Pasatiempo Reviewed

In all of my golf travels I had never played a course designed by Alister MacKenzie. Considering that very few of his courses in the US are open to the public (by my count 4) it is a rare treat when you get a chance to play one and so I was very excited about my recent trip to Pasatiempo.

Located in Santa Cruz, Pasa is sandwiched in-between the golf meccas of Monterey and San Francisco but has a managed to carve out a cult-like following all of its own. The course has a real laid-back vibe with tee times every 10 minutes (leading to everyone playing fast but no one rushing you) and a staff that is friendly and accommodating and a porch that offers fantastic views of the 1st and 9th holes. All of this puts you in a relaxed mindset as the challenges of the course arise.

One side note, there are the classic back, middle and up tees but there is an option to play a combo tee set (look for the blue scorecards at the starter tent) which is a fantastic way of playing Pasa.

The first hole is classic golden age California golf architecture with a long downhill hole feature views of the nearby bay. I find it fascinating that this trait (shared by the likes of the Riv, Bel-Air, etc.) was such a stylistic choice back in the day but I totally dig it.

There are three things that struck me about playing the front 9. The first is how crazy good the greens and bunkering are.

Pasa might not get as much respect in the world rankings as other MacKenzie courses but I would dare say its greens and bunkers are world class with few equals.

The second thing that struck me was how similar I felt several of the holes were to one of my all time favs, Cal Club. The looks the second shots give you give you at Pasa are similar to Cal in that they create a lot of visual eye candy and challenges when going for the green.

The third thing is regrettably how tight the course feels in some way with houses encroaching almost onto the fairways (especially the 6th and 14th holes). When you see pics of early Pasa, it has a wide open feel with very few trees or houses (similar if you see early pics of the Riv) but nowadays there are often trees on one side of the fairway and houses on the other.

(MacKenzie's house on the 6th)

The back 9 has some of the most interesting golf holes on the planet. My favorite by far was the 10th hole featuring a fantastic tee shot over a barranaca (yet another golden age touch)

leading to a downhill second/third shots. Most of my playing companions tried to flop shots onto the green but I went for the ground game skimming a ball way out to the right and watching it angle back to the hole. I could play that hole over and over again.

The 11th hole creates a lot of befuddlement in the group as the tee shot to the end of the fairway is seemingly the play but you still have a long shot over a chasm to a super tight green. Visually interesting? Yes. A bit too penal for almost every type of golfer? Also yes.

The back 9 really gives it all to you. Other favorites included the 14th hole, one of the best par 3s I have played.

Finally, this leads up to the best two-shot course in the world (according to MacKenzie) the 16th hole. Loved, loved this hole. First you (hopefully) hit your tee shot up onto the plateau. Then when you gain the summit, you see what is ahead of you.

This green is outrageous, the bunkering is outrageous and one of my playing companions said this course is "theatrical" which this hole more than encapsulates.

I hit a great drive and a great second shot only to see my ball trundle down to the lowest level on the green. I three putted from the bottom and all of my playing companions congratulated me on a great three putt. Such is the nature of the 16th.

There is no denying that modern life with its home and its freeways have encroached upon Pasatiempo. Still though the classic bones of the course are there and the back 9 is spectacular. I may not play Pasatiempo every day but the genius of MacKenzie from 100 yards in will stick with me for a long time.

For more information on Pasatiempo check out this link: https://www.pasatiempo.com/

Seascape Back 9 Review

With so many golf websites on the Internet, it is tough to find true "hidden" gems but Seascape in Aptos California is certainly one of them.

Living in the shadow of the big dog in Santa Cruz Pasatiempo, Seascape can certainly hold its own. I happened to play the back 9 as a warmup for Pasa but liked the course so much, I wanted to go back and play the front 9.

The undulations off the tee are fantastic and while some driving areas are narrow, the conditioning was great and the greens? NOT TOO SHABBY

Perhaps my favorite hole is the 17th which is a fantastic drive going right to left and then your second shot is up the hill to a killer green.

