Pico Rivera Golf Course Closure: What's Next for the North End

The last public round at the Pico Rivera Golf Course was played on Saturday, September 19. William F. Bell designed the par-29 executive layout, which runs about 1,500 yards. City records date the course to the mid-1960s, and Army Corps documents put its opening at 1968. The City's closure notice counts 61 years of service, which matches the mid-1960s start.

According to Los Cerritos Community News, the closure also took the driving range and practice areas, the restaurant and bar, the banquet and event facilities, the parking lot and the bicycle gate. All golf course operations were set to end officially on September 30. Streamland Park, just down Kruse Road off Durfee Avenue, closed the same season.

That puts a golf course, a range, a place to eat, an event hall and a ballpark out of reach in the same corner of town. The City estimates that about 104 acres of green space, roughly 57% of its parkland, will be affected by the Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Modification Project. For the next several years, fall in Pico Rivera runs through Pico Park, the Whittier and Washington Boulevard corridors, and golf courses in neighboring cities.

Why the course won't come back as a course

Most people never needed to know who owned the land. The Pico Rivera Golf Course sat on land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and leased to the City for recreation. The Corps is reclaiming that land for the dam project. The course grounds will be completely demolished and used as a construction staging site.

The City may be granted a lease on any land left over after construction wraps up in 2033. New federal regulations will prohibit building another golf course there, and the City has not yet decided on a future use for the property.

The wording changed over the summer. In May, the City described the golf course and Streamland Park closures as temporary. By the September 28 announcement, the course closure was permanent.

The course had already survived a lot. Los Cerritos Community News reports that the operation lost about $1 million over a four-year period early last decade. New management took over in 2012, and about 50,000 rounds were played that year. By 2022, dam-related work had already forced changes to holes 5 through 8 and shortened the driving range. A fire damaged a storage area by the pro shop and banquet facility on February 7, 2023, and the course stayed open while repairs were made. It was known for cheap golf and for introducing young players to the game.

Streamland's ballfields went quiet at the same time

Streamland Park is closed for the whole construction period, and much of it will be used for staging. Pico Boys Baseball League, a fixture in the north end of the city, played its 70th and final season at Streamland this year. City officials are working with the league to find other fields for 2027. As of the September 28 announcement, no new home field had been named.

At an April town hall covered by the Whittier Daily News, Mayor Gustavo Camacho said the City was looking for funding to relocate Pico Boys.

Some of Streamland may open for passive recreation soon after construction ends. Like the golf course land, whatever parkland remains will come with heavy federal restrictions.

Roads and river paths around the Sports Arena

The closures go beyond the two parks. Streetsblog LA reported that these changes would take effect October 1:

• Sports Arena Drive closed
• Rooks Road fully closed southbound from Sports Arena Drive for the length of the project
• Partial closures on Rosemead Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue
• Short sections of the San Gabriel River and Rio Hondo paths closed, along with the connector paths between the two trails

Closing the connectors makes detours harder. Streetsblog suggested some possible southbound routes. For the Rio Hondo path, ride down Lincoln Avenue, turn left at Rea Drive and rejoin the path through Rea Park. For the San Gabriel River path, exit at Peck Road, which becomes Workman Mill Road, turn right at Rose Hills Road, then left on San Gabriel River Parkway. The outlet also noted that Lincoln is narrow and that there are active freight crossings near Rose Hills Road. These are suggestions, not official detours. Los Angeles County Public Works had not responded by the time Streetsblog published.

The Pico Rivera Sports Arena at 11003 Sports Arena Drive is still operating. The City said in May that arena access would stay open during construction. The closure of Avenida Vicente Fernandez does remove one entry point, and City staff are working with partner agencies and the arena's operator on the impacts. Check the arena's directions before you go. These events are listed for fall:

• Halloween Picolandia, October 30 to 31, on the arena's events calendar
• Bienvenidos al Agave, a Día de los Muertos-themed tequila and mezcal tasting, Friday, October 30, 6 to 11:30 p.m., listed by OTBLA at $28.45
• 90's Corridos Tour, November 22, 4 to 11 p.m., on the arena's event page

Where a round of golf happens now

With Pico Rivera's executive course gone, the public options listed below are in Downey, Rosemead and La Mirada, and three of them belong to the Los Angeles County golf system, which offers online tee-time booking.

Rio Hondo's operator takes tee times online, and its posted rates were in effect as of July 9, 2026. The County's Whittier Narrows course page shows no project closure. None of these courses has announced plans to take in Pico Rivera's regulars, and I haven't seen any report of the Pico Rivera men's or women's clubs moving. Confirm availability before you plan a standing tee time.

The fall calendar shifts to Pico Park and the boulevards

With the north end closed off, the City's own fall events are clustered at Pico Park, 9528 Beverly Boulevard, and the Senior Center.

1. Senior Center Día de los Muertos altar, on display Monday, October 19 through Monday, November 2. Photo submissions close Thursday, October 15. Call 562-948-4844 for details.
2. Park Pals fall sessions for ages 7 to 12 on October 15 and October 29, with fall and Halloween crafts. Pre-registration is required.
3. Halloween Spooktacular at Pico Park, Saturday, October 24, with costume contests, trick-or-treating, games, jumpers and food. The City's calendar lists a 5 p.m. start, while a Parks and Recreation post says 5:30, so plan for the earlier time.
4. Free e-waste drive-thru at Pico Park, November 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., for computers, televisions, printers and phones.

The boulevards have new places to stop this year. Shakey's at 9290 Whittier Boulevard reopened in March after rebuilding from a March 2024 fire. Nékter Juice Bar opened July 11 at 8884 Whittier Boulevard. City officials welcomed Mariachi Bakery, a family-owned business at 8967 Washington Boulevard, in April.

Smith Park is also a construction site for now. The $39.4 million Aquatic Center and Community Center rebuild broke ground July 8 and is projected to finish in summer 2028. That leaves Pico Park as the City's main fall event space for the next couple of seasons.

What's still unsettled

A few things haven't been announced yet. Bicentennial Park was listed in the City's planning materials for indefinite closure, but I haven't found confirmation of whether it is fully or partially closed today. No official county detour for the river paths has been published. The Corps' own schedule isn't consistent either. The project homepage forecasts major construction for fall 2026, while an August 20 Corps release puts it at fall 2027. Both give 2033 for completion. For updates, you can email the project team at [email protected], and the City has posted a recording of its spring community meeting on its YouTube channel.

If you live in the north end and have questions about how the construction years could affect your street, your commute or a future sale, I'm glad to talk them through with you, in English or Spanish. I'm Karina at Karina Chavez, working out of our Telegraph Road office here in Pico Rivera. Let's Connect.