Need some advise on where to stay and sports to play for kids.

[aussietravellers]

I may have an extended trip coming up to LA.

also want to get my son involved in a sport as we will be there for a while. He loves golf, so a kids program and I saw Anaheim Hills has summer camps or are there any golf clubs in the west LA area?, where they have kids golf games or camps on the weekends or over the summer? He would possibly like to try basketball too. Any suggestions for sporting programs for teenagers around West LA, if we stay there or would Anaheim/Anaheim Hills have any good programs?


Would love any advise, I just don't know wether to stay in LA or stay in Anaheim (being a little more familiar with the area thanks to lots of DL visits ) and any info on basketball or golf etc for young teens.

Thanks so much

PS. Just throwing in a poll, I do love polls

[areweindisneyyet]

If your son would enjoy swimming in a squad I know a few squads around LA depending on where you end up. Could meet some kids this way and it's a couple of times a week.

[aussietravellers]

Originally Posted by areweindisneyyet

If your son would enjoy swimming in a squad I know a few squads around LA depending on where you end up. Could meet some kids this way and it's a couple of times a week.

Thanks areweindisneyyet. I'll ask him about swimming . He wants to take his clubs for golf and said he'd like to learn how to play basketball.

[SMD]

Do you have a more specific area of "West LA" and more specific dates? Many sports are not year round here, though it sounds like you'll be here for summer, so of course there are camps. Also, how old is your son, as there may be age limits. For example, our local YMCA has a basketball league that runs May - June, but the age limit is 14.

How many times and how often do you want to go to Disneyland, and how much do you want to spend to go? If that's a priority, you should consider staying closer to Anaheim. As an example, from the metro station at La Cienega and Jefferson (you can use Google Maps for this) it would take me about 40-45 minutes to drive to Disneyland. It will take 2 - 2 1/2 hours depending on how I time my trip. And then the same to return.

As far as furnished housing, you might want to contact the school and see what they recommend.

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I think it would be great if he could get into a sport and I would imagine that basketball is available extensively. It might be that you have to wait until you are there to really discover what's around but it would be awesome if someone on the forum here could help you beforehand.

[aussietravellers]

Originally Posted by SMD

Do you have a more specific area of "West LA" and more specific dates? Many sports are not year round here, though it sounds like you'll be here for summer, so of course there are camps. Also, how old is your son, as there may be age limits. For example, our local YMCA has a basketball league that runs May - June, but the age limit is 14.

How many times and how often do you want to go to Disneyland, and how much do you want to spend to go? If that's a priority, you should consider staying closer to Anaheim. As an example, from the metro station at La Cienega and Jefferson (you can use Google Maps for this) it would take me about 40-45 minutes to drive to Disneyland. It will take 2 - 2 1/2 hours depending on how I time my trip. And then the same to return.

As far as furnished housing, you might want to contact the school and see what they recommend.

Thanks for your reply SMD. As for where in West LA, I'm really looking at a large area to stay, Santa Monica, Westwood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, or the area around the Farmers Markets/The Grove.

I would also consider where we stay if I could find a good sport program/camp for DS near by. He loves golf and can take his own clubs, so if there is a golf club that has a good junior program, where he can go on the weekends and play in comps or even during the week. Weekend or week long camps for golf. I have looked at his golf club and they don't have a reciprocal agreement with any clubs in LA/Anaheim. So any info on junior golf programs in the west LA or between there and Anaheim or closer to the beach (I don't play, so he would need other kids or a coach to play with).

Originally Posted by Ms. Shuttergirl

I think it would be great if he could get into a sport and I would imagine that basketball is available extensively. It might be that you have to wait until you are there to really discover what's around but it would be awesome if someone on the forum here could help you beforehand.

Yes, I really want him to do some sort of sport. He is very fit now and when he gets home he will be right back into sport, so it would be a shame for him to lose his fitness when we are away and would be behind the others who have been keeping fit during the year. It would also be a great way for him to meet and mix with other kids.

[SMD]

Love the Flyaway, I take it to get to Union Station.

If you're going to UCLA would you be eligible for family housing? For furnished housing I can only think of Oakwood, but that's expensive, like $100+ per day. For a fraction of the money you'd save in family housing you could rent furniture or buy stuff second hand and resell it when you leave.

The only municipal golf course that I know of in West LA is Rancho Park. I believe it is only 9 holes. Here's the city parks and rec info on junior golf.
http://www.golf.lacity.org/jr_golf.htm
(I guess Penmar is West LA too, but it's not on the list above for some reason.)

For other sports, look at Cheviot Hills Park, right next to Rancho
http://www.laparks.org/dos/reccenter...iotHillsRC.htm

And the West LA YMCA
http://www.ymcala.org/westside/progr...ports-programs

Of course there are private club sports and lots of sports camps, including ones at UCLA, but I don't have kids, so I'm not really aware. Maybe a UCLA alumni board might be a good place to post, since they'll know the area and might have kids.
http://www.uclabruins.com/camps/golf-camp.html
http://www.uclabruins.com/camps/ucla-camps.html

[aussietravellers]

Originally Posted by SMD

Love the Flyaway, I take it to get to Union Station.

If you're going to UCLA would you be eligible for family housing? For furnished housing I can only think of Oakwood, but that's expensive, like $100+ per day. For a fraction of the money you'd save in family housing you could rent furniture or buy stuff second hand and resell it when you leave.

The only municipal golf course that I know of in West LA is Rancho Park. I believe it is only 9 holes. Here's the city parks and rec info on junior golf.
http://www.golf.lacity.org/jr_golf.htm
(I guess Penmar is West LA too, but it's not on the list above for some reason.)

For other sports, look at Cheviot Hills Park, right next to Rancho
http://www.laparks.org/dos/reccenter...iotHillsRC.htm

And the West LA YMCA
http://www.ymcala.org/westside/progr...ports-programs

Of course there are private club sports and lots of sports camps, including ones at UCLA, but I don't have kids, so I'm not really aware. Maybe a UCLA alumni board might be a good place to post, since they'll know the area and might have kids.
http://www.uclabruins.com/camps/golf-camp.html
http://www.uclabruins.com/camps/ucla-camps.html

Thanks so much for all of that info SMD. I will have a good look through it. Love the sound of the UCLA ones. And that city parks and rec info on junior golf looks great!

I was hoping that a parent who's child had done a camp might chime in. Being in a foreign country and not knowing the areas, I want to make sure that if I'm leaving my son for the day on multiple occasions that it's a reputable place, if that makes any sense.

I read that Anaheim Hills Golf Club has junior golf camps. Does anyone know if this is a good club? Or what the junior camps are like?

[Plaid Princess]

Originally Posted by aussietravellers

I also want to get my son involved in a sport as we will be there for 4 months. He loves golf, so a kids program and I saw Anaheim Hills has summer camps or are there any golf clubs in the west LA area?, where they have kids golf games or camps on the weekends or over the summer? He would possibly like to try basketball too. Any suggestions for sporting programs for teenagers around West LA, if we stay there or would Anaheim/Anaheim Hills have any good programs? I looked at a rowing club (as he is a good rower) and I can't seem to find any junior rowing programs during the time we would be there.

Sadly, there's not much in the way of Junior rowing in the US. Summer camps would be your best bet for Sports... most high schools and University's run them.