ChrisB and Tim Weiman:
I don't ever want one of my posts to be described as "lazy", but I guess at 11:30pm Friday night I was into the quick one-liners instead of critical analysis.
The Preserve, which I've played several times, is a once-in-a-lifetime piece of property, similar say to Pacific Dunes, but inland. Chris, since you've played it, you know it is God-given beauty, a veritable canvas of all that makes California unique-coastal oak trees, rock outcroppings, Monterey pines, gently rolling foothills covered with wildflowers, with the backside of the Santa Lucia Mountains as a frame. It is a "10" site that needed very little earthmoving to build 18 holes of natural golf.
The routing was done not by the architect of record, Tom Fazio, but rather Mike Poellot and Sandy Tatum over a period of several years as the entitlement process proceeded. The routing is a pleasant walk in the park that explores all of the various features of the property very well. In my opinion, it would be difficult to improve on the routing.
The developers engaged the designer with the best reputation in the business, Tom Fazio, to take the routing and turn it into a finished golf course, adding all the various features and strategy.
Fazio, whose work I generally like, delivered a course that is pleasant, one you would very much enjoy playing as a member or invited guest, but not one of the great modern courses in the world, like Pacific Dunes or Sand Hills, but probably a "7" or "8". Various magazine panelists seem to share this view as it was rated #60 on the 2002 Golfweek Modern Course list and #8 best new private course by Golf Digest in 2001.
Now a "7" or "8", as I grade it, is a very good golf course and I think that's what The Preserve is. But this property begged for personal attention, that for whatever reason the Fazio organization didn't provide, to fully realize its potential.
Specifically, the green contours, shapes, and sizes at The Preserve are generally good, but lack variety. There are no tiny postage stamp greens, or large 10,000+ sf rolling greens, no putt that is frightening if you get above the hole, none that precipitously fall away.
There are few holes, with the notable exception of the wonderful par-4 11th where you want to hug the right side bunker to gain best access into an artfully left-hand bunkered green, where the generous fairways demand pinpoint placement or risky decisions.
The first three par-threes, measuring 163, 177, and 171 yards from the back members tees can all be played with the same iron depending on hole location. Wouldn't you want a 130, 160, 190, 220 yard set of four par-threes where you can hit everything from a wedge or 9-iron to a long iron or fairway wood during the round?
Shot values, strategy, variety are hallmarks of great golf courses. The Preserve relies too much on its phenomenal aesthetics and resulting memorability, and has some, but not enough, character to fully realize its potential for greatness.
Now, the developers can bring somebody back in, perhaps Tom Fazio, to make adjustments and create something really special there. Economics will ultimately make that decision one way or the other now that the course is open.
All I'm saying is that there are only a handful of opportunities in a lifetime as good as The Preserve presented, and I would hope any architect, no matter how sizeable the current workload, would personally take the time and interest and work and massage the course so that he could offer it to his client and the golf world as an achievement of a lifetime. Mackenzie did it at Cypress Point, Dye did it at Casa de Campo, Coore and Crenshaw did it at Sand Hills, Doak did it at Pacific Dunes, and it just saddens me that Tom Fazio didn't do it at The Preserve.