 18 holes at the club. I played the new Canyons nine with Bowman, Invited Executive Vice President of Club Operations Chuck Feddersen and Wadkins, 76, who toured in a cart as he doesn't play much golf anymore. The revamped Vista nine is scheduled to debut by February 2026. The third nine, Trails, is getting new bunkers, Bermuda turf and restored greens from Diamond Golf International Construction.
Wadkins considers being an architect the third chapter of his golf career after 21 wins and 8 Ryder Cups as a player, followed by more than 30 years as a golf TV analyst for CBS and Golf Channel.
The 1977 PGA Champion is no stranger to design work, having done Black Jack's Crossing at Lajitas and Lake Park's Championship Course in his home state of Texas. He was also involved in the design of TPC Myrtle Beach (with Tom Fazio) in South Carolina, the Legend Course at Giants Ridge (with Jeff Brauer) in Minnesota, Pinnacle Golf Club in Ohio and Cherry Creek in Michigan. Wadkins began collaborating with Bowman in 2019.
"Kurt and I have gotten in with Invited," Wadkins said. "We did some early work for them. Fortunately for us, they liked our work. At one point last year, we had six projects going with them. We've been very busy."
They recently wrapped up a renovation of another high-profile Invited club, TPC Craig Ranch, which will host the PGA Tour's CJ Cup Byron Nelson through 2030.
"We did 10 months of work in four months," he added. "We knocked it out. It's completely grassed, seeded and ready to rock and roll. ... We probably made it a little bit harder, but a lot of stuff we did at Craig Ranch, some of the bunker complexes don't start until 310, 315 yards out because that's where the Tour players hit it. The members aren't going to be reaching those. I think we did green complexes that the members are going to get a kick out of. They have way more character than they used to. We did some exciting stuff."
"My style of bunkers was completely different than what was there [by original architect Tom Weiskopf]," he continued. "When we put in bunkers, there is a reason for it. It's not just a show pony. We actually used a lot of closely mowed chipping areas around the greens. Those are probably harder for Tour players than bunkers. This makes it harder for them but easier for others. The Zoysia (grass) can be cut down so the members can putt it out of there."
What's new at Mulholland Hills
Redesigning a course like Mulholland Hills that only members will play was a much different task for Bowman and Wadkins than TPC Craig Ranch. Mulholland Hills doesn't have the tournament pedigree of some of L.A.'s legendary clubs, but it has more land and modern facilities as good as any of them. Wider fairway corridors now frame the stunning rolling hills of the San Fernando Valley.
"This was a tough piece of property, a gorgeous piece of property," Wadkins said. "Both nines that we've done, there was some difficult dirt work. It hasn't been touched in 35-40 years, so mostly it was overgrowth. The second nine (Vista), it's just finishing growing in. You can see so much more."
The clearing of trees and underbrush revealed impressive rock formations throughout the grounds. They frame greens so naturally. Some of their faces have been chipped away to use as decorative stone around streams and water hazards.
Wadkins is especially proud of the bunkering.
"Our style of bunkering, looking down the first fairway, it's a good-looking bunker with roll-down lips and fingers in it," he said. "It's not a round blob. It's got character. We've got some interesting holes. Each of the nines we did, some of the holes we did are really good holes and then we've got some short stuff, but that's how this golf course was set up. We weren't able to reroute it as such. Essentially you take the corridor you have and make it the best golf hole it can be."
Off the course, no expense has been spared. The new double-sided driving range and practice area is expansive, allowing for better lesson programs. The gym has been modernized and all 18 tennis and 8 pickleball courts resurfaced. The pool complex looks like a SoCal resort, centering around the Dive Bar, a hangout serving cocktails and vibes.
Mulholland Hills' new Sage & Vine restaurant overlooks the course from its patio and comfy space inside the sprawling, hillside clubhouse. Downstairs will eventually become Goldie's, a casual grill named in honor of Ralph Guldahl. He won three majors and 16 PGA Tour-sanctioned events from 1936-40 before becoming the club's head pro in 1961 when the course's original 36 holes by Ted Robinson Sr. opened.
His statue now forever watches over the membership outside the pro shop, standing proud that the club is ready for its next chapter as Mulholland Hills.
Comments (0)