The Preserve..............

[Bob_Huntley]

I revisited The Preserve yesterday,  playing with my wife and our host.The weather was glorious and I was struck once again by the beauty of the place and the silence. Apart from the birds it must be the quietest place to play golf in the world.

We played the middle tees and even from there it is a solid test. The Championship tees are there, somewhere, but I would have no desire to play them. In the Stocker Cup a couple of years ago, a Southern California amateur by the name of Tim Hogarth shot 69-69-66 to win the tournament. I find it hard to comprehend, it is not just the getting there, but the greens are very fast and with some exquisite contours. I heard that the Couples/Calcavechia match for Shells Wonderful World of Golf had the greens at a Stimp of around 13.... the principals were not amused.

Tom Fazio receives a bit of a bashing here, but there is one feature at The Preserve, that to me, smacks of genius. When standing on the tee ready to attack the course, one cannot see a vestige of a cart path and they are there on every hole.

A very special place.

Adam.

Unlike some other developments I think this place has already covered the nut. You must remember they sold 240 lots, prices ranging from 1 to over 5 million a piece. The have just received approval to sell the remaining 60 parcels. The place ain't cheap!
 

[THuckaby2]

Very cool, Bob.

I've yet to hear a bad word really about The Preserve, even in here given who the architect is.  

I shall get there myself soon enough.  Hell, they let Stettner play, so obviously their standards aren't that high.  

TH

[Jeff_Stettner]

Play? I'm an honorary member now!

[Bob_Huntley]

Tom,

"Hell, they let Stettner play, so obviously their standards aren't that high."

They now realize their mistake!  

[THuckaby2]

I'm just happy this brought the Hatman out of the wordwork.

 

TH

[JohnV]

Bob, Tim Hogarth won the US Amateur Public Links a few years ago and is a very good player (obviously if he shot numbers like you said.)

[Scott_Burroughs]

Ah, but the question is, did they get him to take his hat off
in the clubhouse?

[Jeff_Stettner]

Picture me in nothing but my hat...

[THuckaby2]

Oh man, we are sinking to new lows today.... Thank you but I shall actively try NOT to suffer that mental picture, Jeff.

 

 

[Joel_Stewart]

It is a special place but I think there will always be a question of why they brought in Tom Fazio to do minimilistic work.  The battles between Fazio and Sandy Tatum are pretty well known and I think the course shows that something is missing??

Bob:
I was in Monterey over the weekend and happened to read the local Monterey newspaper on Sunday.  There are a number of lots for resale listed in the paper (most in the $1m range) and its my understanding that many dot.com people who bought lots and memberships are willing to sell them at a  loss.  Same as Pasadera.  

[Jeff_Stettner]

Bob,
I think your thoughts on the Preserve are on the mark. My one round there (okay, I'm not an honorary member yet) was pure fun, just myself and one of the pro's scurrying about in three and a half hours. Neither of us lost a ball, the scenery is absolutely stunning and the sight of a golden eagle in the distance was inspiring. As for the course itself? While not full of the strategic options I prefer, the layout is fair and straightforward. The perfect conditioning you mention is a joy to play on, and the greens do have some wicked contours (number 9 rocks).
However, I have the strong feeling that the Fazio group decided not to take any risks, a choice that causes the course to suffer in my humble opinion. I just cannot help but feel like The Preserve should be more than just a fun and pristine place to play golf. With a setting as good as any inland course in the country, which I believe it to have, The Preserve should be battling Pac Dunes and Sand Hills in reputation, not Stevenson Ranch or Saddle Creek. There are just not enough ways to play the golf holes, and with 20,000 acres, there is just not excuse.
And yes, Scott, I took my hat off in the clubhouse (these rules are so oppressing!).

[Bob_Huntley]

Jeff,

You have hit on many good points, as did Joel. At one point Sandy Tatum was insisting on a walking course, period. In view of the fact that most of the (rich) likely members would be of advancing years, Fazio took this into account, built cart paths and probably hurt Sandy's feelings.

Not knowing much about course architecture, perhaps you could tell me what you would bring about to make it as exciting as Sand Hills.

[Jeff_Stettner]

Bob
First off, the course could be much wider. That would allow for the lateral driving options to improve. Second, the bunker work could flow throughout the holes, but it doesn't. It's restricted to the sides of fairways and pressed against greens (number 9 being the exception). Add on the fact that not one of the individual holes is memorable, and it does not leave the imprint of a truly well-designed golf course. It's a great setting with an unoffensive effort.

[Tommy Williamsen]

It has been a couple years since I played the Preserve.  Except for the lay up tee shot on one I thought Fazio used the hilly terrain very well.  Some holes inspired yet some felt a bit pedestrian.  I would like to have seen him incorporate more of the natural flora into the rough and between the holes.  I'm not sure the land lent itself to rival Sand Hills.  Certainly the views do.

[Jeff_Stettner]

Tommy
While not as traditional as a links setting like Sand Hills, The Preserve's land had everything a top course could ask for. Rolling hills that are not overly steep, great specimen trees and numerous places for diagonal hazards. A really well-designed course could on that land would really rock the modern ballot in the GW ratings. At least, I think so.

[Bob_Huntley]

Jeff,

Thanks for your comments, I am still learning.

Bob

[A_Clay_Man]

Bob= I recall the greens at the P very well. I even have a crude diagram of the breaks that I made for my one and only Stocker Cup stint. Was your word "interesting"? Isn't that what Artie Johnson use to say? I will admit there were a couple of greens that used the natural well, but overall I felt they were all too similar around their circumfrences (not all just most).
I think the green on #11 is really cool but it may be alone in it's use of the natural slope (ok half of it).

Especially after playing Black Mesa, let's hope the next project that wants to be ultra-exclusive will use a better model. Oh, it's been done at Friars head, or so i'm told.