There are rough gems that the locals want to keep tucked away for themselves, and then there are the ones that the locals seem genuinely surprised that you’re interested in at all. “Little Marion,” as it is affectionately known, falls more in the latter category. Though, with a coveted slot on restoration it-man Gil Hanse’s to-do list, the relative anonymity may not last long. This June, the Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course will host the U.S. Open for the first time. LACC North was designed by George C. Thomas, the mastermind of several of California’s most storied tracks, including Riviera and Bel-Air Country Clubs. Immaculate playgrounds for Hollywood’s most powerful players. Far less exclusive, and some 3,000 miles to the east, sits mariongolfclub1904, Thomas’ first design, and one of only three constructed outside of the Golden State. Thomas himself seemed baffled by the opportunity: “The first course I ever constructed by myself was for a small Club sponsored by William B...