Poppy Hills Golf Course
Encyclopedia
The Poppy Hills Golf Course is a golf course
in Pebble Beach, California
, on the Monterey Peninsula
just outside of Monterey, California
. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
and it opened in 1986. Along with the Pebble Beach Golf Links
and the Spyglass Hill Golf Course
, Poppy Hills co-hosted the PGA Tour
's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament from 1991 to 2009, being replaced in the 2010 rotation by Monterey Peninsula Country Club
. It is the first course in the United States that is owned and operated by an amateur golf association, the Northern California Golf Association, which has its headquarters at Poppy Hills. Poppy Hills has been ranked among the best courses in Northern California and has been ranked in the top 20 in California
by Golf Digest
.
72 that is set among the many trees of the Del Monte Forest. The course is noted for its many dogleg
holes as it bends through the forest. Many holes have elevated greens with undulating slopes to make putting difficult. Almost every hole has at least one bunker and several have ponds fronting the green. The second hole, a par three, actually has two greens, which allows for many pin positions. Another interesting fact is that the course has five par three holes and five par five holes. Most par 72 courses have only four of those.
The course measures 6,861 or 6,833 yards from the back (blue) tees with a slope rating
of 74.6/144 for men. From the middle (white) tees the course measures 6,254 or 6,237 yards with a slope rating of 71.5/138 for men and 76.3/141 for women (as a par 73). From the front (gold) trees the course measures 5,471; 5,403; or 5,396 yards with a slope rating of 72.1/131 for men and 71.6/131 for women. Spikeless or non-metal spike golf shoes are required to play at Poppy Hills.
Matt Gogel
holds the course record of 62, which is ten under par.
players have long criticized the inclusion of Poppy Hills in the AT&T, which replaced the Cypress Point Club
in 1991. The switch occurred after the private club did not immediately admit an African-American member, despite the asking of the Tour. Just north of Pebble Beach, Cypress Point is set on the Pacific Ocean
and has been called one of the best golf courses in the entire world, not just Northern California. Tour players have complained about the number of dogleg holes at Poppy Hills, and the course's poor drainage during the common winter rainstorms.
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
in Pebble Beach, California
Pebble Beach, California
Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It lies at an elevation of 3 feet . Pebble Beach is a small coastal resort destination, home to the famous golf course, Pebble Beach Golf Links....
, on the Monterey Peninsula
Monterey Peninsula
The Monterey Peninsula is located on the central California coast and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and unincorporated areas of Monterey County including the resort and community of Pebble Beach.-Monterey:...
just outside of Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
Robert Trent "Bobby" Jones, Jr. is a noted golf course architect. He is the son of legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones and the brother of golf course designer Rees Jones....
and it opened in 1986. Along with the Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach Golf Links is a golf course located in Pebble Beach, California, on the west coast of the United States.Pebble Beach is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful courses in the world. It hugs the rugged coastline and has wide open views of Carmel Bay, opening to the Pacific Ocean,...
and the Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Spyglass Hill Golf Course
The Spyglass Hill Golf Course, also known as "the Glass", is a golf course located on the Monterey Peninsula in California, United States. The course is part of the Pebble Beach Company, which also owns the Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, and the Del Monte Golf Course.Spyglass...
, Poppy Hills co-hosted the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament from 1991 to 2009, being replaced in the 2010 rotation by Monterey Peninsula Country Club
Monterey Peninsula Country Club
The Monterey Peninsula Country Club is a golf club located in Pebble Beach, California.Seth Raynor designed the Dunes course in 1926, but died before construction was complete. Local Robert Hunter was called in to finish out the construction of the course...
. It is the first course in the United States that is owned and operated by an amateur golf association, the Northern California Golf Association, which has its headquarters at Poppy Hills. Poppy Hills has been ranked among the best courses in Northern California and has been ranked in the top 20 in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
by Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
.
The course
The course is a parPar (score)
The word "par" is a term in the game of golf used to denote the pre-determined number of strokes that a scratch golfer should require to complete a hole, a round , or a tournament...
72 that is set among the many trees of the Del Monte Forest. The course is noted for its many dogleg
Dogleg
Dogleg or dog-leg may refer to:Motor vehicles*Dog leg, an unusual manual transmission layout*Dog-leg, an offset 'zig-zag' plane of operation for a floor-mounted automatic transmission shift lever* The area behind the rear door on a four door car...
holes as it bends through the forest. Many holes have elevated greens with undulating slopes to make putting difficult. Almost every hole has at least one bunker and several have ponds fronting the green. The second hole, a par three, actually has two greens, which allows for many pin positions. Another interesting fact is that the course has five par three holes and five par five holes. Most par 72 courses have only four of those.
The course measures 6,861 or 6,833 yards from the back (blue) tees with a slope rating
Slope rating
The slope rating of a golf course is a measure of its difficulty for bogey golfers. The term comes from the fact that when playing on more difficult courses, players' scores will rise more quickly than their handicaps would predict. The "slope rating" of a course thus predicts that rise...
of 74.6/144 for men. From the middle (white) tees the course measures 6,254 or 6,237 yards with a slope rating of 71.5/138 for men and 76.3/141 for women (as a par 73). From the front (gold) trees the course measures 5,471; 5,403; or 5,396 yards with a slope rating of 72.1/131 for men and 71.6/131 for women. Spikeless or non-metal spike golf shoes are required to play at Poppy Hills.
Matt Gogel
Matt Gogel
Matthew John Gogel is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.Gogel was born in Denver, Colorado and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he attended Bishop Kelley High School. He has lived most of his adult life in Kansas. He attended the University of...
holds the course record of 62, which is ten under par.
Criticism
PGA TourPGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
players have long criticized the inclusion of Poppy Hills in the AT&T, which replaced the Cypress Point Club
Cypress Point Club
Cypress Point Club is a private golf club in California. The club has a single eighteen hole course, one of eight on the Monterey peninsula near Monterey, California. The course is well known around the world for its series of three holes that play along the Pacific Ocean: the 15th, 16th and 17th,...
in 1991. The switch occurred after the private club did not immediately admit an African-American member, despite the asking of the Tour. Just north of Pebble Beach, Cypress Point is set on the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and has been called one of the best golf courses in the entire world, not just Northern California. Tour players have complained about the number of dogleg holes at Poppy Hills, and the course's poor drainage during the common winter rainstorms.
External links
- Poppy Hills Golf Course
- Article about the criticism of Poppy Hills from the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
- Take a virtual tour of Poppy Hills