Meadow Club - A picture tour of a magical setting in Marin, CA

[Chip Gaskins]

I was lucky enough to see Meadow Club a few weeks ago with club historian Mike Purvis.  Mike was a fantastic host and wealth of knowledge about all things Mackenzie, especially Mackenzie's first course in America.  Jim O'Neal's staff is first class and I was lucky enough to chat with GCA's own Sean Tully, newly named head super of Meadow Club.

Not many places in the world are as pretty as Northern California, especially once you get over the Golden Gate bridge.  And not many place once you get over the bridge are as special as the remote parts of Marin County.

Meadow Club is nestled in a valley near the small town of Fairfax, CA.  This was Mackenzie first course in the U.S.  It was a collaboration between Hunter and Mackenzie which lead to a very fruitful partnership in the Western U.S.  Recently Mike DeVries has come in a done a fantastic job taking the course back to what it looked like many years ago (minus a few (a lot) of tree growth).  Bunkers and green complexes are simply fantastic.  The 7th hole could be the best hole in the Bay Area.  Certainly the best setting in the Bay Area.

The course sits down in a valley which is pretty flat given the rest of the surrounding terrain and must have been impossible to get to back in Mackenzie's day!

Simply a magical place!

Hole #2


Hole #3

This is one crazy green that I was too busy putting on to snap a good picture :-(


Hole #4
I love the ridge that you have to hit over.  Reminds me of Crystal Downs or Bandon Trails #4


Hole #5
Long one shot hole.


Hole #6
A very small creek/ditch runs up the right side of this landing, which is very hard to see from the tee.



Hole #7
Definitely one of the coolest holes in Northern California.  The second shot really can’t be any more beautiful.  A magical setting.


Hole #7 approach


Hole #8


Hole #9
Space, space, width!



Hole #11
170 yard par 3



Hole #13

Shares a fairway and central hazards with #15.  A new bunker was being added the day we played.  Again, lots of width but trouble if don’t hit your spot.





   
Hole #16
Another fantastic hole.  A diagonal tee shot over a ditch to one of the best green complexes on the course.  


Hole #16 approach


Hole #17
A natural saddle valley off the tee to a double plateau green.  I am sure this green closes out some matches!



Hole #18
Like hole #7, this hole has a pesky little ditch that can grab any misplaced tee shot.

[Carl Nichols]

Thanks for the pictures Chip -- have always wanted to get there.  Not to get into the whole ranking thing, but what courses do you consider it similar to, in terms of overall quality/fun? 

[Adam Clayman]

17 green is famous, or at least should be recognizable to those with a golf library. Not sure it's a double plateau, in the CBM school of DP's. Is it?

The picture of 16's green doesn't show just how much cant that green has from upper left to lower right.

The look of the approach to 7 green Is Norcal inland golf. Johnny Miller borrowed it a few times at his course in Gilroy....Name, anyone?
 

[Bill_McBride]

17 green is famous, or at least should be recognizable to those with a golf library. Not sure it's a double plateau, in the CBM school of DP's. Is it?

The picture of 16's green doesn't show just how much cant that green has from upper left to lower right.

The look of the approach to 7 green Is Norcal inland golf. Johnny Miller borrowed it a few times at his course in Gilroy....Name, anyone?
 

#17 green has a whole lot more internal contours than a Mac/R double plateau.  In my experience those have fairly flattish plateaus coming up out of a generally flattish main body of the green.  Mackenzie's green goes all over the place!

[Mark McKeever]

The golf course looks to have some amazing backdrops!  Thanks for sharing the pictures Chip!

Mark

[Tim Gavrich]

Chip--

Curious as to which style of Mackenzie bunkers you preferred: those at Valley Club of Montecito or Meadow Club?  They are so different from one another, but both seem to work.

[RSLivingston_III]

Chip--

Curious as to which style of Mackenzie bunkers you preferred: those at Valley Club of Montecito or Meadow Club?  They are so different from one another, but both seem to work.

