LINKS Premier Clubs 2012

PC12_COVERSv2_MAIN 12/19/11 4:15 PM Page 1

LINKS PREMIER CLUBS

速

PREMIER CLUBS

the best of private golf

the best of

P R I VA T E G O L F 2 0 1 2 2012

layout_Layout 1 12/19/11 5:30 PM Page COV2

FJ ICON™

U LT I M AT E F E E L & S T Y L E

PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES DRYJOYS TOUR™

M O S T A D VA N C E D D R YJ OY S E V E R

layout_Layout 1 12/19/11 5:35 PM Page 1

XPS-1™

E X T R E M E P L AT F O R M S TA B I L I T Y

More of the world’s top ranked players wear FJ golf shoes than all other brands combined. With an expansive collection of performance golf footwear styles to choose from, these players can easily select a specific model that fits their individual needs.

Choose your style at footjoy.com

FJ SPORT

LIGHT WEIGHT PERFORMANCE

PC12_CONTENTS_TOC_MAIN 12/16/11 12:19 PM Page 2

PREMIER CLUBS 2 0 1 2

PUBLISHER’S LETTER P A G E

4

BENT PINE GOLF CLUB

MOUNTAIN LAKE

VERO BEACH, FLORIDA

L A K E WA L E S , F L O R I D A

P A G E

6

P A G E

4 6

BONITA BAY CLUB

OLD MARSH GOLF CLUB

B O N I TA S P R I N G S , F L O R I D A

PA L M B E A C H G A R D E N S , F L O R I D A

P A G E

1 4

THE BRIDGES AT RANCHO SANTA FE R A N C H O S A N TA F E , C A L I F O R N I A P A G E

P A G E

5 4

THE OLDE FARM BRISTOL, VIRGINIA P A G E

6 2

2 2

THE RENAISSANCE CLUB HAMILTON FARM GOLF CLUB GLADSTONE, NEW JERSEY

P A G E

7 0

3 0

LIBERTY NATIONAL GOLF CLUB

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

J E R S E Y C I T Y, N E W J E R S E Y

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, ARIZONA

P A G E

3 8

P A G E

7 8

C OV E R P H OTO B Y A I DA N B R A D L E Y

JIM MANDEVILLE

P A G E

NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND

layout_Layout 1 12/19/11 6:05 PM Page 3

P E R F O R M A N C E G O L F A P PA R E L

PC12_LETTER_MASTv2_Layout 1 12/16/11 12:12 PM Page 4

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS ®

The Best Of Golf

Great Clubs, Good Times

®

PRESIDENT / PUBLISHER

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

D

Nancy S. Purcell

EDITOR, CUSTOM PUBLISHING ART DIRECTOR SENIOR EDITOR

URING MY 25 YEARS in the golf business I’ve heard the game described both as a bellwether of the economy (meaning problems in golf become problems elsewhere a few months later), as well as the last sector to be affected.

I don’t know which status is correct, if either. But no matter how the tea leaves fall, I do know that you don’t have to be a particularly astute follower of the industry to see that the last few years have been tough.

So where are we now?

Judging by the 10 clubs profiled in this, our third annual edition of LINKS Premier Clubs magazine, we have good times to look forward to. The clubs covered within these pages are healthy and their members happy. Their courses showcase numerous styles of architecture. But most important, these are clubs that live by those precious values that are unique to golf.

In short, they are a wonderful microcosm of what makes golf the great game it is.

And they are why I‘m bullish about the future.

Just about everything I love about golf is embodied in these 10 clubs. There’s the brilliant design prowess of architects old and new, from Seth Raynor (Mountain Lake), who was a protégé of Charles Blair Macdonald, America’s first course designer, to stalwarts like Pete Dye (Old Marsh) and next-generation talents like Tom Doak (The Renaissance Club).

Jack Nicklaus, who turned his incredible pro career into an almost-as-incredible design career, is represented (Superstition Mountain), as is another great player, Tom Kite (Liberty National). Many other earth-moving geniuses are showcased, as well. I love to read descriptions of their holes and compare their philosophies and methods, amazed at how much creativity and variety exists among architects.

There is geographic diversity, too, from the hills outside San Diego (The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe) to a quartet of courses in Florida (Bent Pine, Bonita Bay, Mountain Lake, and Old Marsh). Don’t sell the diversity of Florida golf short until you’ve traveled the length and breadth of the Sunshine State, as I have: There’s a little of everything there.

There’s Arizona desert (Superstition Mountain) and New Jersey horse country (Hamilton Farm), rolling Virginia hill country (The Olde Farm) and even a bit of Scotland (The Renaissance Club), a mashie shot away from Muirfield, current home of the Honourable Society of Edinburgh Golfers and one of the clubs that started it all. So we’ve come full circle.

But most of all there is respect for the traditions and history that unite all of us.

Joining any of these clubs will put you in a special group of very lucky people.

John R. Purcell

James A. Frank

Larry Hasak Tom Cunneff Jennifer Lee

PHOTO / PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Michael Arkush, Randy Guyton, George Peper CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mark Alexander, Aidan Bradley, Gary Eunson, William Houser, Russell Kirk, L.C. Lambrecht, Jim Mandeville, Evan Schiller

VP / GENERAL MANAGER

David Kefford

VP CONTROLLER / OPERATIONS

Janet Uings

DIRECTOR OF CONSUMER MARKETING ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Lori Masaoay

Peggy Hurley

ADVERTISING VP / EASTERN ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

John Swain 203-304-1927 86 Boggs Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470 VP / SOUTHEASTERN SALES DIRECTOR

David Wynn 404-256-2266 1159 West Nancy Creek Drive, Atlanta, GA 30319 DIRECTOR OF SOUTHEASTERN SALES/ NATIONAL DIRECT RESPONSE SALES

Jennifer Hanson 407-895-9151 Orlando, FL 32803 VP NATIONAL INTEGRATED SALES / WESTERN ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Cris Hayes 310-798-4320 Redondo Beach, CA 90277 DETROIT/OHIO

Thomas A. Reiss 248-987-8484 3140 Lahser Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 PACIFIC NORTHWEST/ARIZONA

Tracy Herbst 602-738-5739 4247 N. 45th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85018

JACK PURCELL President and Publisher jpurcell@linksmagazine.com

4 |

2012 EDITION

CANADA

Josef Beranek 450-538-2468 180 Mudgett Road, Sutton, Québec, Canada J0E 2K0

layout_Layout 1 12/19/11 6:58 PM Page 5

PC12_BENT_PINEv7_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:00 PM Page 6

14th hole, 493 yards Opposite: Clubhouse entrance

PC12_BENT_PINEv7_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:01 PM Page 7

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

Bent Pine Golf Club

PHOTOGRAPHY BY L.C. LAMBRECHT

Located along Florida’s “Treasure Coast,” this genteel club with an outgoing membership, enjoyable course, and impressive heritage is a real gem

2012 EDITION |

7

PC12_BENT_PINEv7_Layout 1 12/15/11 6:32 PM Page 8

BENTPINE

13th hole, 157 yards Below: The namesake tree on the 549-yard 18th

B

EFORE THERE WERE STREET SIGNS and GPS systems telling us where things are, Native Americans had a clever way of doing the same thing with trees. They would bend saplings and tether them to the ground so the trunk would grow horizontally toward something of importance, like fresh water.

