Ah, two of my faves. And one that makes me weep.
I've gone on and on and on about these courses many times in here. Not to rehash too much, but what makes me weep is how emasculated Bayonet is today, in the name of moving tourists along. You think it's hard today? Back in the day there were about twice as many trees, all had branches and underbrush down to the ground, many overhung way out into the fairways. Oh it was totally "unfair", it left little in the way of strategic choices to be made, but it was the most clear evaluator of one's game that I have ever seen. Think you're good? Break 80 from the tips at Bayonet. It was a brutal, sadistic, horrifying course that I just absolutely loved, because that was its purpose and it made no bones about it.
Now?
Still tough, for sure. But SO much more playable... OK, for the most part that is a good thing. But look how Cary came back pooh-poohing it... I can tell ya that never would have happened had he played it prior to say 1990. Of course even then the emasculating had begun, but at least most of what made it cool was still there.
Now it's a decent course - GREAT drainage, best in all of NorCal I think - pretty fun, still a good test - just not really special in any way.
I still do recommend it to visitors, and I think I have done so for Paul and Brent- and in fact I would recommend it for far more people today than before - before you had better have been a single digit handicap without much ego to enjoy the round.
Oh well....
Blackhorse by the way is quirky to the max and would seem to me to be a poster-course for this group. And conditions there were resurrected post-military leaving... So as much as Bayonet was emasculated, Blackhorse was saved and improved. It is a very weird, quirky, very fun course these days.
TH