Owned and operated by NCGA (Northern California Golf Association), Poppy Ridge is a popular course for a number of NCGA related qualifiers. I played there for the second time in my short golf life on June 16th.
As beautiful as the course may appear to be, it’s a monster of a course. The tolerance level for any inaccuracy is so low that nothing but a perfectly executed shot has any chance of seeing a par for the hole.
Here is the 9th hole on Merlot - a par 5 with a severely elevated tee shot:
And the 9th hold of Chardonnay - another par 5 with hazard to the right and water to the left of the hole:
(click photo for larger view)
posted by Jung Kim at 8:49 pm
Tucked away in a beautiful country side, this tough track is my favorite course to play.
358 yards with a considerably elevated green makes this one tough hole. Avoiding left off the tee shot over 200 yards is critical as you’ll find the pond strategically placed. The severely sloped and fast green is highly selective on the approach shot.
posted by admin at 9:51 am
Here are some pictures of Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, CA. With the PGA Tour just ended with Steve Lowery beating Vijay Singh in the first playoff hole.
I played there a few months ago. Generally, I dislike Robert Trent Jones’ courses - too gimmiky, too many false fronts and mounds - there were few holes that I thought they were questionable. Overall, this course was tolerable.
This course had some special qualities, nonetheless. The course condition was excellent. I’ve played on some nice private courses but none matched the overall consistency of the fairway like at Poppy Hills. It was a joy hitting from the fairway knowing that perfect texture (and consistent from every hole) awaits while you try to compress the ball.
The greens were big for a Northern California course. Multi-tiers were common but the ball rolled true. Putting there was a sheer delight.
posted by admin at 3:11 pm
Located on Lake Merced, across from The Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, forming arguably one of two best areas for golf - the Monterey Peninsula has Cypress, Spyglass, Pebble Beach and Spanish Bay.
This course was restored a few years ago and hosted 2005 American Express Championship. On the picture above is where Tiger Woods and John Daly faced approach shot with score tied. It came down to John Daly missing a 3-feet put to force a playoff.
Here are some more images from Harding.
posted by admin at 1:47 am
