Arizona Golf Courses – London Bridge Golf Club
London Bridge Golf Club, located high above the city and a few short miles east of the waterfront, offers two 18-hole championship courses. The golf courses were built by Lake Havasu City founder Robert P. McCulloch Sr., who was also responsible for bringing the historic London Bridge to the area in 1965 as a means of attracting development in the area. Each stone was numbered when the bridge was dismantled, shipped across the Atlantic, trucked to Lake Havasu and reassembled on its new site.
Construction began that year on the Olde London Course; locals call it the West Course. The front nine opened in 1967, with the back nine being added in 1969. This is the first golf course built in the Lake Havasu City locale, and due to its rapid success, the Nassau Course, locally referred to as the East Course, was added and opened for play in 1977.
The Olde London Course is the longer and more difficult of the two at this complex, which overlooks Lake Havasu, the Colorado River’s rugged mountain landscape and the city skyline. Both were designed by Lawrence Hughes, whose other works include Paradise Valley Country Club and La Quinta Country Club. Johnny Allen, who was the first head pro here, assisted in the design of the par-71 layout, which has three sets of tees at 6,466, 6,190 and 5,709 yards and is rated at 70.9 with a slope of 127 from the back tees.
The No. 1 handicap hole is the sixth, a par 4 at 449 yards, but plenty of birdie opportunities await on a course where the par 5s measure 496, 478 and 489 from the tips. The signature hole is No. 10, a 385-yard, par 4, requiring a tee shot from an elevated tee to a fairway featuring a sand bunker in the center (located about 260 yards out), then an accurate approach shot to a water-threatened green complex.
The Nassau Course, referred to as the East Course, is shorter than the original Olde London Course, but also is tighter, with more obstacles and hazards coming into play and features fast, smallish greens that are well bunkered. Construction began on the course in 1975 and it opened in 1977, eight years after Olde London was completed.
Lawrence Hughes, whose course design work is well known around the Southwest, authored a strategic test here, although Arthur “Jack” Snyder renovated a few holes on the East Course in the mid-1980s. This par-71 layout has three sets of tees at 6,036, 5,702 and 5,008 yards, with a rating of 68.7 and slope of 7,117 from the back tees.
The largest water hazard on the property comes into play on holes 9-11, which are a 354-yard par 4, a 152-yard par 3 and a 267-yard risk-reward par 4. The back nine is a little unusual with three par-3 holes that all offer birdie opportunities at 160 yards or less.
One neat feature of Nassau is a set of “executive course tees”, which play to a par of 60 at 3,036 yards. This executive setup has six par-4 holes and 12 par 3s, with the longest hole being 309 yards.
The London Bridge Golf Club supports energetic men’s and women’s clubs, with a very active membership. There are extensive, lighted practice areas at this golf facility, which hosts an annual pro-am and numerous other tournaments, including high school events. Views of Lake Havasu, the Colorado River and surrounding mountain ranges are everywhere, and the club’s Lakeview Grill is a good spot to relax after the round with full dining facilities and a scenic patio.
Read the Arizona Golf Course Guide List Directory AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course Review for all 350 golf courses in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.
It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.