One such tree can be found at Bent Pine Golf Club in Vero Beach, Florida. It’s located left of the fairway on the 549-yard finishing hole. Though it points to the five-acre lake that separates the 9th and 18th holes, what it’s been signaling since the club’s founding in 1979 is that this is one of the best golf clubs along Florida’s southeast coast.

“Everybody plays with everybody else,” says Bob Satola, a member for eight years. “There aren’t a lot of cliques here.

And the course is interesting and inviting enough to enjoy each day. It’s not easy by any means, but it doesn’t beat you to death like a lot of courses do. It’s just right.”

Designed by the late Joe Lee, who with partner Dick Wilson built such legendary layouts as Doral’s Blue Monster, Bay Hill, and Cog Hill No. 4, the 6,779-yard Bent Pine course definitely lies in golf’s Goldilocks zone. “I start with the premise that golf should be enjoyable, not a chore,” Lee once said. “Golfers want a challenge, but they want a fair one. An architect can’t put a foot on the golfer’s neck and keep it there all day.”

Golfers have some breathing room on a typical Lee course with friendly fairways, sculpted but playable bunkers, and gentle green contours, and Bent Pine is no different. Lee

8 |

2012 EDITION

moved about 475,000 cubic yards of dirt, giving the course some unusual elevation changes for South Florida. The raised tee boxes allow players to see any trouble, as on the 192yard 5th, which plays over a lake, and the 493-yard 14th— one of Lee’s all-time favorite holes—with water left of the fairway and in front of the green. Other standouts include the 408-yard 9th with its lake-fronted two-tiered green and the dogleg right, 319-yard 15th that’s drivable for long hitters if they challenge the 15-acre lake that runs down the right.

“It’s one of the best riskreward courses I’ve ever played,” says long-time head pro Pat Gorman. “And with the holes spread over 250 acres, we’ve got our own little world here. There’s plenty of room to expand if we need to.”

Tour pros particularly appreciate Lee’s straightforward designs, which is why Ben Hogan chose to work with Lee when he made his only foray into architecture in the early ‘70s at the Trophy Club near Dallas. Bent Pine member Kenny Perry, who worked at the club as a cart boy in the early ‘80s, tunes up there every winter. In fact, it was on the practice putting green before the start of the 2008 season when another member, Paul Hargarten, approached Perry and gave him an old putter of his, a Ping Craz-E mallet.

PC12_BENT_PINEv7_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:02 PM Page 9

‘It’s one of the best risk-reward courses I’ve ever played,’ says head pro Pat Gorman.

‘And with the holes spread over 250 acres, we’ve got our own little world here.’

5th hole, 192 yards

PC12_BENT_PINEv7_Layout 1 12/15/11 6:32 PM Page 10

BENTPINE

8th hole, 335 yards

PC12_BENT_PINEv7_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:36 PM Page 11

‘Bent Pine is a special place to me,’ says PGA Tour pro Kenny Perry. ‘This is where it all started, really.’

PC12_BENT_PINEv7_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:37 PM Page 12

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

10th hole, 402 yards

“You need to play with this,” the retired banker told him.

Perry thought it was a little odd but graciously accepted the gift. With his putting in the doldrums, he decided to give it a try. And then, magic. The model reignited his touch and his career, helping him win five times and more than $8 million over the next two years—all with Hargarten’s name band still on the shaft. Perry thanked him by giving him one of the gold-plated replica putters that Ping sends to each of their pros after a win. It now hangs in the trophy case near the main entrance of the clubhouse.

“Bent Pine is a special place to me,” says Perry, who began his tour career with the backing of a few club members, among others. “If it hadn’t been for Bent Pine and the people here who supported me when I was getting started, I might not have gotten where I wanted to go. This is where it all started, really.”

Perry is just one of a distinguished list of about 50 pros who got their start at Bent Pine. Others include Todd Anderson, now director of instruction at Sea Island Golf Learning Center who works with a lot of tour pros such as Davis Love III; Scott Davenport, head pro at the Quail Hollow Club; Eric Johnson, director of instruction at Oakmont Country Club; and Dennis Satyshur, director of golf at Caves Valley Golf Club.

“Bent Pine is a quality place with quality people,” says Satyshur, the club’s first head pro from 1979 to 1984 who reunites with his successors at Bent Pine for a pro-am every five years. “The members treat everyone with dignity and developed a culture where they value people.”

Those strong principles that form the foundation of the club began with the group of successful businessmen from John’s Island who founded Bent Pine so they could have a private course to call their own. Teaming up with a real-

12 |

2012 EDITION

estate developer, the group acquired 576 pristine acres dotted with lakes, dunes, and pines on the other side of the Intracoastal Waterway and told Lee to use whatever land he wanted to build the course, which is music to a designer’s ear.

Usually, an architect is given the leftovers from the real estate development, not the other way around.

The course quickly gained notoriety. One of the early events that helped attract attention was the Bent Pine Pro-Member held on the Monday between the Bay Hill and Doral stops on the PGA Tour. Many up-and-coming stars, like Tom Kite, Fred Couples, and Hal Sutton, played in the outing, which included a Sunday night team-drawing dinner and talks by the pros. Remembers Satyshur: “Having them there created a lot of excitement and energy.”

Today, Bent Pine has about 300 members from all over the country and couldn’t be in better shape, both agronomically and financially. The club sold 70 acres of land at the height of the real estate boom and used the money to pay off a 2002 remodel of the clubhouse (its panorama windows overlook the 9th and 18th holes), redo the irrigation system and greens, and put a couple of million dollars in the bank.

There’s no tennis or pool, although a reciprocal agreement with a nearby club gives members access to those amenities.

“The focus is on golf,” says R.C. Smith, a member since 1983 who also belongs to Pine Valley. “We have the best golf course in Vero Beach, but the people are what make the place. It’s just got a very friendly atmosphere. It’s a very harmonious group.”

Having a fun but challenging course, good friends to enjoy it with, fine dining in an elegant setting, and a dedicated staff, it’s no surprise that happiness comes easy to the ■ members of Bent Pine.

PC12_BENT_PINEv7_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:40 PM Page 13

‘Bent Pine is a quality place with quality people,’ says the club’s first head pro, Dennis Satyshur. ‘The members treat everyone with dignity and created a culture where they value people.’