Has the Valley club been restored?

[Bill_McBride]

Chip--

Curious as to which style of Mackenzie bunkers you preferred: those at Valley Club of Montecito or Meadow Club?  They are so different from one another, but both seem to work.

Has the Valley club been restored?

Ralph, lots of work over the past 10 years.  Renaissance did a lot of work bringing bunkers and green size back to early dimensions.  Recently there has been in house work.  A lot of what was rough around greens and tees on the clubhouse end of the property has been turned into tightly mown areas.  Try the search function for a really good photo tour by David Stamm.

I'll be there for a few days mid August, very excited as it is such a challenge and delight to play.

[RSLivingston_III]

Chip--

Curious as to which style of Mackenzie bunkers you preferred: those at Valley Club of Montecito or Meadow Club?  They are so different from one another, but both seem to work.

Has the Valley club been restored?

Ralph, lots of work over the past 10 years.  Renaissance did a lot of work bringing bunkers and green size back to early dimensions.  Recently there has been in house work.  A lot of what was rough around greens and tees on the clubhouse end of the property has been turned into tightly mown areas.  Try the search function for a really good photo tour by David Stamm.

I'll be there for a few days mid August, very excited as it is such a challenge and delight to play.

So does that mean it had been restored but the in-house undid it? If it was restored, how similar to the Meadow Club was the bunkering?
Just throwing that question out there to help solve the reason the bunkering is different.

[Bill_McBride]

No, the in house just advanced the restoration, nothing was changed.

I find the bunkering to be less complex at the Meadow, but there is plenty of "Mackenzie" interest at both courses.  I don't recall as many "scare" bunkers behind greens at Meadow.

[David_Tepper]

Thread on the Meadow Club from earlier this year: http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,43556.0/

[Tom Huckaby]

The look of the approach to 7 green Is Norcal inland golf. Johnny Miller borrowed it a few times at his course in Gilroy....Name, anyone?
 

Eagle Ridge.

But good God, using that horrible course in any comparison with a fantastic one like Meadow Club... OK sure, there are some greens set up against hills at Eagle Ridge... but man this is a stretch worthy of Jack LaLane.

[Adam Clayman]

Huckster, I did not compare the course, only the use of the terrain to make the approach shots feel similar. Please stretch your mind a little bit?

[Tom Huckaby]

Ok Adam, whatever you say.

This does require a stretch of the mind. 
To that end, the great George Santana also used this technique at Santa Teresa.
I wonder if he ever saw Meadow Club?

God my beard is long this morning.  I feel dirty.

 

[ed_getka]

17 green is famous, or at least should be recognizable to those with a golf library. Not sure it's a double plateau, in the CBM school of DP's. Is it?

The picture of 16's green doesn't show just how much cant that green has from upper left to lower right.

 

Adam,
    #17 is not a CBM-style double plateau. It is more of a straightforward stair step double tier green. It has a gathering bowl-like area in the middle down to the front middle which puts a strong emphasis on controlling your approach shot to be able to end up on the proper level. Prior to the restoration/renovation by Mike Devries the green had shrunken to just the top tier being green. Pulling the green back down to include the gathering area and the lower tier really shows the genius of Mackenzie. As Bill points out there is also a bit of internal movement throughout the green.
    #16 I would describe as "flowing" down from back left to front right. It is not so much canted as it is a series of internal countours moving in that direction. Far and away the green with the most movement on the course. From an internal contour standpoint I would would say it is closer to Maxwell than what we associate with Mackenzie.

[ed_getka]

Congrats to Sean Tully for his promotion to Head Super. Well-deserved.

[Joel_Stewart]

Has the Valley club been restored?

Ralph, lots of work over the past 10 years.  Renaissance did a lot of work bringing bunkers and green size back to early dimensions.  Recently there has been in house work. 
[/quote]

Bill:  I'm not sure you are correct with Renaissance.  I'm almost positive that Mike Devries deserves most most of the credit?

