This cult classic golf course stole my heart – but I still loved it

It was 3:28 on a Thursday afternoon with sunset coming at 4:42, so I ran up to the 7th tee, put the pin in the ground, and ripped a wedge into the green on the par- 3.

The ball apparently landed to the right of the hole, hit left and disappeared. Suddenly, the steady drone from the highway just a few hundred yards away was cut off with, “Did that come in?”

“Yes, that came in!”

“I think that went, Jacky-boy!”

I started laughing as I let my five playing partners, all colleagues here at GOLF and our 8am Golf family, convince me that I had just made my second hole in one as we rushed to get in as many the hole before it got dark.

But – spoiler alert! — the ball had not gone in. When I arrived at the green, I discovered that my ball was 15 feet beyond the pin, hidden by the contours. Still, that moment involved the magic of Goat Hill Park and late afternoon golf (late afternoon for this time of year, anyway) with great friends.

In 2024, I was lucky enough to cross three off my bucket list The country club in Brookline, Mass. Kiawah Island Ocean Course in South Carolina; AND Castle Stuart of Cabot Highlands in the Scottish Highlands. Royal Dornoch of Scotland AND Nairnand frequent trips around Wissahickon of Philadelphia Cricket Club course, completed my dance card.

These courses are items on GOLF lists Top 100 in the US AND The world’s top 100 courses.

But if we are talking about more FUN Had I been on a golf course this year, I’d nominate two rounds chasing the sun at Goat Hill Park, a beloved and legendary Southern California muni that cost me a total of $80. There is a reason many of our staff have left torn about Goat Hill.

If you’re not familiar, The Goat was originally a nine-hole regulation, first course in San Diego County on a wildly undulating plateau in now-golf-crazy Oceanside, right off Interstate 5. In the 1990s, the course was redesigned to its current 18-hole, short-course form, but the site went into decline in the early 2000s.

In 2014, a group of locals successfully fought against the redevelopment of the land and a new management team led by John Ashworth transformed the 4,500m design into the gem it is today.

These days, the course isn’t in perfect shape—the tees have brown spots, the rough is light, and some of the cart paths are cracked—but the greens are smooth and true and a little under-maintained. It’s an incredible value for a $25 walking fee.

How a golf course was built on this site is mysterious. The 75-acre lot has incredible views of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding mountains, but the terrain has you going up, down and around massive undulations of land. Many locals walk, some with fur companions by their side, but often with lighter bags and fewer than 14 clubs, a convenient way to play the short course. Which doesn’t mean you won’t need all 14 clubs.

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The best part of Goat Hill is the chill vibe: golfers, dogs, peeps, music listeners, beer drinkers all coexisting without a care in the world. There isn’t much of a dress code, other than shirt, shoes, etc. You wouldn’t want one for a country whose motto is “World Class / Working Class” either. If you’re looking for a course to watch tour pros practice streetwear, this is it.

We played as six and were told just to make sure we kept going, which we did.

There are also shorter t-shirts for children called “Baby Goat”. Want to play frisbee golf instead? They have that too.

Both afternoons into the evening we played the course, the parking lot was packed well after sunset. Playing just after 2:30pm earned us a twilight fee of just $35 and enough time to cover about 16 holes.

Also, just because the holes are short doesn’t make them any less challenging. The second green plays with a green set above you and over a chasm. Short lady, your ball goes 60 feet and 60 yards away. Go too far left and you might find yourself on the 16th green.

Holes that might seem driveable, like the par-4 4th, require a forced 270-yard carry over another chasm, or face another long uphill pitch to a blind green.

You should hit Goat Hill Park, but you don’t HAVE to. There are no water hazards and it’s hard to lose a ball.

But you can easily lose yourself in the experience.