Mira Vista - NorCal

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

In the spirit of David Tepper's SLO CC thread, hadn't heard much about the renovation/restoration of this other California course until recently.  Was speaking to a member on Friday, who mentioned that Mira Vista had been closed (all summer I presume) for work by Forrest Richardson and Mark Fine.  Found this cool blog (Forrest's?) posted earlier this summer:

http://www.miravistarenovation.blogspot.com/

Anyway, my quesiton is the usual... is this a restoration to Hunter's original design/strategy or something all together different?  I truly liked what Richardson did at Peacock Gap (which I understand has been/is bineg muddled through some in-house work), so am interested to learn what was on the ground previous and what the end-goal is desired at MVCC?  Is the routing the same?  How many new holes were built to take into account outdated yardage, technology, etc.  I saw this course, once about 15 yrs. ago, and it was pretty non-descript but gotta say the pics on the blog look really cool.

Thanks in advance.

[Tim Leahy]

I played the course in an NCGA event the year before last  and loved the course. Great views, changes in elevation and nice greens.  It looked like they lost some eucalyptis trees and the course could use some water on the non fairway areas to pretty it up. Traps were not good, dirt and unkept edges. Hopefully when they are done it will get some attention.

[Mike Benham]

Some prior comments on GCA:

A topic started by Forrest on Hunter:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=48623


From local historian Sean Tulley:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,24357.msg449952.html#msg449952



http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,34179.msg685557.html#msg685557

[Daryn_Soldan]

Wayne,

Thanks for posting the blog link. The pictures really show the unique location of the course and its commanding views of SF and the North Bay. Glad to see that this project finally happened. I had the opportunity to visit and play the course while doing an internship with Forrest's firm several years back. At the time the master plan had just been presented to the club. I have a few "before" pictures that I'll try to find.

The course rendering from the master plan can be found at www.golfgroupltd.com/mira_vista.html

Hopefully Forrest will give us an update...

[Forrest Richardson]

Mark and I spent several years researching and working with the members on what could (and should) be done. The original routing had a par-3 9th that played across Cutting Blvd. That hole was replaced in the 1990s by Andy Raugust who added a par-3 after No. 1 at which time the old 9th was abandoned in favor of a small chipping green now located where the old par-3 tees once sat. No. 10 tees were shifted to make room for a practice area at the same time. [Andy corrected my original info that local designer Peter Thompson had done this work...so this is an updated post to reflect this correction]

Not much else had changed, except trees, some encroaching residential lots and the practice area configured during the Thompson work.

It is a restoration to Hunter's original design. We found four photos from the 1920s (originally called Berkeley CC) and the few bunker images we had became a tool for us and Kye Goalby, setting the tone for the bunkers. The greens were expanded back to their original "Watson" expansive sizes. (Watson drew the plan for Hunter and was the 'official' architect, saving Hunter from explaining his involvement to his Berkeley peers.)

The only significant change we made to the routing was to lengthen No. 7, the uphill par-3. Hunter was very proud of the fact that no one had reached the green during the first month+ of play on the course. We had several issues with No. 7 — a natural spring that plagued the green, a terrible green slope that likely was the result of settling, and a hole that few members could ever reach. It had an average of bogey+!!  Our solution was to lengthen the hole and rebuild the cross bunkers that originally ran across the fairway well short of the green. They will play it as a par-4 (260 yards 40-ft uphill), and it will also be rated as a par-3 ... take your pick.

I believe Golf Course Architecture will run an interview with Mark and me in the upcoming issue. Not sure how many images will run, but we sent them what we had at the time. I am at the club this week finalizing some loose ends, and we have a photographer here documenting the work.

Mira Vista has the best views of any urban course I have ever been on. It is simply a feast for the eyes at every shot. We worked to remove about 300 trees, leaving some dramatic specimens and yet preserving much of the forested look Hunter started with (Holes 1, 3, 4, 6 and a few on the back.) Our goal was to open the ridge-tops and points — we managed that and the feel is even better than we imagined. While views were once cited as the hallmark of the club, I think now the views are equaled by the restored greens and bunkers which had been let go to the point they were very ordinary.