[Adam Clayman]

Huck, It's a common occurrence for me to feel similarly on aspects, or features, that have been created generations apart. The more I experience the more I see where others get their inspiration. i.e. Pete Dye's use of the diagonal cross carry and Mackenzie's use at CPC.  When I played the Meadow club and had that special feeling as my ball rose to it's apex, it reminded me of that approach at Eagle Ridge. Since Johnny is a Marin boy, the stretch was not a great leap. BTW, I never felt it at Santa Teresa, sorry.

The little low profile feature that splits the landing zone on this same 7th hole (it is visible in the picture) reminded me of one of the holes at Talking Stick north. I don't recall which hole at TSN but it was earlyish in the round.

Ed,  Thanks for the description of 17 green. I can't agree with your thoughts on 16. Either the cant or the Maxwell comparison. Perhaps I'll need another look? 

[Tom Huckaby]

Again, whatever you say, Adam.  You do have the longest beard of them all.  You feel and see things us golfers are not meant to care about.  I just saw an Eagle Ridge reference in a thread about Meadow Club and it nearly caused me to barf.

 

[Adam Clayman]

Thomas of Huckaby- That's especially closed minded of you, and, I disagree with you about golfers and what they are meant to see. They see them but just don't appreciate them. But thanks for the compliment.

[Jim Briggs]

I'm still a newbie as it relates to GCA, so if I've gotten this all wrong, be kind  

Does the green on the par 3 11th have some redanish qualities, in terms of a right to left (if not any pronounced front to back) tilt?  At least from the angle the picture was taken it would seem to.  If it does, does the bunker on the right not prohibit the ablity to bring the ball in from the right and play off the slope.  It would seem the ability to run one in is limited and the play is mostly an arial one.  I know we are talking about Mackenzie here and not Macdonald, so wasn't expecting this to be a template...just seems like the land is somewhat perfect for a redan.

Course looks like a joy to play ...thanks for the pictures Chip.

[ed_getka]

Adam,
   You will definitely have to go back for another look. I'm never wrong.

[ed_getka]

Has the Valley club been restored?

Ralph, lots of work over the past 10 years.  Renaissance did a lot of work bringing bunkers and green size back to early dimensions.  Recently there has been in house work. 

Bill:  I'm not sure you are correct with Renaissance.  I'm almost positive that Mike Devries deserves most most of the credit?
[/quote]

Valley Club is Renaissance.
Meadow Club is Mike DeVries.

[David Stamm]

Chip--

Curious as to which style of Mackenzie bunkers you preferred: those at Valley Club of Montecito or Meadow Club?  They are so different from one another, but both seem to work.

Has the Valley club been restored?

Ralph, lots of work over the past 10 years.  Renaissance did a lot of work bringing bunkers and green size back to early dimensions.  Recently there has been in house work.  A lot of what was rough around greens and tees on the clubhouse end of the property has been turned into tightly mown areas.  Try the search function for a really good photo tour by David Stamm.

I'll be there for a few days mid August, very excited as it is such a challenge and delight to play.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,38925.0/

[ed_getka]

I'm still a newbie as it relates to GCA, so if I've gotten this all wrong, be kind  

Does the green on the par 3 11th have some redanish qualities, in terms of a right to left (if not any pronounced front to back) tilt?  At least from the angle the picture was taken it would seem to.  If it does, does the bunker on the right not prohibit the ablity to bring the ball in from the right and play off the slope.  It would seem the ability to run one in is limited and the play is mostly an arial one.  I know we are talking about Mackenzie here and not Macdonald, so wasn't expecting this to be a template...just seems like the land is somewhat perfect for a redan.

Course looks like a joy to play ...thanks for the pictures Chip.

Jim,
    #11 is not a Redan. The ball with move right to left after landing, but the green is not falling away at all. The bunker on the right would be problematic if it were a Redan. A nice little hole nevertheless.