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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