Category: Long Beach Golf History

The Virginia Country Club’s 100th Anniversary at Los Cerritos!

Sumner Hunt’s design for Virginia’s club house.

At Rancho Los Cerritos in Long Beach, on September 1, 1921, a day after the new Hunt & Burns clubhouse was dedicated, the new William Watson designed grass-green golf course of the Virginia Country Club opened to its members.

The club had voted to move from Los Alamitos after ten years, leaving their old Arthur Rigby designed links to become Recreation Park municipal golf course.

The Virginia Country Club of Long Beach incorporated in 1909, and like many California golf clubs, was started by land and hotel owners working together to bring people to their cities and resorts. It was Hotel Virginia manager and avid golfer Carl Stanley who led the committee to find a location for a country club and golf links. The committee chose Los Alamitos due to its large lake and forest of Blue Gum trees, plus its location on the electric train line to Huntington Beach.

After Long Beach, Stanley become the long time manager of the Hotel Del Monte, where he stayed in charge from 1915-1941, fathering the Pebble Beach golf links and other Del Monte Properties golf courses.

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Virginia Country Club at Alamitos (1910)

The water hole at Virginia Country Club, Alamitos, with the club house in the background.

The Virginia Country Club at Alamitos opened on April 30, 1910. The nine-hole golf course was designed and built by Los Angeles Country Club’s, Arthur Rigby of Carnoustie, who was hired as Virginia’s first golf instructor and course supervisor.

The Virginia Country Club was the idea of D.M. Linnard, the owner of the Hotel Virginia in Long Beach, and the Hotel Maryland in Pasadena, and had the support of the Long Beach city council, the Bixby family, the Alamitos Water Company, and members of the Long Beach chamber of commerce. Hotel Virginia manager, and avid golfer, Carl Stanley, made the club a reality.

Stanley went on to manage the Hotel Del Monte for 27 years and fathered the Pebble Beach, Cypress Point and Monterey Peninsula golf courses for the Del Monte company.

The course was short, 5121 yards, when 18-holes were in play at Christmas 1912, but it was well loved.

At the end of the club’s ten year lease, in 1920, the golf course and club house were abandoned, and the Virginia Country Club moved to their present location, at the Bixby’s, Cerritos ranch.

The city of Long Beach quickly secured the old Virginia property, and has operated it as a municipal golf course (Recreation Park 18 Golf Course), with many alterations and additions, since 1920.

© 2018 golfhistoricalsociety.org & J.I.B. Jones.