Seascape could use a bit of tree thinning and the routing is slightly tortured given the houses but the pluses definitely outweigh the minuses at this track. If you are looking for a solid course in NorCal for a reasonable price, this is the one.

For more info on Seascape check out this link: https://www.seascapegc.com/

Top 10 of 2018

They say any day on the golf course is better than a day at work. While that is certainly true, there are a few golf courses I played this year that are heads and shoulders above the rest. Courses that I will remember for a very long time. Check out the list and let me know what courses you played this year in the comments!


10. Lake Merced

Of all the private clubs on this list, Lake Merced was one of the most fun all around experiences and if I lived in San Fran, I would join it in a second. The routing is great, the trees and the bay breezes are great. The membership is great. All the course needs is a little TLC and it would be fantastic. Maybe on day if I get all the money, I will definitely get a national membership here, it is that good.

http://www.re-gripped.com/2018/05/lake-merced-golf-club.html

9. Barton Creek- Coore/Crenshaw

This course was a tale of 2 nines. The front side kinda a straightforward resort course. The back side? Totally tubular! Rolling hills, crazy greens, great second shots, the back nine had it all.

https://www.coorecrenshawquest.com/2018/12/barton-creek.html

8. Austin Golf Club

The first rule about AGC is that you can't talk about AGC. The second rule of AGC is see the first rule.

https://www.coorecrenshawquest.com/2018/12/austin-golf-club.html

7.  Saticoy

Wow, this is the last course I played in 2018 and it was a real gem. A classic course from the golden age, it still holds up to today's tests and will give you all you want a more. I was really blown away by this one.

https://www.re-gripped.com/2018/12/the-saticoy-club-review.html

6. Pacific Dunes

The views are outrageous. The architecture challenging and engaging. It is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the US much less the world. Still though, with the wind up this course is a beast. All that beauty and routing aside, if the wind is up good luck to ya as the design elements make it close to unplayable on some holes. Strong like, not love.

http://www.re-gripped.com/2018/04/pacific-dunes.html

5. Bandon Trails

You feel like you are in a completely different universe when visiting Bandon and playing Trails and that is a good thing. C&C do an excellent job creating a lot of variety out of the pines and the 11th hole remains one of my favorite holes they have designed thus far.

http://www.coorecrenshawquest.com/2018/04/bandon-trailspreserve.html

4. Pacific Grove

Quite simply, it lived up to its reputation of the poor man's Pebble Beach. For $40 you can get out there and knock it around on the front side and say what's the big deal but whoa doggie, you turn to that back side, and you get all the coastal Monterey golf you can handle. This is beyond a gem and a must play if you are in the area!

http://www.re-gripped.com/2018/02/pacific-grove-back-9.html

3. San Francisco GC

Holes 1-9 are perhaps the best stretch of nine holes in the US. The routing superbly uses the landscape to amazing effect, they are 9 holes that will challenge and delight any golfer and the clubhouse and locker room almost have a patina halo around them. Sadly, the back 9 just doesn't hold up to the front with a lot of parallel holes but still excellent by any measure. Still that opening 9 is strong enough to vault the club to number 3 in the rankings.

http://www.re-gripped.com/2018/05/san-francisco-golf-club.html

2. Bandon Dunes

The best course at Bandon, one of the best courses I have played, this course has it all. Width for errant drivers, visually stunning holes and fun greens. People may say Pacific is tougher but it isn't better. Bandon is divine.

http://www.re-gripped.com/2018/05/bandon-dunes.html

1. Cal Club

After playing this course you could've knocked me over with a feather. It is like someone went to the best sandbelt courses in Australia took them up and placed them in San Francisco. Olympic has the pedigree, San Francisco GC has the mystery but Cal Club has the golf, best course I played in 2018 by far!

http://www.re-gripped.com/2018/06/cal-club.html

Pacific Grove Back 9

I have always dreamed about living in Monterey. Living amongst the pine trees and the beaches, it would be a good life, filled with golf. I would hope I would be invited to become a member of Cypress or MPCC but more realistically if I was living there I would play Pacific Grove all the time.

