Pico Rivera Golf Course Closes After Six Decades Due to Whittier Narrows Dam Project

September 21, 2026

By Brian Hews

After roughly six decades of golf, community events and recreation, the Pico Rivera Golf Club closed permanently Saturday, Sept. 19, another major local casualty of the massive Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Project.

The final day of public golf was Saturday, with all golf course operations scheduled to officially terminate Sept. 30, according to a closure notice issued by the city.

The closure includes the nine-hole golf course, driving range and practice areas, as well as the restaurant and bar, banquet and event facilities, parking lot and bicycle gate.

The city-owned golf operation sits on federal land controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is undertaking a multiyear project to strengthen Whittier Narrows Dam against the possibility of catastrophic failure during a major flood.

The course had been part of Pico Rivera for approximately 60 years.

Designed by noted golf course architect William F. Bell, the executive course is a par-29 layout measuring approximately 1,500 yards. City records place its beginnings in the mid-1960s, while Army Corps documents list its opening in 1968.

For generations of residents, however, the course was less about its length or pedigree than its accessibility. The small municipal course offered inexpensive golf in the middle of a densely populated portion of southeast Los Angeles County and became particularly known for introducing young players to the game.

The course nearly disappeared years before the dam project ultimately sealed its fate.

By the beginning of the last decade, Pico Rivera’s golf operation was struggling financially and the property had deteriorated. The course reportedly lost approximately $1 million over a four-year period, and city officials considered whether keeping it open made financial sense.

Instead of closing it, the city attempted a turnaround.

New management took over in 2012, improvements were made to the course and facilities, and participation rebounded. Approximately 50,000 rounds were played in 2012, and the course placed renewed emphasis on making golf affordable for local residents and young players.

The city later undertook a major renovation of the facility, extending the life of a course that at one point appeared headed for closure.

But another, much larger problem was developing just to the north.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined that Whittier Narrows Dam presented an unacceptable risk and began planning an extensive safety modification project. Because the golf course occupies federal property associated with the dam and flood-control system, the project increasingly encroached on the facility.

By 2022, construction activity had already forced changes to holes 5 through 8 and shortened the driving range. Confusion became widespread enough that the city issued notices assuring residents that the golf course remained open despite the work surrounding it.

Another setback came Feb. 7, 2023, when a fire damaged a storage area associated with the pro shop and banquet facility. The golf course remained open while repairs were undertaken.

It survived that, too.

The Whittier Narrows project was different.

The Army Corps project will require extensive use of the surrounding recreation areas as construction proceeds, forcing the indefinite closure of several Pico Rivera facilities.

According to the city, the project will affect approximately 67% of Pico Rivera’s parks, open space and recreational space. In addition to the golf course, Streamland Park, Bicentennial Park and areas along Sports Arena Drive and Rooks Road are among the facilities affected.

Major construction on the dam is expected to continue for
approximately five years.

For the Pico Rivera Golf Club, however, the closure is permanent.

After surviving financial losses, deterioration, reconstruction, years of dam-related disruption and a fire, the course finally ran out of fairway on Sept. 19.

The last golfers walked off a course that had been part of Pico Rivera for nearly as long as the city itself.