Nearly killed by a sour economy, slowed by years of government review and beset by inclement weather that sent torrents of mud into a nearby neighborhood, the remade Rolling Hills Country Club is finally set to open Saturday — more than three decades after the project was first envisioned.
Described as one of the biggest construction projects in the South Bay — one requiring three city borders and 6 million cubic yards of dirt to be moved — the 160-acre development in Rolling Hills Estates now occupies what was once a rock quarry and later a landfill adjacent to the original golf course that was closed in 2015 when work began.
The $75 million project features an 18-hole golf course, brand new 75,000-square-foot clubhouse and space for more than 100 multimillion-dollar homes.
But this isn’t your grandfather’s country club.
It features a gigantic pool, tennis courts, bocce ball course, gym and spa. Not to mention panoramic views of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and South Bay from its perch off Palos Verdes Drive East.
‘Thought it would never happen’
“There are a lot of people who thought it would never happen, and it’s just amazing the day is here,” club member Kerry Welsh said.
Conceptualized in the 1980s, the new facilities envisioned by Rolling Hills Country Club members and board officials were thought to be imminent in the early 1990s. But then a real estate crash shortly afterward brought the project to a grinding halt and it sat for several years, General Manager Greg Sullivan said.
Once market conditions changed, developers started to bid on the project and it was awarded to the Chadmar Group, which closed escrow five years ago. But it took eight years to push the project through state and local government approvals, which included the cities of Torrance and Lomita agreeing to move their borders so the site could be entirely within Rolling Hills Estates.
Premier practice facilities
The new course, designed by Scottish golf architect David Mclay Kidd, is different from most courses in Southern California. Described as a “Scottish links-inspired” course, meaning it’s open and free of trees, this course has room for all different skill sets — even featuring an 18-hole, 1-acre putting green, a 12-acre practice facility and night putting options.
“We went from pretty much the worst (practice facilities) of any private club to arguably the best on the West Coast,” Sullivan said.
USC, which will host the Pacific-12 men’s conference golf championship this year, selected the new country club among four options this year even before the project was finished, he said.
A kids lounge
Sullivan said the club’s amenities — it even features a kids’ lounge — make it especially family-friendly. The gym and pool complex, he said, both offer panoramic views of the lush course and the cities beyond.
“These types of clubs are evolving from being just a golf course to having something for the entire family,” Sullivan said.
The colorful kids’ lounge has four Xbox consoles, two large TV screens and a drop-down movie theater projector.
“An overwhelming majority of our new members have multiple kids now, which is really unusual for a country club,” Welsh said.
The demographic shift is partly because of a bit of discord caused by the project. When the old 90-acre golf course was shut down to make way for the new development several years ago, about 100 members quit the club.
“It was actually very healthy for our club, because a lot of people who did not want to be a part of it, could not afford to be a part of it, didn’t want change, left,” Sullivan said. “And they were replaced by people who were excited about it, could afford it, and turned our membership into a really healthy membership.”
Now, demand for memberships is way up — getting one will cost about $175,000, in addition to monthly dues. Every member is like a stockholder in the club, Welsh said.
Luxury homes coming
Anticipation also is growing for the 100 new Chandler Ranch homes next to the course. The homes, expected to start at $3 million each, overlook the golf course and clubhouse.
While four model homes are nearing completion, this part of the project hit its own roadblocks. The land the homes are to be built on was once part of both Torrance and Rolling Hills Estates. The developers paid about $9.8 million to the city of Torrance for 41 acres of the site so the future homes could have addresses and services under one city.
After so many years of struggling to bring the project to fruition, club members plan to party this weekend — grand opening celebrations are set for both Saturday and Sunday, with live music, gourmet food, local dignitaries and, of course, an old-fashioned ribbon-cutting.
