DIFFERENT KIND OF BIRDIE—A heron takes flight across one of the many ponds at Simi Hills Golf Course on April 12. The facility will celebrate its 30th anniversary on May 2. Photos by IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers When he purchased his home on Choctaw Avenue back in May 1981, Larry Egan didn’t truly consider himself a golfer.

But he couldn’t just ignore the fact that the fifth fairway at the new Simi Hills Golf Course ran alongside his backyard. So when the much-anticipated 18- hole tract officially opened its doors for business on May 2, Egan grabbed some clubs and headed for the pro shop.

“To me, it was a big step up in being a community to have a nice golf course,” said Egan, 70, and a resident of Simi Valley since 1964. “It was a big step to me in the progress of Simi Valley as a city.”

The ensuing 30 years have seen plenty of progress in Simi—new homes, new shopping centers and yes, new golf courses. However, one constant that has remained are the 160 acres of manicured green grass in the northeast corner of the city that have beckoned golfers from all walks of life.

Sweet swingers and duffers carrying double-digit handicaps alike have embraced Simi Hills as their own, and during the next few weeks the course is returning the favor as part of its 30th anniversary celebration. The festivities include free rounds of golf for anyone born on Opening Day, the oldest person still playing the course and the first person to produce an original Simi Hills scorecard. There is also an online trivia contest centered on the course’s history.

However, the highlight of the birthday bash will come May 2 when the course hosts its Anniversary Golf Tournament. The 18-hole event is open to the public and will feature a 10 a.m. shotgun start. The $75 entry fee includes green fees, cart fees, a barbecue lunch, raffle tickets and several on-course contests. Proceeds will benefit the Rancho Simi Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports projects and programs in the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, which operates the golf course.

“What we’re trying to do is bring in all the history and the people who were here 30 years ago,” said Jackie Cochran, Simi Hills’ tournament director who also oversees marketing and operations. “The publicity that we have is geared around what’s happened over the last 30 years.

“We’re really excited about having as many local residents participate as possible because they are a big part of what has kept us here and kept us successful.”

Perhaps local golfers’ love affair with the course is enhanced by the fact they had to wait so long to finally have a tract of their own. According to Cochran, discussions about an 18-hole layout in Simi Valley cropped up as far back as the early 1960s. However, city planners and developers could never come to an agreement on providing the real estate necessary to make it happen.

After a number of fits and starts, Pacific Coast Properties stepped forward with a donation of 160 acres, wedged between Alamo Street to the south and Texas Avenue to the west, and winding between the Santa Monica Mountains and the housing development containing Egan’s home to the north and east, respectively.

When the new Simi Hills Golf Club hung out its shingle, it welcomed golfers to a layout strikingly similar to what is still found today. The original tract, designed by renowned architect Ted Robinson, measured 6,509 yards from the tips, checking in as a par 71. Greens fees were $10 on the weekend and $7 on weekdays, and cart rental was $6.

Since its debut, Cochran estimates Simi Hills has played host to approximately 2.5 million rounds of golf, much of it repeat business from the same people who couldn’t wait to play a round three decades ago.

“That’s the kind of feeling that you have at Simi, that it’s vintage because it’s been around for 30 years and it’s just a real traditional course,” Cochran said. “That’s why people who have been around it for the last 30 years love it.”

Including Egan. While he wouldn’t describe himself as a golfer on the fateful day 30 years ago when he helped break in his neighbor, much has changed with the passage of time. He’s become an avid practitioner of the good walk spoiled, on courses near and far.

And now, twice each week, he plies his trade at Simi Hills— which, with the pending redevelopment in Lost Canyons, is slated to soon regain its standing as Simi Valley’s only 18-hole public course.

“You go down there and play for $19, walking, as a senior, for 18 holes,” Egan said. “It’s such a bargain.

“I do play some other courses, and I think Simi’s nice. I’m not just prejudiced because I live here, but as a golfer (I like it).”

For more information about the course’s anniversary promotions, go to www.simihillsgolf.com or call (805) 522-0803.