Looks like quite a bit of interest in Monarch Dunes here! I've played the course now 4 times - and absolutely love it!
I helped introduce the course's opening at my volunteer SLO County Golf website at
golfslo.com. Check out the Monarch Dunes page. There are several links at the bottom of the page to blog posts about the course - before and after the opening. I've also posted photos I've taken of the course at flickr.com.
Course Info/Photos
www.golfslo.com/monarchdunes.aspwww.flickr.com/photos/golfslo/sets/831804Rounds
I first played on opening day - New Years Day - in the rain. We were the only foursome to play all 18 that day. Most quit after 9. By the end of the round, the rain was sideways - we were soaked to the bone. Shot a 92 - mostly due to poor putting. These greens are tough - lots of undulations and multi-tiers! I 3-putted way too many greens. The rain didn't help. Course drained well. Only one green puddled. Didn't land in any lakes or sand traps.
Shot an 81 on the next round, 4 days later and with sunshine! I'm a 10 handicap, so this should be about my normal score here. Got a better feel for the course this day. Found the 1st, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 17th to be the most difficult for me. Long approach on par-4 1st; narrow elevated multi-tiered green on par-5 6th; undulating multi-tiered green on par-3 8th; lake with narrow fairway to elevated green on par-4 9th; and long approach from split fairway on par-4 10th.
Overall, the greens are tough. Pin placements have been difficult. The greens don't stick at all. It's designed to be a bump-and-run course and it is. If you land a green with an iron, expect to find the ball behind the green. Greens are also large, fast and hilly and well protected by sand and dunes. Dunes come into play on fairways and around greens on almost every hole! Fairways are not flat as someone indicated.
Shot an 85 and 87 on the next 2 rounds. I must have gotten a little over-confident after my 81. I've now double-bogied the 6th 4 times in a row! The hole isn't that hard until you get near the green. I don't think I've 2-putted yet and chipping up to the hole is challenging. The 10th seems to be most golfers toughest hole so far, but I've nearly parred it each round. The 10th fairway is split by dunes and sand - providing risk/reward to the left (narrow, but shorter approach) and safety to the right (wide landing area, but a long approach to the green). The 11th is the most scenic, a par-3 dropping quickly from the tee with views of Coastal agriculture, the Guadalupe Dunes and Pacific Ocean.
Interestingly, in all 4 rounds, my scores on the front and back nine have only differed by 1 stroke. They're both equally difficult, although the back is considerably longer.
Slope/Rating
The SCGA was supposed to be out last week to rate the course, but was unable to make it. They should be out by the end of the month. I'm expecting the course to be rated about the same as nearby Cypress Ridge. I shoot similar scores at each course from the Blues (Cypress) and Golds (Monarch), both of which come in about 6300-6400 yards. Cypress Ridge has a 71.2 rating and 129 slope from these tees.
2 scratch golfers I know who have played the course once shot 70 and 74. The 74 was a result of a double bogie on 9 after underestimating the distance to the lake from the tee, then getting in a difficult bunker beneath the green.
Walkability
I took a cart on opening day, but walked the course on the remaining 3 rounds. The course is very walkable, but climbing to the greens on 6 and 17 and the tees on 7 and 9 will get your heart pumping. I'm always pretty tired by the time I reach the 18th tee - right after finishing the climb up 17. Distances between greens and tees aren't as bad as nearby Cypress Ridge, however it's a bit of a walk from 2 to 3 and 9 to 10.
BTW, for now, carts must stay on cart paths. I find it MUCH easier to walk than to carry a bunch of clubs back and forth from cart to ball.
Homes
Yes, it would be nice not to have homes lining fairways, but that's getting very rare in California. Courses are being built to sell real estate, not as stand-alone business investments. The land is just too expensive. However, on this course, homes are a good distance from the tees and fairways and don't seem to detract from play. The course is 30 acres larger than most with the same play distance. In my 4 rounds with 12 "different" golfers, not one has hit a ball where a house is built, being built, or going to be built!
Fescue Fairways
Fescue, a rarity on golf courses, loves well-drained soils such as the sandy soil found on the Nipomo Mesa. I observed that these fairways don't grab your club like bermuda and the ball sits up so nicely on fescue. Fescue is also very disease-resistant and goes dormant during droughts.
Velvent Bentgrass Greens
Velvet bentgrass greens fell out of favor nearly 50 years ago when courses began their heavy reliance on petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides. Mismanagement coupled with poor seed production put velvet bentgrasses into obscurity. However, velvet bentgrass has the finest leaf texture, highest shoot density and smoothest playing surface of all turfgrasses. Velvet bentgrass also possesses exceptional drought, shade and disease tolerance, good wear stress tolerance and good heat tolerance.
Eucs
The Eucalyptus trees on the course were NOT planted - and they're not lined up in nice rows. Between 1 and 2 million eucalyptus trees were removed for this large development! 30 acres were left as a Monarch Butterfly preserve. You have to wonder how did they ever get this development though. I've heard that 5 wells were dug to water the course/lawns.
Bunkers
All the bunkers are filled with sand excavated during course development. The Nipomo Mesa is essentially sand. The native sand makes for great sand play - unlike construction sand found at nearby courses. Made for easy dune building too - and looks much like the natural dunes just west along the coast.
If you're ever on the Central Coast, make sure to play this unique course! Tell them Golf SLO sent you