STUDIO CITY, Calif. — Weddington Golf & Tennis’ nine hole par three course was a second home for Ben Box and his younger sister, Sofie — even before he began to play golf professionally. 

“I probably played this course for the first time when I was 10 years old. While I was at the driving range [Sofie would] be hanging out with the lady at the front desk,” said Fox.

Growing up in Studio City, Fox learned to golf at Weddington. He eventually became good enough to work with a coach and earned a scholarship to the University of Arizona.

He then went professional for almost a decade.

“I played on the Asian tour for four years, in five or six PGA tours in the U.S., and a good amount on the European tour,” said Fox.

Basically, he has teed up on golf courses around the world. Fox said he has realized the best courses have an unspoken essence about them, an essence he first remembers feeling at Weddington.

However, the Weddington course will soon be demolished.

Harvard-Westlake purchased the 16-acre property in 2017 with plans of redeveloping the land into the River Park. It will be a sports complex that will offer recreational and learning opportunities to Harvard-Westlake students and the entire Valley community.

The River Park will include playing fields, gymnasium, tennis courts, swimming pool, walking and jogging trails, community room, cafe, secured parking and six acres of open space including plazas, lawns, wooded areas and water features.

Everything in the River Park will be available for public use.

In addition, Harvard-Westlake is building a network of partnerships with community-based organizations to provide recreational and educational opportunities to community members, including to students at neighboring schools.

The project, however, has upset over 13,000 residents who have signed a petition and raised close to $6,000 in an effort to save Weddington.

Members of the community have asked the Los Angeles City Council to register Weddington as a local historical monument.

Kim Tashman was tired of watching unique LA landmarks from her childhood disappear, so she went back to school for her master’s degree to become a preservationist.

“I think there’s so much about Los Angeles that needs to be preserved and tells the story of the people,” Tashman said.

She has spent years researching Weddington’s historical value for her thesis, digging up original scorecards, newspaper clippings and photos dating back to the 1950’s. At the time, Weddington was one of the few inclusive golf courses in the country, welcoming women and children to play.

Tashman believes there is enough evidence to support the full property meeting criteria for a local historical landmark.

Recently, five members of the LA Cultural Historic Commission also recommended the entire site be landmarked.

“There’s been minor change but more than 75-80% was determined remains it integrity of its original location, setting, use,” Tashman said. 

However, in a statement to Spectrum News, Harvard-Westlake said:

"We also recognize that the site has historically been valued as urban open space. Again, we honor that tradition by building only one substantial structure (the gym) on over 16 acres of land. Most of the site will be open space and playing fields. Finally, in terms of specific historical features, we recognize the golf clubhouse, putting green, and golf ball-shaped floodlights as having historical significance and that is why we intend to keep them as features of the new river park."

“I just think this course and this piece of property is what makes Studio City so unique in a way,” Fox said.

Another concern for Fox and the community is once Harvard-Westlake converts Weddington into its River Park project, it will no longer be accessible to the public.

However, the school said facilities would be open to the public when not in use by students.

On September 14, the L.A. City Council Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee will discuss the historic nomination of Weddington and vote on whether it will be sent up to the full City Council for consideration.

This will not technically save Weddington, but it will hold of construction until the site’s historical importance is determined.