PEOPLE AT PLAY: La Verne’s Marshall Canyon Golf Club Will Put You to the Test … by Peter Bennett

July 2, 2012

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To try to conquer Marshall Canyon, golf pro Kenny Murray says you can never spend enough time improving your putting stroke.

Imagine a golf course in one of the most populous counties in the United States without a house or a freeway in sight, where the deer and wildlife are as plentiful as three-putts, where the mountains are close enough to kiss. If you can envision all that, you must be thinking of the more than 6,000-yard-long Marshall Canyon Golf Club in La Verne, Calif.

“The main reason people come out here is the environment,” said head golf professional Kenny Murray. “There are so many animals out here. We actually wanted to change the name to Deer Canyon. We even have occasional bears. Recently, some guys were playing hole No. 7, and a cub walked right across the green.”

If the wildlife doesn’t get your adrenaline pumping, the undulating greens will.

“There’s never a level lie here, except maybe the tee blocks,” said Murray, a former Inland Valley Championship Tournament winner. “Everything breaks away from the mountains. The toughest thing about this course is the greens.”

If you want to wrap your club around an oak tree after misjudging a green, no worries, chances are your actions will go undetected. Indeed, the course should be registered as part of a federal witness protection program. Few people will find you here.

“Locals love us,” Murray said. “They tell me they don’t breathe a word about this place because they love playing without the crowds.”

The physical challenge of the course starts the moment you step out of your car. It’s an uphill, healthy, heart-pounding trek to the golf shop, where Phil, the starter, will set you on your way.

The par 5, 457-yard first hole plays fairly straight, which should allow you to get off to a good start and post a decent score.

To be successful on the par 3, 163-yard second hole, you have to loft your ball over a deep canyon and drop it onto a green that looks like a helicopter pad from the tee box. “That’s one of my favorite holes here,” Murray noted. “The intimidation factor can be huge.”

Landing your ball safely on the green on hole No. 2 isn't quite like finding a needle in a haystack, but it's close.

The dog-left, par 4, 358-yard third hole is one of the toughest on the course. To be competitive, you have to hit your tee shot about 220 yards to get to the top of the hill. If you’re fortunate enough to make the green after your second shot, you still will be all out to make par. “This green is ridiculous,” Murray warns. “It’s very sloped. If you’re above the hole anywhere out here, you’re going to three-putt.”

To complete 18 holes at Marshall Canyon, you’ll face four par 3s, 11 par 4s and three par 5s, including No. 5, which is the course’s longest and No. 1 handicap hole.

Murray is particularly fond of No. 8 on the course. A few years back, he landed an albatross (three under par) on the par 4, 283-yarder when he hit a hole-in-one by launching his tee shot over the trees to find the bottom of the cup.

Every hole at Marshall Canyon has a personality. Some are forgiving, some are stubborn, but all are played in one of Los Angeles County’s most beautiful backdrops. There’s no development in sight, nor will there ever be because a conservancy group has purchased the land to the east and hiking and equestrian trails meander off to the north over more county parkland.

Another feature Marshall Canyon is proud of is its driving range. Golfers can practice their long and short games on grass. “At most courses,” Murray said, “it’s all mats. But the feeling here is if you play on grass, you should practice on grass.”

Green fees are $37.50 during the week and $46.50 on weekends. In summer, reduced twilight rates apply after 3 p.m. For July, juniors (under age 18) can play the course for just $1.

Hour lessons are $50 an hour. Packages are also available, including 10 hourly lessons for $400. Another popular package includes five hourly lessons and a nine-hole playing session with Murray for $300. Murray’s youngest student is age 5 and his oldest is 85.

“Whether you’re out here for fun or whether you’re trying to make the Damien golf team, everyone can improve with lessons,” Murray said. “Even Tiger Woods needs lessons.”

Murray wants you to pick up the sticks and enjoy the great outdoors, whatever your skill level.

Everyone on the Marshall Canyon staff is quick with a smile.

“The thing about golf is it’s one of those games that you can play the rest of your life,” Murray said. “It’s a good game to take up for business or in retirement or just for leisure.

Murray is partial to golf for a couple more reasons.

“The thing that is challenging about golf is that you have to start the ball, unlike other sports where the ball comes to you and you have to react,” Murray said. “Another thing, in every other sport, you get one stick; in golf you have 14.”

A great place to practice using all those sticks in a friendly, rusting setting is Marshall Canyon Golf Club in La Verne. Best of all, should you overshoot the green or land in a sand trap, the squirrels and the deer won’t tell.

Marshall Canyon Golf Club is located at 6100 N. Stephens Ranch Road in La Verne. For more information, please call (909) 593-8211 or (909) 593-6914.

One of the biggest pluses about golf is that no two courses are ever alike. The absolute best way to book a tee time at Marshall Canyon or any of your favorite golf courses in California or around the globe, is to go to Golf Now at http://www.golfnow.com/course-directory/california-golf-courses.

With more than 100,000 tee times at over 4,000 quality courses across the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Mexico, Ireland and Scotland, Golf Now makes playing a round of golf easier than ever. Golf Now also features lots of perks and extras, including a complete list of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses,” as ranked by Golf Digest magazine.