Brookside Golf Club - Teeing off at the home of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California

- Around New Year's Day every year visitors flock to the city of Pasadena, California. This southern California city of 150,000 hosts the annual Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl football game on January 1st. A week later this year, on January 7, 2010 Pasadena hosted the BCS National Championship between the University of Texas and University of Alabama.

If you plan to make a New Year's trip to Pasadena in the future, you may want to tee it up during your free time. A great choice is the venerable Brookside Golf Club.

Steeped in more than 75 years of golf tradition, Brookside Golf Club was designed by famed golf architect William P. Bell. The 36-hole complex, the oldest golf course in Los Angeles County, is nestled in the golden foothills of Pasadena about a four wood from the famed Rose Bowl.

Owned by the city of Pasadena, Brookside Golf Club features two 18-hole tracks: the C.W. Koiner Course, a par 72 measuring 7,037 yards, and the E.O. Nay Course, a par 70 measuring just over 6,000 yards.

The Koiner Course runs centrally along the eastern and southern ends of the complex. The course is relatively flat, and features many strategically-placed bunkers, long stretches of rough and tricky greens that place a premium on accuracy. This course is more open than the Nay Course, and appeals to the more experienced player looking for a challenge.

By comparison, the Nay Course is shorter and extends along the northern end of the complex. It too is relatively flat, with the same challenges: strategically-placed bunkers, long stretches of rough and tricky greens. The key difference between the two courses is the small hitting areas of the Nay Course, which are usually challenging to less experienced golfers.

In addition to the two courses, the complex features a full-service restaurant and lounge, 18,000-square-foot clubhouse, banquet facilities, meeting rooms, the John Wells Pro Shop, two practice putting greens, a chipping area, practice bunker and a driving range.

Brookside is also filled with history. The course served as home to the Los Angeles Open in 1968, which was won by Billy Casper. It has also hosted the National Publinx Championship, and is regularly rated in the top 15 public golf courses in California.

The spacious Brookside clubhouse also hosts many prestigious events. In 2009 the club was host to the 20th anniversary of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame induction ceremony, hosted by the Pasadena Quarterbacks Club. Former ABC football announcer Keith Jackson served as master of ceremonies.

Every year thousands of people line Colorado Boulevard to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade. The annual parade takes place on January 1st, starting at 8:00 AM Pacific Time, and features spirited marching bands from throughout the nation, majestic floral floats and high-stepping equestrian units. In 2010 the 121st Tournament of Roses Parade featured a theme of 2010: A Cut Above the Rest.

With excellent golf at Brookside, the annual Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl Game, Pasadena provides a great way to start off any year.