LOCATION

Vero Beach, Florida PAR 72 YARDAGE 6,779 YEAR FOUNDED 1979 ARCHITECT

Joe Lee

Bent Pine Golf Club 17th hole, 426 yards

CONTACT

bentpinegolf.com

PC12_BONITA_BAY5_Layout 1 12/16/11 6:41 PM Page 14

Bay Island Course, 3rd hole, 207 yards Opposite: Creekside Course, 18th hole, 347 yards

PC12_BONITA_BAY5_Layout 1 12/16/11 6:41 PM Page 15

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

Bonita Bay Club

With five courses and a host of other amenities in a spectacular natural setting along Florida’s southwest coast, this member-owned enclave fosters an active and social lifestyle

2012 EDITION |

15

PC12_BONITA_BAY6_Layout 1 12/21/11 11:29 AM Page 16

BONITABAY

M

EMBERS WHO BELONG TO CLUBS with 36 holes consider themselves very fortunate to have two courses from which to choose. Those providential feelings grow exponentially as the number of holes increase, so imagine how nice it must be to belong to a club with 90 first-class holes at your choosing? There are very

few resorts in the country with five courses, let alone private golf clubs. But there is Bonita Bay Club in southwest Florida.

“I can’t tell you how much I enjoy the diversity,” says Max Lummis, who’s been a member at Bonita Bay since 1998.

“You never get bored with all the choices. They’re all so dif-

Sabal Course, 12th hole, 423 yards

Marsh Course, 9th hole, 425 yards

ferent, too. Each has its own unique challenges and beauty.

I can’t imagine belonging to a club with one course now.”

Located between Naples and Fort Myers, Bonita Bay sits on the east side of Estero Bay, a Gulf of Mexico inlet and aquatic preserve. Three of the courses, all designed by Arthur Hills and immaculately maintained, make up the West Club and sit inside the lushly landscaped, 2,400-acre development. The most popular of the three is Creekside, which, like all of the Hills courses, is an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

“The members take great care in preserving what’s here,” says Director of Golf Michael Weiler, noting that weekly birding tours are conducted on the courses.

PC12_BONITA_BAY6_Layout 1 12/21/11 11:30 AM Page 17

Cypress Course, 18th hole, 453 yards

RUSSELL KIRK (3)

“There’s a very close relationship among nature, golf, and living here.”

Creekside features broad, sweeping fairways with mounds on the sides to keep balls in play, making it fairly forgiving off the tee. The premium is on approach shots since water guards half the greens. The Bay Island Course is by far the most scenic and challenging of the three layouts, with many of the holes bordering marsh rich in wildlife. The par threes are particularly dramatic and testing, starting with the 207-yard 3rd that’s all carry over the edge of a lake, and the island-green 12th. The Marsh Course has an intriguing routing with back-to-back par fives and par threes in Above: Marsh Course, 13th hole, 000 yards succession on the front (holes 5 through 8), and another pair Below: Sabal Course, 18th hole, 000 yards of back-to-back par threes on the back (16 and 17). The

layout isn’t long—just 6,483 yards from the tips—but it does require accuracy.

The two courses at the East Club, Sabal and Cypress, were both designed by Tom Fazio and are located on 1,035 acres of cypress wetlands and pine flats, with no residential development. When the courses opened in 1999, the East Club became the first private 36-hole facility to get a Certified Bronze Audubon Signature Sanctuary designation (it was recently recertified). A round of golf there is as much a shot-maker’s delight as it is a nature lover’s.

The tighter Sabal Course, which has five par fives and five par threes, features fairways with a lot of movement, deep bunkers, and greens with false fronts. The heart of the course is a stretch of holes from 9 to 11, which play around a

PC12_BONITA_BAY5_Layout 1 12/16/11 6:45 PM Page 18

BONITABAY

Bay Island, 12th hole, 184 yards

PC12_BONITA_BAY5_Layout 1 12/16/11 6:45 PM Page 19

RUSSELL KIRK

The Bay Island Course is by far the most scenic and challenging of the three layouts, with many of the holes bordering marsh rich in wildlife.

PC12_BONITA_BAY6_Layout 1 12/21/11 11:31 AM Page 20

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

37-acre lake, with a quarry wall guarding the big, two-tiered green of the 414-yard 9th. The 555-yard 11th is a strong par five that runs along the entire length of the lake with the green perched about 20 feet above the south end.

The Cypress Course isn’t quite as undulating as Sabal but it’s the longest of the club’s quintet. And while the fairways are quite generous, the greens have enough falloff to punish stray approaches, like on the 231-yard 5th with its green elevated on top of a coral stone retaining wall and a lake running up the left side. The 453-yard 18th is perhaps Bonita Bay’s most brutally beautiful hole, requiring two strong shots to reach a putting surface surrounded by bunkers and water. Behind the green is the lodge-style clubhouse that’s an intimate and welcoming place to gather afterward for lunch or a drink.

It’s an unassuming counterpoint to the grand 55,000-square-foot West clubhouse that includes several dining options, a large and well-stocked golf shop, lounge, card room, and spacious locker rooms. In the main dining room, seven bay-window alcoves provide long fairway views, while eight murals depicting scenes from Estero Bay frame the octagonal, coffered ceiling.

The recently renovated clubhouse is the social hub of Bonita Bay, hosting all manner of activity, from dinner five nights a week in season to the Friday night, live-music “POETS”— which stands for “Phooey On Everything Else Tomorrow’s Saturday”—dinner party. “There’s a great social component to the club,” says Club President Cindy White, a member since 1995. “We have an active membership who loves to have a good time. It’s what makes it a special place. And even though it’s a large club, there’s a small-club feel to

20 |

2012 EDITION

it because our members are so friendly. If there are new members at a POETS night, the other members will introduce themselves and welcome them to the club.”

Members took over the club in 2010, hired a new general manager (Dan Miles, who came from legendary Medinah Country Club), and the enhancements haven’t stopped. A major capital-improvement plan has dramatically upgraded the club’s appearance and functionality. The 18 Har-Tru courts at the tennis club, for example, now have a state-of-the-art subsurface irrigation system that maintains ideal conditions without need to stop play and water the courts. With 25 league teams and one of the busiest social and competitive tennis calendars in the country, that’s no small thing.

There’s also a marina, beach club, and 12-mile network of biking and walking paths, as well as a 10,000square-foot fitness center (also recently redone) with heated pool, a staff of trainers and massage therapists, and exercise classes. “I love the ability to do whatever you want within reason one day and then do something completely different the next day,” says Nick Romano, a club member and resident at Bonita Bay for six years. “You can play tennis on Monday, go fishing out of the marina on Tuesday, go to the beach on Wednesday, play golf on Thursday, go to the fitness center on Friday. It’s a total life experience.”

With so much going on at Bonita Bay, just about the biggest dilemma members face is choosing what to do each day and which course to play when they do decide to tee it up. “The golf experience is without equal,” says Weiler. “Every course is good and different. Combine that with the physical beauty ■ of Bonita Bay, and it’s pretty tough to beat.”