Often called the "poor man's Pebble", PGGL offers a golfer a taste of what ocean/dunes golfing is like by an incredible back 9 set amongst the roaring sea.

The routing starts off with a short par 3 which is unremarkable except that it is right next to the lighthouse which is super cool.

Then you have a short par 4 that ever so slightly doglegs left and you can see the dunes rise up like a great wave behind the green and you know you are in for something special.

The twelfth hole is really a superstar amongst the bunch. A dogleg left with the sea to your left and dunes menacing to your right this hole has it all and you want to play it over and over again.

Let's talk about those dunes, they are everywhere and the fairways are like little green snakes slithering between them. In seeing Pebble, Spyglass, MPCC and a glimpse or two of Cypress, I would say this course is actually much more like MPCC or Cypress with its dunescape than the Pebble courses so if you want a taste of the private life, play here.

The greens were the most surprisingly element of the course. Despite early morning dew, they were hard to hold, putted much faster than you would think and required more layup and hope it runs out type of shots.

Another standout hole is the 16th which angles back toward the sea and features a very trick green which was recently expanded to provide more devilish pin placements. One wishes this was 18 but alas is not the case.

The 17th hole is also framed by the ocean to the left but one has to navigate a shot over a pond to a par 3. The 18th is a short par 5 to an elevated green. Looking at the driving range to the right of the 18th which has dunes in it (what a wild range!), one wonders what could have been if the course routed 18 over the dunes rather than making it a range.

Yes, I did not play the front side of PG, an issue I am going to remedy at some point in the near future. Still the back 9 lived up to the hype and if I was lucky enough to live in Monterey, I would be playing here ALL THE TIME. The course is just that good.

For more info on Pacific Grove, click here: https://www.playpacificgrove.com/

Regripped Visits ATT Pro-Am Day 2

I've always wanted to go the ATT Pro-Am (formerly the Clambake) and this year I decided to get myself to Monterey. This is part 2 of my adventure up there, enjoy! 

Pebble Beach is often ranked in the top 10 courses in the US and often the top 25 in the world. It has hosted multiple major championships and the ongoing Clambake nee ATT Pro-Am for decades. It is world famous and I have played it countless times on WGT.

Still, this familiarity from a distance does not prepare you for how good the course actually is when you see it in person. Whether it is good enough to costs the $525 green fee is a judgment call only you can make but I will say that after walking all 18 there, I wanna play it!

The first three holes are often maligned because of their parkland nature, wending their way through expensive housing. While there is some merit to that, each hole offers its own tricks on routing, none moreso than the second hole which features a great risk/reward choice on the second shot and a devilish green to navigate once you get there.

The fourth hole might just be my favorite on the course. You are nestled in trees for the tee shot but once you gain the fairy, blammo ocean all to your left!

The hole is a short par 4 with tee placement and second shots key to a narrow throated green. Also from this perch, you can see holes 5-7 looming to your right which is just a fantastic way to open up this stretch of the course.

That leads to the wild and wooly 5th hole, a very long par 3 with yet another narrow green.

The sixth hole is just as outrageous as you would expect. Standing on the tee box you have a tremendous downhill shot and then are faced with a huge blind and uphill second shot.

The scale of this hole and the elevation gains and losses are something to see in person and TV cannot do it justice.

The seventh hole is the seventh hole, what more can be said? There is a movement afoot to remove the turf you see around the green and take it back to its 1919 roots by making this all sand. This would be a dramatic makeover from the image of the 7th that we are all used to but it would make a dramatic hole even more dramatic.

The slopes of Pebble are really something to behold and while you could get lost in the views of Carmel Bay, the golf course is giving you all you want and more on the ground.

The back nine is surprisingly hilly. Sure it is not right on the water but the golf and the choices it forces you to make is just as good.

The course asks a lot of questions of your game on the back, especially your bunker game. If you ever find yourself in one of these, let me know how it works out for ya...

Eventually you get to the 17th and 18th. The 17th has had many famous moments, including Tom Watson's chip in to win. That ruggedness of that Watson shot I have in my mind was tempered by the TV towers and grandstands a bit

but still the general beauty of the hole was there.

