Empire Lakes Golf Course (Closed)

Few courses in the Inland Empire left a longer shadow than Empire Lakes. Designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 1996, it played through the flatlands of Rancho Cucamonga with a surprisingly refined character — generous fairways framed by water features and mature trees that gave the layout a park-like feel uncommon in this part of Southern California. Palmer's team leaned into risk-reward geometry, and the course earned a loyal following among residents of the eastern San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino County who wanted something polished without the exclusivity of a private club.

The course closed in 2017 when the property was redeveloped — a fate that became a flashpoint in California conversations about golf land use, as the site gave way to a massive mixed-use housing and retail project. Its loss was genuinely mourned by the local golf community.

Rancho Cucamonga sits at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, where the air is dry, the sun is consistent, and the mountains make a dramatic backdrop. Empire Lakes, while it lasted, made the most of that setting.