RUSSELL KIRK

Clubhouse Below: Full-service marina

PC12_BONITA_BAY5_Layout 1 12/19/11 3:47 PM Page 21

LOCATION

Bonita Springs, Florida YEAR FOUNDED 1985 WEST CLUB

EAST CLUB

ARCHITECT

ARCHITECT

Arthur Hills

Tom Fazio

BAY ISLAND COURSE

CYPRESS COURSE

72 YARDAGE 6,910 PAR

PAR

CREEKSIDE COURSE

72 YARDAGE 6,632

72 7,059

YARDAGE

SABAL COURSE

PAR

PAR

72 6,813

YARDAGE

MARSH COURSE PAR

72 6,483

YARDAGE

CONTACT

Marsh Course, 2nd hole, 372 yards

bbcinfo@bonitabayclub.net

PC12_BRIDGESv8_Layout 2 12/21/11 5:44 PM Page 22

2nd hole, 173 yards Opposite: Clubhouse

PC12_BRIDGESv8_Layout 2 12/21/11 5:45 PM Page 23

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe

Nestled high in the hills above San Diego, this club and course have attracted many notable members by providing a bridge between the beauty and drama of the surroundings

2012 EDITION |

23

PC12_BRIDGESv8_Layout 2 12/22/11 12:25 PM Page 24

THE BRIDGES AT RANCHO SANTA FE

R

ANCHO SANTA FE is a land blessed. Half an hour north of San Diego in what locals call North County, it’s high in the mountains with views of the ocean, spectacularly sited amidst canyons and crevasses, and lush with trees and flowers. It’s almost too good to be true. Those lucky enough to live and play there must wake up every

morning and pinch themselves. They need a little challenge.

So let them tee it up at The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe. They’ll enjoy the front nine; everybody does. Then look at their faces when they make the turn and reach the 10th tee.

Maybe that will shake them up a bit.

“It’s a tale of two nines,” explains Director of Golf Steve Wilson, channeling his inner Dickens. “The first nine is out there in front of you. I tell our members and guests to get their birdies while they can. Then you get to the par-four No. 10 and the fun really begins.”

Wilson, perhaps no expert on 19th-century English literature, is one when it comes to 21st-century golf. The fun most definitely starts on the back nine and keeps on going, hole after hole, vista after vista, before reliving the entire wondrous journey all over again in the cozy, yet elegant, 36,000-squarefoot Tuscan-style clubhouse.

That is no knock against the front nine, which provides its share of challenges. It’s just that when one arrives at the 10th tee and gazes at the intimidating par-four dogleg left— with its long forced carry over a deep canyon and a row of

18th hole, 441 yards

24 |

2012 EDITION

dangerous bunkers on the other side—well, even Mr. Dickens would have trouble giving the hole its proper due. (“Great Expectations,” perhaps? Certainly not “Bleak House.”) You are no longer just playing a game: You are transported into almost the same sense of awe one feels on the 16th tee at Cypress Point: You don’t want to leave.

But moving on leads to the property’s most distinctive feature, the bridge. To be exact, the first of two stress-ribbon bridges (the other is on the par-three 11th), which transports golfers from the teeing ground to the fairway, spanning 285 feet and consisting of 25 13-foot-wide, pre-cast concrete panels suspended 85 feet in the air. The look below is reminiscent of the view from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, creeks and rocks adding to the serenity of the occasion.

Such serenity is everywhere at The Bridges no matter how busy the course becomes. Given how the holes are designed on this Robert Trent Jones Jr. layout, other golfers are, with few exceptions, nowhere to be seen. It is also no coincidence that cart paths are not visible, either.

PC12_BRIDGESv8_Layout 2 12/22/11 12:27 PM Page 25

“That is one of the things I love about this place,” says Gordon Cooke, director of membership development. “You feel like you own the course.”

Also mostly hidden from view are the club’s homes, exquisite as they may be. Houses are visible along the hills but never impose on the golf experience. There are other enticements, as well, all part of the lifestyle, including a five-acre tennis and recreation centre and a fitness facility.

It doesn’t take long to get smitten. Take Gypsy Wolf. She and husband Wally were quite content belonging to another private club about an hour up the coast. Yet looking out from the 10th tee at the natural vegetation, and at the clubhouse behind the final green, they imagined they were in Italy where their daughter has been living the last 23 years. They were sold.

“We decided to take a gamble,” Gypsy says, “and we’ve never been sorry.”

Speaking of the vegetation, The Bridges has won numerous awards for landscaping. Every hole brings out another unique arrangement of flowers, shrubs, and trees.

Perhaps no hole is as artfully laid out as the 15th, an uphill par four with rows of orange trees, originally planted in 1945, lining both sides of the fairway.

“We carved the fairway out of that grove in order to preserve the ambiance,” says Ken Ayers, development manager. “We sculpted the golf course from the natural features mother nature gave us.”

Nothing goes to waste, either. Many of the oranges are converted to juice in the club’s three restaurants while snap peas, carrots, radishes, and greens harvested from the club’s organic garden are served in salads the same night. The club produces more than it can use, selling the rest to local restaurants.

More growing goes on in the vineyard adjacent to the clubhouse, where the vines produce Cabernet, Brunello, and Sangiovese grapes.

The vineyard was just a hobby until the club started to take it more seriously, eventually capturing first-place awards at the San Diego County Fair. The club also hosts wine dinners and each fall invites members to help with the harvest, culminating in a gala grape-crush festival and party.

2012 EDITION |

25

PC12_BRIDGESv8_Layout 2 12/21/11 5:47 PM Page 26

THE BRIDGES AT RANCHO SANTA FE

PC12_BRIDGESv8_Layout 2 12/21/11 5:47 PM Page 27

The Bridges has won numerous awards for landscaping. Every hole brings out another unique arrangement of flowers, shrubs, and trees.

11th hole, 180 yards

PC12_BRIDGESv8_Layout 2 12/22/11 9:52 AM Page 28

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

Among the current membership—roughly 300, with about 250 enjoying full playing privileges—are a few stars from the golf industry, including putter craftsman Scotty Cameron, who describes the club’s feel as timeless. “It’s so close to the coast,”Cameron says, “but you feel as if you’re in Italy or Napa Valley. As soon as you drive through the gates you feel and know that you’re in a special place.”

Another member is Phil Mickelson, who lives nearby and spends a good amount of time at the short-game practice area. The area, adjacent to the clubhouse, affords Mickelson another invaluable benefit: privacy.

Even when Phil is hard at work there remains more than enough practice space for everyone, five different facilities in all including what is known as the “warm-up” area.

No degree of warming up is adequate preparation for the majesty and difficulties out on the course, particularly the treacherous 10th.

The next hole, an uphill par three with still more canyon to carry, is also quite imposing.

