Monday, February 25, 2019

Cypress Point Quest- Day 1299


California has been slammed with storms over the winter 2018-19 resulting in lots of flooding, mudslides and other types of damage. Other types of damage including damage to the iconic cypress tree.

https://thegolfnewsnet.com/ryan_ballengee/2019/02/16/pebble-beachs-lone-cypress-suffers-significant-damage-in-storm-112442/

The cypress tree is more than 250 years old and serves of the logo for Pebble Beach and has a passing resemblance to CPC's logo.


CPC may have only registered this logo with the USPTO in 2001 but you show that logo to anyone in golf and it is instantly recognizable. It is fascinating for a club of sub-250 members to have a logo that is recognized around the world. That is the way of the world though eh? Even golf courses with 1 member are talked about on blogs and pictures circulate here and there of even the most exclusive enclaves.

This is what I am banking on in my quest for Cypress. I am willing to put my faith in the Internet to connect me with people who know people who know people.

I am also going to start attempting to connect more with people who are on golf quests. I have been noticing more people doing quests and as part of those quests, they have played Cypress. For example,

PJ Koenig played CPC as part of his RGV Tour http://www.pjkoenig.com/the-rgv-tour-podcast-with-pjkoenig#16

Jimmie James played the Top 100 in 1 year (whew!) and of course Cypress was a part of that: https://www.jimmiestop100golfcoursetour.com/

So I think I need to seek out people at the beginning of their quest and wonder if they let me tag along as they try to play this course.

Link of the day. YouTube is a great resource for all things Cypress. If you are so inclined, check out this guy as he went around the track and basically sounds like he is narrating a 1980s slideshow to relatives which adds to the charm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CizDmSULSq4

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Riviera Photo Essay

Riviera CC is one of the top golf courses in the world. Top 100 has it at 37th in the world and you won't hear me complaining about that ranking. I have attended the Genesis Open several times and each time makes me want to play The Riv more and more. 


The first hole (above) gives you the classic golden area California open with a huge downhill tee shot and an hourglass green. I have had dreams about hitting that tee shot into the upper atmosphere to start my round at the Club.


I am always amazed at the severity of the greens here. There are some where placement is key and misses are death (death by bunker that is).


To me, the back side of the course (where the infamous 6th and the above 16th reside) is some of the most fascinating. You can feel the history back here with these ghost trees and immaculate greens.


I just love this shot. It goes to show that if you miss at the Riv in the wrong place, you are in for a world of hurt.


This was George Thomas' favorite hole and I can see why. The strategy off the tee, the bunkers mirroring the swales of the land, it is fantastic!


This is perhaps my favorite fairway bunker in golf. It is just an outrageous monster of sand rising out of a sea of green.

The Riv is a course that I have seen in person multiple times but never have had the good fortune to play. If I ever got the chance, I would enjoy every second and then beg to play 36. It is that good a course and can be played over and over again with boring a golfer (truly, a high compliment!).

For more info on Riviera, check out the link: http://www.therivieracountryclub.com/

Monday, February 11, 2019

Chester Washington Review


Chester Washington resides deep in the heart of Los Angeles and driving over miles of concrete you wonder how there is a golf course in these parts. However, CW does a lot with a little and smushes together a fun executive course in a highly urban setting.


The course starts out alternating par 4s and par 3s but one of the most impressive features is the width of the fairways. While holes may run parallel to each other as typical parkland courses do, the routing gives you confidence to take several different approaches to the greens.

This hole on the front side is a great example of using width folded into the routing. You can flare it out right or challenge the trap to the left with a semi-blind tee shot. CW is constantly giving you looks like this which really makes it fun off the tee.


The highpoint geographically on the course is also the highpoint of the round with both the 7th and 9th holes playing over water to a downhill sloping fairway which then rises back up to some tricky greens. It really is a beautiful sight.


Unfortunately the back nine can't keep up with the front 9 as the holes lengthen but conversely become less interesting. While the routing gets pretty vanilla, the greens keep up their treachery. While they don't have swales and rolls they do contain devious breaks which keep you on your toes.


I would say the biggest downside to CW is that several holes border active streets and you really never get that serenity that golf can offer. That being said, the course is solid, especially the front 9 and if you are in need of urban golf, CW will give you all you want and more.

For more info on Chester Washington, check out this link: https://www.chesterwashington.com/