Golfers are a particular and passionate bunch, meaning that there is not much that can keep them away from their sport. We are willing to travel absurd distances to play or find a new favorite course.

Luckily for Clermont County residents, the area is littered with well-kept and solid courses all around the county as well as just outside county lines. California Golf Course, located on Kellogg Avenue near New Richmond, is one such track that is able to keep its course green and lush even through one of the hottest and driest summers in recent memory.

A Cincinnati Recreation Commission Course, California is run by the good people at Billy Casper Golf who are committed to giving Cincinnati residents a high class place to play public golf.

The course, which measures just under 6,300 yards from the back Blue tees, is laid upon gently sloping hills and even offers some views of the Ohio River. Although a little short by today’s standards, California is a great place to work on your iron game or bring out a youngster trying to learn the game.

Protecting against par are copious amounts of old trees that line the fairways and can penalize off-center shots. While distance is not paramount to scoring well at California, accuracy is.

With water coming into play sparingly towards the end of each nine-hole stretch, the key to not losing balls is keeping it in the short grass. As the summer months fade into fall, the autumn leaves off the numerous trees can cause problems for locating a wayward tee shot.

The outgoing nine holes measures 3,000 yards and is entirely gettable. The second hole, a relatively short 480-yard par-5 brings birdie into play right off the bat. The medium-length par-4s again award your accuracy much more than your length as you come across numerous elevated green and dog-legging holes.

The par-3 seventh hole is one of the most challenging on the course, stretching to over 200 yards from the back tees and with one of the two lakes on the property looming in the back of the green.

Turning onto the back nine, golfers will have their wills tested on the first three holes, all measuring over 400 yards. Without a par-5 on the back and just a lone par-3, the incoming nine is a par-35, making an even-par round add up to 70.

Once finished with your round, California offers a very welcoming grille area that serves soft drinks, beer and a full menu of golf course favorites including burgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken sandwiches among other things.

While California’s greens fees are competitive, if you’re looking for a good deal, you can always find one. Every Monday through Friday after 2 p.m. the course offers discounts as well as weekend twilight discounts.

Juniors also get some advantages at California, playing for free after 4 p.m. when they are accompanied by a paying adult. They also get a free bucket of balls for every paying adult.

For more information on California Golf Course, visit them on the web at cincygolf.org or call at (513) 651-GOLF (4653).