TPC San Francisco Bay at Stonebrae this week

[Dan Herrmann]

I've been watching today on TV.  Is this as good a course in person as it looks on TV?  I'm blown  away!

Holy cow - there IS golf outside Philly

(PS - I think DMK is one of the NYG's (new young guys) that are recreating golf course architecture before our eyes)

[mark chalfant]

Matt,

Several things at Stonebrae impressed me,

1. Some good bunkering(hazard- like) that often impacts strategy/angles
2. Very interesting set of par fives that fall over very cool topography
3. Many  bold green complexes that  necessitate thoughtful iron approaches and steady putting
4. Tremendous variety in holes, subtle elevation changes, as well as some neat par fours under 370 yards

Doak scale   6.5+

[TX Golf]

I am in the same boat with many others in that I would give it a six...

While D. Kidd seems to be the new hot thing in GCA, and much of his stuff is good .... i haven't been overly impressed by what I have seen.

[Kevin_Reilly]

Here's an opinion from another board:

Stonebrae supplants SFGC as his #1 in the Bay Area

[Dan Herrmann]

Robert,
If you're not impessed by Kidd's work, what do you think is missing?

I've only played Kidd's Bandon Dunes, and give it a 9.5 on the new Herrmann Scale

[Joel_Stewart]

6 under - 6 birdies no bogeys for the leader yesterday at Stonebrae under tough conditions.

[Lawrence Largent]

Good friend of mine plays the Nationwide Tour and he told me that the players hate the course.

Lawrence

[John Keenan]

Lawrence what is it that they hate? The tough walk, the course, wind or

John

[Joel_Stewart]

Good friend of mine plays the Nationwide Tour and he told me that the players hate the course.

I talked to a couple of players yesterday that said the opposite. 

It's not your cookie cutter everything is straight in front of you golf course.   Throw in some fairly severe greens and these pros tend to bitch like little girls.  The pin placements yesterday where as easy as you could get so if they do complain, wait until the weekend.

If they did complain about the walk I'll agree.  The club did everything they could do to transport them from certain greens to tees but given the weather, yesterday was a grind.

[Tim Leahy]

I'm looking forward to playing Stonebrae myself at the end of April. I can't imagine it's a tougher walk than the last host of this tournament (Wente), which was eating a million bucks every year in promotional costs and drawing mediocre crowds.

I've seen virtually no promotion for this year's event.

Kyle are you playing in the NCGA event there on 4-27? If so, I am too and would like to compare notes on the course afterwards. Maybe we can give Matt a little more to work with after actually playing the course.

[Tom_Doak]

Rob R:

Let me correct the record:  I turned down the job at Tetherow mostly because I thought a better opportunity would come along in the Bend area.  And it did ... except the housing market crashed and our course never quite got to the finish line, sad to say.

Wicked Pony was a development course, too, but I thought the site and the client gave me a better opportunity to build a walkable course.  I did wonder how to hide the inevitable houses at Tetherow, since the land had been burned over and vegetation wouldn't do the trick.  If I'd have known there was a housing collapse imminent, maybe I would have signed on!

[Joel_Stewart]

I'm not sure who Matt Every is on the Nationwide tour but he's having a good start to the day.

Hole 1 - Birdie
Hole 2 - Par
Hole 3 - Birdie
Hole 4 - Birdie
Hole 5 - Birdie
Hole 6 - Ace (good strong par 3, not a short hole)
Hole 7 - Eagle (Steep up hill par 5)

[Tim Leahy]

Rob R:

Let me correct the record:  I turned down the job at Tetherow mostly because I thought a better opportunity would come along in the Bend area.  And it did ... except the housing market crashed and our course never quite got to the finish line, sad to say.

Wicked Pony was a development course, too, but I thought the site and the client gave me a better opportunity to build a walkable course.  I did wonder how to hide the inevitable houses at Tetherow, since the land had been burned over and vegetation wouldn't do the trick.  If I'd have known there was a housing collapse imminent, maybe I would have signed on!

Tom D, are you still working on that country club project in Napa or has it died too? I haven't read anything about it recently in the local golf news.

