I was on Coronado Island once, maybe 24 years ago, and I remember it as one of those special ‘Oh My Gosh’ places where the breathtaking beauty of its shoreline overwhelms life's minor worries. I never had a clue that a golf course of interest was on the island until Trey Greenwood sent me his Coronado Municipal course profile.
Trey salivates over the vision of what a Golden Age architect (say Alister MacKenzie!
) might have done with the opportunity to build a course in the dunes there. Trey’s pre-1900, pre-E.P.A. dunes photo will set your mind wondering also. Regrettably, golf was still a decade away from reaching the west coast of the U.S. when a group of investors bought the island for $110,000 in 1885. (FYI, plugged into an inflation calculator that sum is still less than $3,000,000 in today’s dollars). A grand hotel and stately homes were constructed on the prime land, effectively eliminating any world class golf on the island. Where was Sam Morse when we needed him?!
In 1957, architect Jack Daray built the bayside Coronado Municipal Course - away from the dunes. Both the architect and this course are new to me. Apparently, Mr. Daray made the most of the conditions that existed at the time - and that’s the best you can ever hope for from an architect. Trey lures the reader in with these words:
Despite its inception in 1957, Coronado features little evidence of any Dark Ages architectural features. Long it is not—a mere 6590 yards from the back tees. Strategic, sub 400-yard par fours are encountered here as opposed to a long grind of the tough, uninteresting 450-yard two-shotters so prevalent at the time. Shallow, boring, circular-shaped bunkers are nowhere to be found on Coronado; instead, curving sand traps with steep lips prove to be penal and often determine the strategic options of each hole. On top of the course’s strategic merit, its idyllic and inspiring setting makes for a round of golf worth remembering. Trey then walks the reader through the best holes, combining insight with great pictures to back up those statements. The course builds through the round and culminates in a great four hole closing run. There are the masts of yachts in the background of the 15th green. Where there are masts, there is wind! Daray used Glorietta Bay to perfection, bending the sixteenth fairway around it to the right and creating numerous driving angles from the tee. Trey notes,
“With its inspiring setting and outstanding strategic options, the sixteenth is a favorite of many who walk Coronado’s fairways.” Then look at Trey’s absolute stunner of a photograph of the long two shot seventeenth with the short grass in the foreground and naval ships behind.
Trey’s evident enthusiasm appears both well-founded and infectious. He concludes his piece:
If you come to Coronado Municipal expecting a monotonous stretch of holes with little strategic merit; sandless, circular bunkers; and grueling, 450-yard two-shotters; be prepared for a pleasant surprise. Coronado Golf Course is not a typical Dark Age golf course. Yes, most of the greens slope sharply from back to front, but that is the only evidence that this course took shape in the era of blah bunkers and monotonous layouts. Strategy takes precedent at Coronado, whether it comes at the hands of Glorietta Bay or the refreshingly interesting bunkers. Most pleasantly surprising about Coronado is its ability to cater to all levels of player; vast areas of short grass fronting each green welcome running tee and approach shots, yet the undulating greens and deep bunkers provide challenge to the scratch golfer. No wonder locals make Coronado Golf Course a tougher round to book than Torrey Pines! You don’t read it often in the pages of this website but it certainly seems that this 1950s design is well worth exploring – and for less than a $50 green fee. Thank you, Trey Greenwood!
Best,