Open to the Public: Maggie Hathaway Golf Course, Los Angeles

There are myriad reasons to love par-3 golf courses. They’re accessible, fun, family-friendly and don’t eat up your entire day. For many people, they serve as a launching pad for a lifelong love affair with golf.

And then there are certain par-3 courses that are about much more than just golf. They’re about representing community, opportunity and love. That course for South Central Los Angeles is called Maggie Hathaway, affectionately known as “Maggie’s.”

Whatever preconceptions or labels the mention of South Central L.A. elicits in people – fair or unfair – can be put aside when considering the role of Maggie Hathaway Golf Course and its immediate neighbor, Jesse Owens Park. This is one of the neighborhood’s cultural nerve centers; a vibrant and lively place where there’s almost always something happening, be it a host of youth sports programs – including a rare urban aquatics center – people playing dominoes or simply enjoying critically important recreational space.

“It’s one of the rare parks in L.A. that has it all,” said Ravyn Simpson as she watched her 9-year-old son practice flag football.

As is the case with most golf courses, it’s the people that make Maggie’s special, and it all starts with Gus Robinson.

Robinson is originally from Louisiana and a graduate of Southern University. He first moved to L.A. in 1966 after a stint in the military. He’s been involved at Maggie’s since 1995 and has served in various roles in local golf organizations for decades.

Richard Walker, a course regular, tees off on the 9th hole with his group. (Laz Versalles)

As legend has it, Robinson became a golfer on a bet that he couldn’t beat NFL Hall of Famer David “Deacon” Jones on the course. Robinson had never played but took a few lessons at nearby Rancho Park and eventually won the bet from Jones. A gifted leader and storyteller, Robinson is a Maggie’s mainstay.

If a player arrives at the golf course and see a vintage Volkswagen Karmann Ghia in the parking lot, you’re in luck. That means Crystal Nichols is working as the starter. Her million-watt smile and energy will make your day.

“It’s $7.25 to play during the week and that includes a bottle of water,” said Nichols. “The replay rate is $4.75 so 18 holes is only $12.00. If you make a hole-in-one, you get four free rounds. Where can you beat that?”

Nichols not only works at the course, but it’s also where she learned to play golf. She’s an active member of the Maggie’s Ladies Monday League. On any given Monday, you’ll find 30 to 50 women playing two rounds on the course starting at 8 a.m. Betty Wimberly started the group in 2010 to give women a place to play, socialize and compete.

“This is a great place for women to have fun, learn the rules and etiquette they’ll need to learn as they play in other clubs,” said Wimberly.

They’re a festive bunch led by President Liz Mitchell, a former Homeland Security special agent who is the current champion of the Maggie’s Ladies Club, the Par 3 Association and the L.A. County Women’s Golf Association. She is the rarest of golfers who talks trash supportively and with tremendous ease.

Crystal Nichols works as Maggie Hathaway's starter and is a regular in the course's Monday Ladies League. (Laz Versalles)

For all the fun and games, the league members know that they have a responsibility to let the younger players coming up know that it wasn’t always so easy. A price was paid, much of it by the namesake of their group and the golf course, Maggie Hathaway. Bobbie Smith, a member of Maggie’s Ladies, explains.

“People need to know we were denied the chance to play because of this,” said Smith as she tapped the brown skin on her forearm. “Maggie would do sit-ins and get arrested so that people like us, Black people, could play.”

First built in 1962 and originally named Jack Thompson Golf Course, Maggie’s sits on gently rolling terrain that isn’t quite a roller coaster but maybe a kiddie-roller coaster. The routing is logical and follows the perimeter of the park property until circling back for the closing 8th and 9th holes.

Maggie’s is playable for just about everyone. No hole is longer than 132 yards, there are no penalty areas and only two bunkers. It’s a lovely stroll. The conditions of the greens and green surrounds have improved significantly from last season, but they’re still a far cry from a surface that will give you a steady roll. But let’s not forget, it’s $7.25 for nine holes, so expectations should be tempered

The clientele is fun, receptive to new faces and has a wide spectrum of abilities. Countless players have started their round as a single and walked off the 9th green having made a new friend.

The first hole may seem like a classic handshake opener at 90 yards, but missed shots left, right or long of the green will leave a difficult up and down to the elevated green.

The mild slopes seen on the third through fifth holes underscore the patterns that characterize Maggie’s. All the greens are small and all the greens are round. Drawing a good lie is in the hands of the golf gods. Missing short is the play.

Maggie’s is playable for just about everyone; no hole is longer than 132 yards, there are no penalty areas and it’s a lovely stroll. (Laz Versalles)

Along the perimeter fence of the course sits a charming neighborhood where the well-maintained homes often sell for many hundreds of thousands of dollars. The nearby SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is doing a lot of good for the neighborhood, but the “G” word, gentrification, is a real concern here, as people who grew up in Inglewood and South Los Angeles express concern about being priced out.

Maggie’s does attract people from all over, but the majority of players are from the neighborhood. And it’s the corner of the course where the fifth green goes into the sixth tee that is the most social part of the course as it’s also closest to the driving range. It’s not unusual to see people greeting friends who are practicing.

The 128-yard 8th is the crown jewel of Maggie’s. It’s here where you can finally spread your wings after being on the fenced perimeter for so long. But beware, as the only two bunkers on the entire course guard left and right of the green. The steeple of St. Eugene’s Catholic Church frames the view in the distance.

The 111-yard 9th hole closes out the layout and plays mildly uphill, despite being thought of as one of the easier holes on the course. Groups walking up to the green often hear Crystal calling out from the starter’s shack, “How many birdies today?” That warm and welcoming feeling defines Maggie’s.

You’ll notice a sign at Maggie’s for the Southern Area Youth Program, and it is without question the most important aspect of the course. This program has been around for decades, serving thousands of kids and providing a safe space in a community that desperately needs them. The larger community around Maggie’s has made the Southern Area Youth Program what it is – a robust funnel of opportunity for kids to learn about golf, life and community.

When Maggie Hathaway left her small town in Louisiana to chase her Hollywood dreams, she never would have guessed what an indelible mark she would have left on the golf world. The L.A. community, and the game, are lucky that she found golf; Hathaway’s energy and spirit live on at the golf course that bears her name.

Open to the Public: Maggie Hathaway Golf Course, L.A.