Cypress Point..
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Nothing much more to say other than two days and 72 holes is enough to fuel my golfing memories and dreams forever(doesn't hurt to have birdied #16).
A quick report:
The course remains in pristine condition. Many of the bunkers were scheduled to be refilled with identical consistency sand to match all the other bunkers. Many small cypress trees were being planted in places side-by-side with the existing older trees. I'm told this was being done so as to allow for the potential removal of decaying existing trees...purely preventative at the present time.
The greens were nearly ready for the seasonal aeration but were waaaay fast, with speeds approaching 12-13 on many surfaces.
Most importantly:
I came away this time with the distinct and unwavering conviction that several holes were so grossly under-rated and more than merely magical. #'s 8 and 9 are exquisite tests of perfect shot-making and I just don't know of any b-t-b short four par duo that hold a candle to these.
#'12,13, and 14 are such a stretch of imaginative group of special four's that they should never be hurried to get to the ocean walk. The drive on each has such a great risk/reward equation, the approach so full of variables. The wind really makes all of these different.
10 and 11 are often lost on the player, yet each and every round I played, they had critical roles determining the scoring and the pace of shotmaking carried out to the beach.
Of course, 15 thru 18 are pure golfing bliss and may never be equaled anywhere in our lifetimes.
I beacme a staunch defender of the closing hole, (much to the surprise of our member host). The drive's sweet spot is now nearly obscured by the growing Monterey Cypress tree, but is this much different than the lines on 9 at RCD, the 17th at Garden City, or the "O" at the Road Hole?
A large overhang of cypress laying over the approach to the 18th green should be pruned back a bit, but PLEASE....never otherwise change that finish.
Anyway, I could blather forever about this magical place. Anyone who reads this should beg, borrow, or steal to get a chance to play it.....something only reserved for the greatest of routes.
CPGC might just be the one place I'd like to be sentenced to having as the only course I could play for the remainder of my life.