Ojai (Oh-Hi) from Soule Park Golf Course

California is a gold mine for outdoor optionality. Escape the large cities to National Parks, endless beach towns, or the rugged mountains. I have made trips to California in the past, but little did I know this specific trip was going to be one of the most memorable. That take away is primarily centered around an incredible few days in Southern California at Torrey Pines and La Jolla with my wife. We were just blown away by the pristine beauty of Southern California along with the picture perfect weather and laid back culture. Before that segment of the trip I had a solo weekend at my hands before picking up Elizabeth in Santa Barbara. I spent a lot of time researching what to do with my with my weekend escapade in The Golden State. Knowing that I did not want to be in one of the large cities, I began to research options north of Los Angeles that had a great culture as well as outdoor options. One place that kept coming up in my research was Ojai, pronounced "Oh-Hi”. From everything I read about Ojai, it looked like it checked the boxes in everything I was looking for in a quick California escape. Upon landing at LAX, my wheels couldn’t hit the ground quick enough to get into the California mountain air. After a relatively quiet drive up a segment of Highway One taking in some coastal air and a California sunset, I arrived in the California mountain town of Ojai.

Sunrise views over the Topatopoa mountain range in Ojai, California

Far from the endless lights of Los Angeles, the town strip of Ojai was lit up at night but as I made my way up a mountain to my lodging for the night all light quickly faded. Cold mountain air immediately soaked into my blood along with breathtaking overhead views of a starry night. I knew that I had chosen the right spot. I had a late dinner in town where I struck up conversation with both locals and weekend visitors from the big city. The laid back California mountain town vibes were in full swing. After a restful night of sleep I awoke to a crisp California morning with the sun peering on over the Topatopoa Mountain Range. bringing new day to the Ojai Valley. The little mountain hotel I stayed at was full of hippie vibes and was actually pretty fitting for what I had seen of this place so far. It was Saturday and I had made a late afternoon tee time at Soule Park Golf Course which gave me time in the morning to go for a hike and check out the town of Ojai. The hiking options are plentiful; the town of Ojai is simple and well done. On a blue sky Saturday it was full of locals and tourists alike. I will say I did not make the trip to Ojai for golf alone, but I found myself more than pleased with the choice I made with or without the golf that was to come.

Views of Ojai from above from one of many hiking trails in the area

The top public course option I could find on paper north west of Los Angeles was Rustic Canyon. From what I heard about Rustic Canyon it is a excellent but difficult golf course and also in the middle of nowhere. The next best option I found happens to sit smack dab in the middle of Ojai. Ojai has one golf course, Soule Park. It is a municipal course, however you would never know it by the looks and feel; California has a knack for well done municipal courses. The course is a beautiful layout running along the Ojai Valley and is set with a dramatic backdrop with most shots on the course providing a view of the Topatopoa Mountains. Soule Park is full of accolades, one of my favorite article headlines being the ‘Best Course You Have Never Heard Of’. Soule Park was originally designed in 1962 by William Bell. Bell ‘s hand has been instrumental in design on a number of other well known courses, most notably in California Torrey Pines North and South course. Ironically this was my warm up round before teeing it up at Torrey Pines later in the trip. The course underwent a re-design in 2005 following a significant valley flood. The re-design was led by famed golf course architect Gil Hanse and his partner Jim Wagner. Greens fees are reasonable to say the least, in a day and age where it’s difficult to play 18 holes for less than $50, Soule Park is one place where it can still happen. Soule Course is not a demandingly long course by any means playing 6,856 yards from the back ‘Oak’ tees with a slope rating of 128.

I have seen worse views for $40 on a golf course

I arrived early for my late afternoon tee time to check out the course property and headed to the clubhouse restaurant and bar to grab some food. Many of the Ojai locals were done for the day reminiscing over their work on the course with cold California beverages. The course was packed on a picture perfect Saturday. As I was waiting to tee off, I noticed a gentleman in a cart with his playing partner, a big white hair lab. I had yet to hit one bad golf shot and much like my early perception of Ojai, I was already loving this place. I also noticed the California relaxed dress code was fully in effect; collared shirts are optional, flip flops are acceptable. I got paired up with a father and son. Local Californian’s at their finest, the Dad was out of San Diego and son living in the Santa Barbara area. An afternoon on the valley floor golf course of Ojai for less than fifty dollars with the the Topatopa mountains looming at most corners of the sky is a wonderful golf experience whatever type of course was to come. The course was very well taken care of in respect to some of the municipal courses I had seen. The greens overall were no walk in the park and require some strategic play on approach shots. Many fairways are open but there are some shots that require carry over creeks and hazards. I would say there were not too many stand out holes on the course, but the course had a nice feel and flow as a whole and is setup well to walk. If I were to pick a signature hole it would be the par three tenth. The opening hole on the back nine is setup on a hill with the green some 165 yards away. Water hugs the right side of the green so the miss here is left. A small bench sits next to the the tee box and is a perfect place to take a breather and soak in the beauty of Ojai .

The Par 3 10th at Soule Park is a tranquil golf hole

This hole really summed up what I thought Soule Park was all about. A place to soak in the beauty of this peaceful mountain town over a round of golf. With the late afternoon tee time and slow Saturday crowds we scrambled on the back nine to get in as many holes as possible. We took in every last ounce of light; I was sad to see the sun disappear behind the mountains on this glorious California Saturday. Ojai’s California mountain town culture is infused throughout this quaint community and feeds directly into the ‘Soule’ of the only golf course in town. I left Ojai thinking about more than just golf, which is saying something. Take me back to Southern California, please.