Finally you make your way to the iconic 18th hole and it is everything in person that you think it will be. The tee shot is just as challenging as you think it is and that tree in the middle of the fairway looms large.

Then you hit your second and third shots towards the green but definitely watch out for that massive tree to the right of the green. All of which makes for a fantastic finishing hole.

Before I attended the Pro-Am, I knew that Pebble was a top notch course but now having walked all 18, I can attest to how good it actually is. What also was great is how the folks run the tournament.

The volunteers were friendly, the Pebble Beach Resort staff were top notch and super accommodating and the course had the right mix of amenities and chill out spots. This is a first class operation on a first class piece of property. I can't say enough good things about my time in Monterey and I can't wait to go back and maybe one day play that sucka!

For more info on the tourney, check out this link: http://www.attpbgolf.com/

Regripped Visits ATT Pro-Am Day 1

I've always wanted to go the ATT Pro-Am (formerly the Clambake) and this year I decided to get myself to Monterey. This is part 1 of my adventure up there, enjoy! 


Monterey Peninsula Country Club:

One of the great things about the Pro-Am is that it is played on three golf courses instead of just the standard one for most tournaments. Each day players get to play either Pebble, Spyglass or a third private course. This private course over the last few years has been MPCC, a 36 gem right in the heart of Monterey.

MPCC's Shore Course is a fascinating track which is schizophrenic in the best possible way. Several of the holes flow up and down the hills of Monterey and are sculpted within an inch of their lives.

This is the Augusta-like portion of the property. The deer run rampant as this is the most lush parkland setting you can imagine. Once you get off the hill and down by the Shore, the course turns into a gorgeous dunescape of holes running West to East.

While much more rugged than its brothers on the hill, the ocean portion of the holes also has impeccable landscaping which kinda leads to an Augusta on the Shore type of vibe. If I were lucky enough to be a member here, I would just put myself on a continuous loop walking these shore courses, the views were spectacular!

Walking around this place, the vibe was unlike any other I have experienced watching tournament golf. Most private courses that host tournaments recognize that golf fans are there not just to check out the pros but the club itself (Riviera is a great example) but MPCC definitely kept itself at a distance. There were several members only portions of the property that you couldn't access and there was almost no food and beverage options (a couple of food trucks and beer tent by the entrance but otherwise if you were anywhere else on the course, good luck finding any amenities). It was very much a "look but don't touch" vibe which while I understand in the abstract, causes unnecessary hardship on the people watching the tourney.

That being said, MPCC lives up to the hype, the shore holes are fantastic and the Augusta-like holes are pretty and serene. I would love to be a member here!

Spyglass:

Spyglass doesn't get the love its sister course Pebble does but woah nelly is it a tough test of golf. The very first hole gives you a taste of what you are in for with a huge downhill par 5 with a crazy elevation loss leading to a sweeping dogleg left then ending with an elevate green.

Just the scale of this first hole would make any fan of golf architecture go insane. The fact that you eventually have to play back up this hill to the clubhouse is even crazier!

The true standout holes at Spyglass are holes 2-5 which are near the ocean but not quite. The second hole is a gorgeous par 4 with a tight drive through the trees leading to a wideish fairway and then an uphill green.

The next hole is a beautiful downhill par 3, very reminiscent of the 7th at Pebble but with much more wild dunescape to get you into trouble.

Truth be told, this is one of my favorite holes on any of the Pebble Beach Resort courses and it comes so early in the round!

Next up is the par 4 with one of the most stunning backdrops in golf.

Homina, homina, homina.

You then cross the road for another par 3, this time a beautiful uphill one shotter and despite the houses, has an amazing wild quality about it.

Of course, the one other amazing thing about this stretch of golf is that you get views of Cypress Point Club which is almost worth it just for that. Spyglass is absolutely over the top in terms of topography and design but I loved it. They say that Spyglass should be the course the US Open is played on and I don't think they are wrong, it is a beast (in the best possible way!).

Look out for Part 2 of my Pro-Am adventure this Thursday!

For more info on the tourney, check out this link: http://www.attpbgolf.com/