Every hole on the back is distinct and dramatic. The fairways are fairly wide but copious amounts of sand serve as a reminder that any major failures from the tee will not be overlooked. Each bunker—and there are nearly 100—is a work of art, unique in shape and design; players often require more lofted clubs than usual to get balls back to safe haven.

And the challenge doesn’t end once on the greens. They are slick and feature relatively few flat spots. The grounds crew not only keeps them fast, they keep them clean, watching vigilantly for even the smallest hint of the dreaded Poa annua that has ruined

28 |

2012 EDITION

far too many greens on the west coast.

Sharp eyes and sharp tools are put to good use.

Cameron, who knows the importance of good greens, says, “In the attention to detail with slope and speed, they seem to always be just right.”

The Bridges, which measures just over 7,000 yards from the tips—one of five sets of tees—closes strong. The final hole is a long par four with big bunkers everywhere and more sand, as well as water, fronting an elevated green.

The club also has opened itself to some professional play, hosting The Battle of the Bridges, the nationally televised, night-time, under-the-lights skins game that starred Mickelson and Tiger Woods in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

“It put us on the map,” Wilson says. “It allowed us to show the course in prime time.”

Or as Dickens might have put it, needing only half of his ■ famous aphorism, “it was the best of times.”

9th hole, 571 yards

PC12_BRIDGESv8_Layout 2 12/22/11 10:36 AM Page 29

The fun most definitely starts on the back nine and keeps on going, hole after hole, vista after vista.

LOCATION

Rancho Santa Fe, California PAR 71 YARDAGE 7,002 YEAR FOUNDED 2000 ARCHITECT

Robert Trent Jones Jr. CONTACT

thebridgesrsf.com

10th hole, 395 yards

PC12_HAMILTONv8_Layout 1 12/16/11 11:42 AM Page 30

Hickory Course, 8th hole, 171 yards Opposite: Highlands Course, 18th hole, 431 yards

PC12_HAMILTONv8_Layout 1 12/16/11 1:23 PM Page 31

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

Hamilton Farm Golf Club

PHOTOGRAPHY BY L.C. LAMBRECHT

On the surface, this pastoral paradise is rich in history and great golf. Behind the scenes, it runs with the efficiency of a Swiss watch

2012 EDITION |

31

PC12_HAMILTONv8_Layout 1 12/20/11 3:40 PM Page 32

HAMILTONFARM

E

VERY MORNING at 6 a.m., the superintendent at Hamilton Farm Golf Club sends an email to the management team with the day’s expected weather, course conditions, hole locations, even local road advisories.

About an hour later, the concierge of the 650acre private club in Somerset County, New Jersey—about 90 minutes west of New York City—sends along the daily tee sheet, lesson schedule, information on prospective members who are visiting, a list of events and meetings, and notes for and about the staff.

These two messages exemplify the two overriding, and complementary, mandates at Hamilton Farm. The first is attention to detail, from the valet knowing every visitor’s name to the waitress bringing mango-scented cold towels to golfers on the course.

The second is devotion to the membership, the quest to provide an unforgettable experience inside the gates. As club manager Tim Bakels puts it, “We look for the opportunity to blow people away.”

32 |

2012 EDITION

Golfers are blown away every day by the two courses from architects Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. Highlands is a broad-shouldered beauty, always in pristine condition, that rolls gently through acres of hardwood forest. Hickory is an 18-hole short course that is equal parts charm and challenge. Taken together, they offer golfers nearly unequalled opportunities to play the game they love and love the place they play it.

Only 10 years old, Hamilton Farm has the rarefied feel of a much older club because it is steeped in tradition. Once part of a 5,000-acre farm owned by turn-of-the-century financier James Cox Brady, the club still makes use of many of the original buildings. The family house is now the Mansion, an elegant Georgian-style structure filled with priceless antiques (such as a Chippendale breakfront that has but

PC12_HAMILTONv8_Layout 1 12/20/11 3:41 PM Page 33

Highlands Course, 13th hole, 432 yards

one twin in the world—in Buckingham Palace) and 10 spacious guest rooms, as well as intimate dining areas, meeting chambers, and a well-stocked wine cellar.

The old Hunting Lodge has been modernized into a fourbedroom hiding place ideal for the foursome desiring time together yet away from the world. The newly built clubhouse looks like its neighbors and is fitted with both men’s and women’s locker rooms, pro shop, and lounges.

Out the clubhouse’s back doors sits Highlands, a deceptively challenging layout that begins its examination with a 331-yard hole called Stable. (Many of the holes are named for elements of the old farm. The original stable, behind the 1st green, is now home of the United States Equestrian Team.)

The shortest par four on the course, Stable may not be a driver hole because it demands a precise tee shot that stays left but short of a threatening bunker, then a short approach into a green positioned to the right and nearly perpendicular to the fairway.

The opening hole, short and tight, is followed by a long, sweeping par five that turns left through towering trees.

After the laser-like attention demanded on the 1st hole, the golfer can catch a bit of his breath (or hers—there are four sets of tees, fitting every player) and look around. The view provides a primer on the rest of the course.

Fairways throughout are generous, promoting a false sense of security on the tee, for those same broad expanses are sloped and some lined with steep drop-offs into the trees or long grass. Mastery of sand play is an asset since there are as many as nine bunkers on a hole and as few as one, but that one is always by the green.

The architects provide an open area abutting every putting surface but one: On the long, downhill par-five 9th, the green is parked close to a sliver of wetland. The other 17 entrances are for running the ball on or bailing out. Short is often preferable to long (where gnarly golf-ball cemeteries lurk unseen), but leaves success to one’s short game and the ability to play from sharply angled chipping areas onto big, sloping greens.

Looking at a short pitch off a tightly mown collection area to a close pin, Director of Golf Matt Freitag says, “just because

2012 EDITION |

33

PC12_HAMILTONv8_Layout 1 12/16/11 11:44 AM Page 34

HAMILTONFARM

Highlands Course, 9th hole, 559 yards

PC12_HAMILTONv8_Layout 1 12/16/11 11:45 AM Page 35

Mastery of sand play is an asset since there are as many as nine bunkers on a hole and as few as one, but that one is always by the green.

PC12_HAMILTONv8_Layout 1 12/16/11 11:45 AM Page 36

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

you can get it there doesn’t mean you can keep it there.”

That applies to nearly every shot into the fast and unpredictably sinuous putting surfaces.

The most photographed hole on Highlands is No. 6, a par four called Bull Barn because that’s what sits just five yards behind the green. One of the few long holes that doesn’t turn, bend, or dogleg, it uses a group of bunkers on the left side of the fairway to encourage a fade, then asks for the same shot again into a green with a single gaping pit of sand short and right.