[Kyle Henderson]

I'm looking forward to playing Stonebrae myself at the end of April. I can't imagine it's a tougher walk than the last host of this tournament (Wente), which was eating a million bucks every year in promotional costs and drawing mediocre crowds.

I've seen virtually no promotion for this year's event.

Kyle are you playing in the NCGA event there on 4-27? If so, I am too and would like to compare notes on the course afterwards. Maybe we can give Matt a little more to work with after actually playing the course.

10-4. That is the event. Looks like we'll be hooking up two weeks in a row with this tournament coming on the heels of the KP.

We'll have to sneak in a few photos to share with the treehouse and to convince Matt that Stonebrae is a Doak 11.

[Mike Benham]

I'm not sure who Matt Every is on the Nationwide tour but he's having a good start to the day.

Evidently you haven't watched much of The Golf Channel's The Big Break ...

Matt Every Bio


And on the big tour, another Big Break contestant is near the lead of the Shell Open, James Nitties (which rhymes with ? )

[Kalen Braley]

I'm not sure who Matt Every is on the Nationwide tour but he's having a good start to the day.

And on the big tour, another Big Break contestant is near the lead of the Shell Open, James Nitties (which rhymes with ? )

Kitties? 

[Kyle Henderson]

I'm not sure who Matt Every is on the Nationwide tour but he's having a good start to the day.

Evidently you haven't watched much of The Golf Channel's The Big Break ...

Matt Every Bio


And on the big tour, another Big Break contestant is near the lead of the Shell Open, James Nitties (which rhymes with ? )

Tames Kitties

[Joel_Stewart]

Anytime I turn on the Golf Channel and they either have the "Big Break" or "the secrets to AJ" I turn it off.  Anyway the guy has one of the great rounds in golf.

After shooting 28 on the front, 8 under he birdies the 10th to go 9 under for 10 holes!  He then makes 4 straight bogeys on holes that aren't so hard    He then rebounds to birdie 3 of the last 4 holes.  Amazing round of 63 to shoot the course record.

 Round 2 - TPC San Francisco Bay 
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 OUT 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 IN TOT
Par   4 3 5 3 4 3 5 4 5 36 4 4 3 4 4 5 3 4 4 35 71
Rnd2 3 3 4 2 3 1 3 4 5 28 3 5 4 5 5 4 2 4 3 35 63
Status  -1 -1 -2 -3 -4 -6 -8 -8 -8 -- -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -6 -7 -7 -8 -- -8

[David Botimer]

I'm looking forward to playing Stonebrae myself at the end of April. I can't imagine it's a tougher walk than the last host of this tournament (Wente), which was eating a million bucks every year in promotional costs and drawing mediocre crowds.

Stonebrae with 300 ft elevation change, vs. posted elevation change at Wente of 200.  I just carried a tour bag in the pro-am Wednesday......it's a hike!!!  Makes Bandon Trails look like a table top.

[Tom Yost]

Good friend of mine plays the Nationwide Tour and he told me that the players hate the course.

That is usually a positive thing in GCA, right?

[Joe Hancock]

I'm looking forward to playing Stonebrae myself at the end of April. I can't imagine it's a tougher walk than the last host of this tournament (Wente), which was eating a million bucks every year in promotional costs and drawing mediocre crowds.

Stonebrae with 300 ft elevation change, vs. posted elevation change at Wente of 200.  I just carried a tour bag in the pro-am Wednesday......it's a hike!!!  Makes Bandon Trails look like a table top.

I haven't been to Stonebrae, but as a note, Rustic Canyon also has about 300 feet of elevation change.

Joe

[Matt_Ward]

Enjoyed watching the tournament / course on Golf Channel this weekend.

Hats off to Michael Sim -- the guy shot two 64's for the week and demonstrated to me he has plenty of game for the big show.

Stonebrae, from at least the holes televised -- does have ample fairway widths to allow for the blowing winds and the greens again, by eye from TV, to be contoured appropriately.

If I'm in the Bay Area I'll be sure to schedule a visit for a personal observation.

Thanks for those who provided comments via this thread.