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The
location:
The Palm Springs Golf Course.
Q. What is it supposed to be on the show? A. A golf course.
Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show? A. In Palm Springs, CA.
Q. When did we see it on the show? A. In the first season, in Episode 16, "The Links". The troubled Oliver invites the gang out to his place in Palm Springs, and they end up on the golf course. Oliver does his best to upset Ryan (and steal Marissa away), which culminates in Oliver running Ryan and Luke off the road while they are driving golf carts. (This golf course shouldn't be confused with the "Newport Country Club" golf course, which was filmed in several other locations.)
Q. What is it actually in real life? A. It's an actual golf course & country club - but nowhere near Palm Springs.
A. This location is special, because (to the best of my knowledge) it marks the only time "The O.C." actually filmed on location in the real Orange County. Granted, not in Newport Beach, but in its neighboring city to the north, Huntington Beach. It's the Seacliff Country Club, located at 6501 Palm Ave, in Huntington Beach, CA. If you're traveling down the coast on Pacific Coast Highway, it is located just south of the wetlands and north of the Huntington Beach Pier (between Seapoint Avenue and Golden West Street). Ironically (since it's not supposed to be in Newport), it shares a great deal in common with the real Newport Beach golf courses shown in the show's establishing shots, such as the Pelican Hill Golf Club. Like the Pelican Hill course, it is located right on the edge of Pacific Coast Highway, a stone's throw from the ocean. And like both the Pelican and the nearby Big Canyon Country Club in Newport, Seacliff's links wind their way among expensive residential homes. Yet they chose to use it for a Palm Springs course... Go figure. Here is a map link to the golf course. And here is
a birds-eye view aerial
photo. Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was? A. I missed this one for a long time. I knew that "The O.C." never actually filmed their scenes in the real O.C., so I didn't bother to look there. Instead, I looked at every other golf course in Los Angeles county, with no luck. Since the shots gave a clear view of the distinctive clubhouse, it was fairly easy to eliminate the other courses. It wasn't until
much later, when I just happened to be looking at aerial photos of the
Huntington Beach area, that I chanced upon the Seacliff Country Club, and
realized how much it resembled the "Palm Springs" course. So
I went to the Live Local aerial photos and compared the Seacliff
club house, lakes & fountains with those in Episode 16, and it was
a perfect match. [ To see the
other locations used for the Newport Beach golf course, click
here. ] By
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