Next comes what Freitag calls the hardest hole on the course. Creamery is a long par three to an angled green also guarded by a large bunker sitting short and right. For good players like Freitag, the four par threes offer birdie hopes while putting up strong resistance with length (all run 160 to 240 yards from the various men’s tees) and slick greens laced with ridges and mounds.

The flow of holes keeps golfers thinking, moving left then right, hitting down from elevated tees then climbing uphill.

There are corners to carry, preferred routes to try, a chess game between golfer and ground. On the final hole, a wide par four with long parallel bunkers squeezing the landing area, one gets the feeling that Brady and his horse-riding friends must have had a century ago, cantering up the gently rolling grasslands in sight of home: No. 18 finishes at the Mansion’s backdoor amid a garden of wildflowers.

While there is almost no water on Highlands, small ponds dot the par-three track just steps away. Measuring 3,080 yards, Hickory was built in the tradition of the short courses at Pine Valley and Augusta National, faithful little brothers that are fun and frisky. Four of its holes measure more than 200 yards,

Highlands Course, 6th hole, 451 yards

36 |

2012 EDITION

while few demand nothing more than wedge. The land changes quickly from thick forest to grassy plain, gentle uphill climbs then roller-coaster drops.

Opening its gates to the outside world, Hamilton Farm has hosted small-field pro events. The LPGA has held two tournaments on Highlands—the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship in 2005–06, and more recently the Sybase Match Play Championship, to be conducted for the third straight year in 2012.

The devotion to lady golfers extends to the members. The staff conducts regular clinics and events for women (there’s a full-time female instructor) as well as for the newest golfers, “Little Chippers,” aged three to five. Director of Instruction Mike Adams is a world-renowned teacher who also brings in other top instructors. And while Hamilton Farm is a golfonly club, reciprocity has recently been arranged with The Club at Natirar: Once a home owned by the King of Morocco, Natirar now boasts a first-class restaurant and cooking school as well as wellness amenities including a pool, spa, tennis courts, and fitness facility.

Health is also important to Hamilton Farm’s new Executive Chef Anthony Bucco, whose Mediterranean heritage influences the traditional American cuisine, creating dishes he calls “sensible for the mind and body.” Bucco also conducts cooking classes, and besides relying on local produce tends his own vegetable garden alongside Highlands’ 7th hole.

Whether growing fresh greens or keeping the greens freshly cut, every member of the Hamilton Farm staff understands that there is only one accepted mode of operation. “We think of ourselves as a family serving a family,” says Bakels. “So we ■ need to do the right thing and do it right.”

PC12_HAMILTONv8_Layout 1 12/16/11 11:47 AM Page 37

Hickory was built in the tradition of the short courses at Pine Valley and Augusta National, faithful little brothers that are fun and frisky.

LOCATION

Gladstone, New Jersey PAR 72 YARDAGE 7,140 YEAR FOUNDED 2001 ARCHITECTS

Dr. Michael Hurdzan & Dana Fry CONTACT

Hickory Course, 10th hole, 129 yards

hamiltonfarmgolfclub.com

PC12_LIB_NATLv14_Layout 1 12/15/11 4:53 PM Page 38

4th hole, 193 yards Opposite: Clubhouse

PC12_LIB_NATLv14_Layout 1 12/15/11 4:53 PM Page 39

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

Liberty National Golf Club

EVAN SCHILLER; WILLIAM HAUSER

It took great vision and courage to turn a troubled tract of land into a spectacular course and club worthy of its unparalleled location on New York Harbor

2012 EDITION |

39

PC12_LIB_NATLv14_Layout 1 12/15/11 4:54 PM Page 40

LIBERTYNATIONAL

17th hole, 484 yards

possibilities where others don’t. Back in 1979 he saw potential in a fledgling British shoe manufacturer. He became the U.S. distributor, eventually bought the company, and in 2006 he sold that company—Reebok—for $3.8 billion.

At about that time, Fireman turned his eye toward a totally different enterprise, the creation of Liberty National Golf Club. A lifelong golfer who’d begun as a caddie in Massachusetts, Fireman had dabbled in golf course development, but never had he seen a property quite like the Liberty National property.

The land stretched along nearly a mile of northern New Jersey coastline with jaw-dropping views of the Manhattan skyline. Just to the south soared the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and, incredibly, less than 1,000 yards away stood the very symbol of America, the Statue of Liberty.

That was the good part. Not so good was that this land— once a bustling center of shipping, manufacturing, and petroleum production—had been derelict for decades. When Fireman first laid eyes on the property it was a wasteland of dilapidated warehouses, decaying piers, and abandoned cars, the rare green patches choked with weeds and debris. Worst of all, the soil beneath was contaminated with hazardous waste.

But Fireman knew the key to this property was not the

40 |

2012 EDITION

site but the sights, not the land but the landmarks. So he set about creating a golf course and club that would be equal to the views he beheld.

It would take years of land purchasing, government approvals, and clean up. No construction could be started until the entire property was capped with a thick protective umbrella layer. Three million cubic yards of soil and silicate were spread across the site and that was topped with a mindboggling 70,000 truckloads of sand, lifting everything 50 feet above the original land.

Architects Bob Cupp and Tom Kite were given the two things every course designer craves—a free hand and an unrestrained budget.

“If we wanted a hole to rise or fall or a fairway to fall left or right, we brought in the dirt and built it high above the cap,” says Kite. “We created lakes and brought in the water to fill them. Every bunker was constructed from scratch, built up and then dug down.”

Five thousand mature trees were imported and planted along fairways and greens whose conditions rival those of

EVAN SCHILLER

P

AUL FIREMAN IS A MAN WITH A RARE SORT OF VISION—the ability to see

PC12_LIB_NATLv14_Layout 1 12/20/11 5:41 PM Page 41

Augusta National. Cart paths were paved with Belgian block.

The price tag: $150 million.

“It wasn’t the wisest business move I’ve ever made,” Fireman concedes, “but what I have now is something that will survive and transcend me for generations to come.”

Barely had Liberty opened when the PGA Tour chose it to host the 2009 Barclays Championship, first stop in the season-ending FedExCup Playoffs. One of the strongest reviews that week came from Padraig Harrington, who finished tied for second and said, “This is a phenomenal golf course. It’s good enough for a major, a superb test that puts us right on the limit.”

It was no surprise when Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem announced The Barclays would return in 2013. “Liberty National is one of the most stunning settings for professional golf there is on the planet,” said Finchem, “and we want to take full advantage of that.”

The par 71 the pros tackle is just under 7,400 yards with a rating of 77.9 and slope of 151. But there are four other sets of tees, from 6,750 to just over 5,000 yards, all at par 72.

Although Liberty National is contained in a cozy 160 acres, its fairways are expansive with a rolling, links-like feel that ensures maximum visibility of the iconic surrounds. Fifteen holes offer views of the water and landmarks, perhaps a mixed blessing for golfers as keeping one’s head down becomes an act of supreme will.

