This cult classic golf course breaks my heart — but I still love it

It was 3:28 PM on a Thursday and sunset was at 4:42, so I ran to the 7 tee, put my pins on the ground, and ripped a wedge in the middle of the green on the par 3 green .

The ball appears to land on the right side of the hole, kick to the left and then disappear. Suddenly, the incessant buzz from the highway a few hundred feet away was interrupted by, “Is that thing in?”

“Yeah, in!”

“I think that's in, Jackie boy!”

I started laughing as I let my five playing buddies, all my golf colleagues, and our 8 a.m. golf family convince me that in our rush to get in as many holes as possible before dark, I just played Made his second hole-in-one.

But – spoiler alert! — The ball didn’t go in the hole. Still, that moment embodied the magic of Goat Mountain Park and a late afternoon golf session with good friends (late afternoon this time of year, anyway).

In 2024, I’m lucky enough to cross three items off my bucket list at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts; The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, South Carolina; and Stewart Castle in Cabot Heights, Scotland. Frequent trips to Royal Dornoch and Nairn in Scotland, and the Philadelphia Cricket Club's Wissahickon grounds rounded out my dance card.

These courses are ranked on GOLF's list of the Top 100 Courses in the United States and the Top 100 Courses in the World.

But if we are talking about the most pleasure This year I was on the golf course and I nominated two rounds of chasing the sun at Goat Hill Park, a legendary and beloved municipal park in Southern California that cost me a total of $80. Many of our employees rave about Goat Mountain, and for good reason.

If you're not familiar, “The Goat” was originally a standard nine-hole course, the first course in San Diego County, located on a rolling plateau in today's golf-crazy Oceanside, adjacent to No. 5 interstate highways.

In 2014, a group of locals successfully resisted the redevelopment of the land, and a new management team led by John Ashworth transformed the 4,500-yard design into the gem it is today.

Today, the course isn't in perfect shape — there are brown spots on the tees, shallow rough and cracks in some cart paths — but the greens are smooth and true, and the fairways are well maintained. The $25 walking fee is a steal.

How the golf course came to be built on this site is puzzling. This 75-acre property offers incredible views of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding mountains, but the terrain here forces you to climb up, down, and around the massive globe. Many locals walk, some with furry companions by their side, but they usually carry lighter luggage and fewer than 14 clubs, which is an appropriate way to play a short course. This doesn't mean you won't need All 14 clubs.

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The best part of Goat Mountain is the chill atmosphere: golfers, dogs, range people, music listeners, beer drinkers all coexist without a care in the world. There isn’t much of a dress code other than shirts, shoes, etc. If you're looking for a course to watch tour pros practice in street clothes, this is the place for you.

We raced in groups of six and were told to make sure we kept up, which we did.

There are also shorter children's T-shirts called “little goats.” Want to play disc golf? They also have this.

We played on the course from afternoon to evening and the parking lot was packed after sunset. We got the $35 twilight rate just after 2:30pm and had enough time to play 16 holes quickly.

And, just because the holes are short, doesn’t mean they’re any less challenging. The green of the second green is set over a ravine above you. Miss the short ball and your ball will drop from approximately 60 feet and 60 yards. Miss too far left and you may find yourself in the hole for the 16th green.

Holes that appear drivable, like the par-4 fourth, require a 270-yard scramble through another ravine or face another long, uphill stretch to a blind green.

You need to hit the ball at Goat Mountain Park, but you don't have arrive. Without water hazards, it's difficult to lose the ball.

But it’s easy to lose yourself in the experience.