fringes of the fairway, making an occasional crossing, are native areas more commonly seen in spaghetti western movies. Brush, sand, rocks and critters replace the pine needles, fallen leaves and thick grasses of the country’ s eastern courses. The golf course accepts shots from the air, but it welcomes lower, more penetrating plays.
The course’ s front nine plays in a loop along the southern portion of the property. It begins with a reachable par five headed south and ends with a medium one playing north. Assuming that the winds are up, you’ ll soar on one and grind over the other! Given my preference, I’ d opt for a wind from the south. Characteristics of Rustic Canyon that reveal themselves with no hint of deception are: ultra-wide fairways, fairways that drip into putting surfaces, and putting surfaces that demand multiple rounds to uncover their secrets.
The principal problem with narrow fairways is the limitation of options. It takes an arrogant designer to stake out one path from tee to green and say This is how you’ ll play my hole! Fortunately for you, Hanse is not that designer. Go left and you’ ll have a shot; go right or down the middle, and the same holds true. Is there a preferred angle into each green? Of course. Is a long drive the best option on every occasion? Absolutely not. Sometimes it pays to lay back.
You find yourself in the fairway, iron in hand, green in sight. Or is it? Sometimes, you can’ t tell if the grasses you see belong to the putting surface, the apron or the fairway. No matter, because you can putt from nearly anywhere. If you’ ve been to Scotland or Ireland, or Bandon, you understand this game. If you’ ve played on a burned-out muni or in west Texas, you know these shots. The hybrid bump, the Texas wedge, the runner. They’ re a blast to play and Hanse gives you them in spades. Now, as for reading the greens, figuring out the proper line and taking it, good luck. From a guy fortunate to see two dimensions on a given day, figuring out these seeminglybenign but never simple surfaces was impossible on the first go-round. The putting experience transformed into that of a parent watching a child in a wave pool or on a roller coaster: Where’ s it going? Oh, over there. Now stop.
Santa Cruz and Pasatiempo
The next time you watch The Masters on television, pay special attention to the huge bunker in the middle of the 10th fairway. The bunker is a special one, related to the original course architect, Alister Mackenzie. Mackenzie did the majority of his work in three places: England, Australia and California. It was after a visit to Cypress Point in 1929( after a first-round loss at Pebble Beach in the US Amateur) that Robert Tyre“ Bobby” Jones, jr. decided to hire Mackenzie to design his Augusta National Golf Club course.
To get a feel for Mackenzie’ s sensibility, there’ s no better place than the course he chose to make his home: Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz. That it’ s open to the public makes it that much easier. Mackenzie’ s home is off the 6th fairway and there is a plaque in the cart path to indicate which doors were his. As an amateur golfer, Juli Simpson Inkster won three consecutive US Women’ s Amateur championships while playing out of
Sand Piper GC
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