Cupp and Kite crafted a succession of holes that are as visually pleasing as they are daunting. The opener is a good

example, a gentle dogleg right with a creek that runs along its right flank before veering diagonally to menace the left side of the raised, tightly bunkered green.

The views begin with a bang at No. 2, a mid-length par three played toward the harbor with Lady Liberty so close she almost seems to be tending the pin. Many of the tees are elevated to allow full appreciation of both the scenery and strategy. At No. 5, the first of several brawny par fours, a pond looms to the left of the drive zone, but that is also the preferred side of the fairway as the right half is canted and contoured, leaving uneven lies for the approach to a sloping green guarded by bunkers and water.

Liberty is a course that asks you—often compels you— to play high-quality shots, exactly as Fireman intended.

PC12_LIB_NATLv14_Layout 1 12/15/11 4:56 PM Page 42

LIBERTYNATIONAL

EVAN SCHILLER

14th hole, 150 yards

PC12_LIB_NATLv14_Layout 1 12/15/11 4:57 PM Page 43

Fifteen holes offer views of the water and landmarks, a mixed blessing as keeping one’s head down becomes an act of supreme will.

PC12_LIB_NATLv14_Layout 1 12/15/11 7:07 PM Page 44

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

“I grew up at an old-style New England course where you had to work the ball,” he says, “and we’ve tried to instill that here. You can’t just bomb it all over the lot. You have to pay attention.”

For the pros, Liberty’s equivalent of Amen Corner comes at holes 9, 10, and 11, two bruiser par fours (10 plays as a par five for members) and a pond-flanked par three that plays 250 yards from the back tees.

“One of the Tour officials told me those three holes were statistically the toughest stretch they played,” says Fireman.

‘Yeah, I guess it’s the hardest part of the course,’ I said. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I mean the toughest three-hole stretch on the entire PGA Tour in 2009.’”

Number 14 is only 150 yards but it, too, is packed with peril, playing against the prevailing breeze to a tiny target surrounded by sand and marsh. And just to the right is perhaps the best harbor view of all.

A rare birdie opportunity arrives at the 16th, a drivable par four. But with a pond to the right of the green the tee shot had better be both far and sure.

At the home hole, a behemoth sweeping upward beside the shore, nothing but two strong shots will do. Finish with a par four and you’ll feel as if you’ve conquered the Big Apple.

Just behind the green stands what Fireman calls “a clubhouse like no one has ever seen,” 57,000 square feet of glass and steel inspired by the Sydney Opera House and constructed at a cost of $60 million. Inside are all the amenities: pro shop and locker rooms, spa and fitness center, library, grillroom, bar and lounge, and a formal dining room, all

44 |

2012 EDITION

with those peerless views. From the formal dining room, the evening panorama of the Manhattan skyline is breathtaking.

The grillroom menus hint at the unique character of this club: iPads with the day’s bill of fare set as the home page, they enable diners to check e-mail and stock portfolios while ordering Cobb salads. This is not a country club, it’s a golf club and a businessman’s sanctuary, with a large percentage of the members working in New York’s financial district just a couple of miles away.

“We have guys who come here first thing in the morning, play nine holes, and they’re at their desks by 10 a.m.,” says Fireman, who accommodates his clientele with a motor launch that whisks members and guests across the harbor to lower Manhattan in less than 15 minutes. For those more pressed for time there’s a helipad, making this the only club in the world routinely accessed by land, sea, and air. Member overnight accommodations are available in luxury waterside villas.

Truth is, Liberty National’s members can come from just about anywhere. Among those who have joined are Phil Mickelson, Cristie Kerr, Eli Manning, Mark Wahlberg, Justin Timberlake, Ray Romano, Rudy Giuliani, and Vera Wang, along with numerous captains of industry.

Barely five years old, this is a club that has made its mark.

In the near future, Fireman sees a full membership of 300.

And what Paul Fireman sees tends to come to fruition.

Liberty National has limited membership opportunities.

Local memberships are available from $250,000 and national/international from $100,000. Corporate options are ■ also available.

EVAN SCHILLER (2)

1st hole, 365 yards

PC12_LIB_NATLv14_Layout 1 12/15/11 4:58 PM Page 45

For those more pressed for time, there’s a helipad, making this the only club in the world routinely accessed by land, sea, and air.

LOCATION

Jersey City, New Jersey PAR 72 YARDAGE 7,387 YEAR FOUNDED 2006 ARCHITECTS

Tom Kite and Bob Cupp CONTACT

Liberty National Golf Club 18th hole, 508 yards

libertynationalgc.com

PC12_MOUNTAIN_LAKEv4_Layout 1 12/15/11 5:36 PM Page 46

8th hole, 584 yards Opposite: 18th hole, 413 yards

PC12_MOUNTAIN_LAKEv4_Layout 1 12/15/11 5:37 PM Page 47

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

Mountain Lake

With a restored Seth Raynor course and an old–school charm, this hidden gem of a club is a refreshing step back in time

2012 EDITION |

47

PC12_MOUNTAIN_LAKEv4_Layout 1 12/20/11 3:05 PM Page 48

MOUNTAINLAKE

T

HE NAME MOUNTAIN LAKE doesn’t immediately conjure up Florida with its generally flat landscape barely above sea level. But the Sunshine State has a relatively elevated central spine of rolling hills dotted with lakes and springs, and it is here that you’ll find Mountain Lake and its beguiling Seth Raynor golf course. Despite being almost 100

years old, this unpretentious private club community has largely flown under the radar and a visit is as delightfully surprising as, well, finding a mountain in Florida.

The peak at issue is Iron Mountain, which at 295 feet is one of the highest points in peninsular Florida, located just north of the city of Lake Wales. Even more noticeable is what sits on top: Bok Tower, a 205-foot U.S. National Historic Landmark with 60 carillon bells built by Edward W. Bok, the Dutch-born editor of The Saturday Evening Post and Ladies’ Home Journal who liked to winter in Lake Wales.

It was another visionary who is responsible for creating the club, Baltimore businessman Frederick S. Ruth. In the early 1900s, he acquired 3,500 acres of land at the base of Iron Mountain to create an exclusive winter community accessible by train lines like Seaboard’s “Orange Blossom Special.” First he hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., scion of the man behind Central Park and countless other urban greenways, to lay out the property and design the Colony House, which serves as Mountain Lake’s clubhouse and private inn. It’s also on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the entire neighborhood with its

48 |

2012 EDITION

grand, Mediterranean Revival-style estates. Then in 1915 Ruth hired Raynor to design and build the course.

Before going on to design the likes of Fishers Island, Camargo, and Yeamans Hall, Raynor apprenticed under Charles Blair Macdonald, the father of American golf who designed the National Golf Links of America, among other classics. Macdonald believed that there were 25 “template” holes that should guide architects when constructing a course, most based on famous holes found on Scotland’s finest links.