BTW ... Daryn forgot to mention that he hit a 300 yard tee shot on No. 14 during his round there, scarring the members into thinking that our whole office had such skill  

---

While I appreciate the kind words on Peacock Gap, the work at Mira Vista had nothing in common — except the general climate and Bay Area region. Gary Linn rebuilt a few of our greens at Peacock, expanding some and softening a few of the more edgy contours. I told him that I would forever blame him for any negative comments ... regardless of whether they were directed at greens.  

[Daryn_Soldan]

Forrest,

Thank you for the report on Mira Vista and congrats on the project's progress. I'm sure the tree removal has not only opened up views buy also cut down on some of the mess cause by the eucalyptus trees. Were you able to open up the entire point occupied by 8 fw/green and 9 tee/fw? I really liked the concept of a large, shared fairway / open space there.

I spent most of my day at Mira Vista scaring members with my ability to reach untouched parts of the course... both far and wide. Not always a skill worth showing off!

[Forrest Richardson]

The shared fairway 8-9 has mostly been realized. We have two old Monterey Pine that needed to remain, but both are in decline. The ditch/channel was restored and now No. 8 plays as a throttle-back tee shot, setting up a longer approach for those who try it in two. No. 9 is now the split fairway/elbow with the series of bunkers dividing the tee shot options.

[Joel_Stewart]

Nice to see that there is some good news in golf memberships.   If you have a quality country club, you can get the members.





Following a complete restoration of their historic golf course, Mira Vista Golf & Country Club has added 54 new memberships since the grand re-opening last November.

Berkeley Hills, CA (PRWEB) February 10, 2012

Following a complete restoration of their historic golf course, Mira Vista Golf & Country Club has added 54 new memberships since the grand re-opening last November.

The members of the club undertook a bold initiative to restore the golf course to its original splendor while also incorporating many of today's modern influences that will help add to the overall playability of the course, enhance and beautify the local surroundings, and preserve the natural environment for the future.

The course was originally designed by architect Robert Hunter in 1920, with extensive contributions from Willie Watson whose work also includes The Olympic Club, Sonoma Golf Club, Orinda Country Club, Diablo Country Club and TPC at Harding Park.

The redesign included the demolition and rebuilding of 19 green complexes (including the practice putting green) which were built to USGA specifications and seeded with bentgrass putting surfaces. Additionally, every bunker on the course was demolished and 44 new strategically placed bunkers were added. All new cart paths were constructed and 9 tee complexes were rebuilt.

The fact that the membership decided to move forward with this project, despite the current struggles in the private club industry, shows a strong conviction that Mira Vista Golf & Country Club will remain committed to seeing that their club will flourish for many years to come.

"The members decided to take a proactive approach to ensuring our club remains competitive," says Michael Lee, Director of Membership for Mira Vista. "With the course renovations complete, Mira Vista is now one of the premier clubs in the East Bay, and easily represents the best overall golfing value."

While private golf and country clubs traditionally have often been looked upon as costly to join, Mira Vista challenges golfers that traditionally play public golf courses to do the math. "Membership at Mira Vista has always been about inclusive exclusivity", says Lee. "We've expanded our membership offerings to be much more appealing to the Bay Area golfing community and our new options for Single Golfers and Couples have been a big hit."

Mira Vista Golf & Country Club, is located in the North Berkeley Hills, just 20 minutes from downtown San Francisco and 15 minutes from Marin County. The fully appointed 30,000 square foot clubhouse and newly constructed Vista Deck boasts one of the best panoramic views in the entire Bay Area, with 180 degree views of downtown San Francisco, both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, and Mount Tamalpais.

###

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/2/prweb9185118.htm



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/02/10/prweb9185118.DTL#ixzz1lzx5EGUL

[David_Tepper]

Joel -

Thanks for the update. Great to see the proactive approach the club has taken is being rewarded.

The club's website offers an excellent tour of the course: http://www.miravista.org/content/course-tour

DT

[Joel_Stewart]

Thanks for the update. Great to see the proactive approach the club has taken is being rewarded.

They are also taking a proactive approach to different types of memberships and the costs of belonging to a private club so maybe the article is a little misleading.  Regardless, there is demand out there for belonging to a private club.