“I was born, in a crossfire hurricane.” We’ve never heard more fitting words while standing on the first tee of a golf course anywhere. Fitting to us? Well, no, not really. Although we are huge Rolling Stones fans! But fitting to the absolute coolness that is Goat Hill Park.

First of all, if you don’t know Goat Hill, you should. Goat Hill is World Class, Working Class as they call it. It is a great 18-hole par 65 self-described ‘short course’, that is located in the awesome seaside town of Oceanside, about 30 minutes north of San Diego. And simply put, it is a ton of fun to play.

We played Goat Hill the day before the Famer’s Insurance Open. We went there for 2 reasons- the first, of course, was to play golf. And second, was to buy discounted tickets for the tournament that benefitted the North County Junior Golf Association- a true win/win if we have ever seen one!

We didn’t have a tee time as we arrived, but, as we quickly found out, it was all cool. You don’t have your clubs, no problem.  You’re wearing a t-shirt, no problem, it’s cool. You want to bring your dog, that’s awesome! Everything was cool and no problem!  In our all too often stuffy world of pretentious golf, hearing the words “it’s cool” is so refreshing!

After checking in with the Pro Shop, we were next on the tenth tee! And, this is when we heard Mick yelling out some of his most famous lyrics, as Jumpin’ Jack Flash was playing over the loudspeakers. Yes, kick-ass rock music coming from the clubhouse speakers! See, we told you that you weren’t in Pretentiousville anymore! Menekse pushed her tee shot a little right, and I pulled mine a little left, but it was all cool and we were off.

Nemesis, the eleventh, was our favorite name and similarly our favorite hole. It is an uphill, 161-yard par-3 that is well protected by deep bunkers and requires an extra club from the tee.   

Going back down the same hill you came up, we also liked the par-4 12^th hole, called The Shoot. The Shoot is a 318-yard dogleg left, where hitting the fairway is critical. Because from there, you’re left with a short iron to an uphill tiny green that is surrounded by wonderful eucalyptus trees, in a cathedral-type atmosphere.

Another of our favorites was Greenbrier, the straightaway short 300-yard par-4 18th hole. But, it most likely made the list because it was here that we made our only birdie of the day!

Unfortunately, we did not have time to play all 18, nor did we have time to play the Playground. But you know us, and that only means that we will gladly have to come back! However, we did carve out time to look around their Pro-Shop, which is well-stocked with, of course, some of the coolest brands in the business.

Finally, as we were about to take our clubs back to the rental car, we noticed a very familiar face on the putting green- The Professor, Mr. Peter Beames. 

If we want to grow our game, and we mean really grow it so that it appeals to both youth and non-golfers alike, we need to make some changes. Make the game more accessible. Make it quick. And make it cooler! And Goat Hill Park would make the perfect blueprint for the future of our game!