But Macdonald and Raynor adapted the holes to fit the land: They weren’t carbon copies from one course to another.

The first nine holes at Mountain Lake opened in 1916 and the second nine four years later, but don’t get the idea that this is some dated design that can’t pose a challenge to today’s golfers wielding modern equipment. It most certainly does, especially after a major restoration in 2002 by Raynor devotee Brian Silva, who returned the bite to a course that had become a little long in the tooth.

PC12_MOUNTAIN_LAKE TEMP_Layout 1 12/16/11 12:40 PM Page 49

PC12_MOUNTAIN_LAKEv4_Layout 1 12/16/11 1:07 PM Page 50

MOUNTAINLAKE

7th hole, 351 yards

PC12_MOUNTAIN_LAKEv4_Layout 1 12/16/11 1:08 PM Page 51

‘The edge had been taken away from it,’ says Vice-President and General Manager John L. Delcamp Jr. ‘It was like a nice park course. It’s much more interesting and challenging now.’

PC12_MOUNTAIN_LAKEv4_Layout 1 12/15/11 5:52 PM Page 52

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

16th hole, 432 yards Below: 15th hole, 324 yards

Silva’s deft restoration is particularly evident on the 432-yard, dogleg-left 16th. Working off an old aerial, he reinstated lost bunkers and mounding to bring back the hole’s thought-provoking playing angles. He also reestablished a bunker in the middle of the fairway about 60 yards short of the green that can wreak havoc with the long approach to a green that falls away from the player.

The uphill 18th is a very challenging finishing hole, requiring a drive over the namesake lake and a difficult second off an uneven lie to a tiered green that slopes hard from back to front. Fortunately, the elegant Colony House and its superior service, setting, and sustenance are just steps away. Menus change daily, but the European-trained chef Norman Frei, who has been at Mountain Lake for 13 years, is famous for his broiled pompano. Mountain Lake is also known for its complimentary homemade cookies, like almond macaroons that pair up well with the afternoon tea in the Sun Room. Last season, residents and guests gobbled up 42,000 of them.

The debt-free club has spent millions renovating the Colony House’s 36 rooms, bar, dining facilities, and common areas, while also building a new fitness center and pool house, which hosts Thursday night’s popular cookout. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the old–school culture. There is a strict no-cell-phone policy and jacket and tie are required in the main dining room. And unless it’s about what you did on the course, no one talks about his or her accomplishments.

While golf remains the club’s most popular sport with a full calendar of tournaments, there’s also an active tennis

52 |

2012 EDITION

and croquet community. The five Har-Tru tennis courts have a state-of-the-art sub-surface irrigation system, while the two just-renovated, championship croquet courts offer fabulous views of the club’s namesake lake.

Other popular pursuits include speaker programs and a music series featuring a chamber ensemble from Juilliard every March. With soft classical strains filling the Colony House and the scent of orange blossoms in the air (500 acres of club-owned citrus groves surround the community), Mountain Lake is surely one of the most magical places to ■ call home at that time of year, or any other.

PC12_MOUNTAIN_LAKEv4_Layout 1 12/16/11 12:44 PM Page 53

Despite being almost 100 years old, this unpretentious club has largely flown under the radar and a visit is as delightfully surprising as, well, finding a mountain in Florida.

LOCATION

Lake Wales, Florida PAR 70 YARDAGE 6,667 YEAR FOUNDED 1915 ARCHITECT

Seth Raynor CONTACT

Mountain Lake 4th hole, 567 yards

mountainlakecc.com

PC12_OLD_MARSHv5_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:55 PM Page 54

5th hole, 362 yards Opposite: 16th hole, 176 yards

PC12_OLD_MARSHv5_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:55 PM Page 55

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

Old Marsh Golf Club

PHOTOGRAPHY BY L.C. LAMBRECHT

Time stands still at this Palm Beach purist’s retreat built around a challenging Pete Dye course, comfortably elegant clubhouse, and close-knit membership

2012 EDITION |

55

PC12_OLD_MARSHv5_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:56 PM Page 56

OLDMARSH

T

HERE ARE MANY golf communities in South Florida, but not many true golf clubs where the emphasis is on the game and all the camaraderie,

competition, and good cheer it fosters. Old Marsh Golf Club is unique in that respect.

The tone is set from the moment you walk in the foyer of the elegant clubhouse and see the collection of rare golf clubs—some dating to the 1700s—that line the walls. It continues with the exceptionally attentive staff, which is focused on getting members together, and right onto the naturally beautiful and challenging course.

Current President Michael Walsdorf joined the club in 2000 after learning of the club’s small membership, no tee times, and excellent caddie program. “I was down in Florida, so I decided to pay a visit,” says the Chicago native. “They sent us out with a caddie and that was it. I did not want a typical real estate development golf factory. Old Marsh has the real feel of a golf club. It really has to do with the whole nature and structure of the club.”

The setting couldn’t be more ideal or special. Not only do untouchable wetlands edge the club on three sides, but 20 percent of the community’s 456 acres are marshland, so the wildlife found here—including bobcats, endangered wood storks, and sandhill cranes (also found on the club logo)— is beguiling.

A site this special called for a hands-on architect with a unique feel for the land, which is why visionary Bob Whitley tapped Pete Dye to build the course in the mid-1980s. “I won’t name names but I had people just fly over it in a helicopter and that was about all the time they wanted to spend on it,” says Whitley, who makes his home here. “Pete actually got out there and was walking in the water trying to figure out drainage. He knew the technical part of it, not just the beauty part of it. I knew instantly this is a guy who gets it.”

When Dye first visited the property, which is located in Palm Beach Gardens, just 20 minutes from Palm Beach International and 10 minutes from the beach, the marsh’s rich vegetation and abundant species reminded him of Africa.

“I love the scenery, especially on the backside, and they’ve done a good job with the houses, setting them back,” says Dye, who devised a simple but ingenious system of drains and sump pumps to keep water from running off the course into the marsh. “It’s a close drive to PGA Boulevard with all the shops and restaurants. But when you’re there, you feel like you’re in the Florida Everglades.”

With the wetlands dictating much of the routing and strategy, Dye’s course is as visually intimidating as it is visually stunning. Many of the tee shots are scary at first, but after a few rounds golfers realize that the fairways are a lot wider

PC12_OLD_MARSHv5_Layout 1 12/15/11 6:58 PM Page 57

A piece of property this special called for a hands-on architect with a unique feel for the land.

14th hole, 215 yards Inset: Sandhill Crane

than they appear. The greens—natural extensions of the fairways—are also very receptive and allow run-up shots like the great Scottish courses that are Dye’s inspiration.

“A lot of people say it’s a difficult golf course but it isn’t if you play from the right tees,” says green committee chair and longtime member Bob Capazzi, who belongs to a number of other clubs. “It’s the one place that I play with my wife.

The match always comes down to the last hole because she’s not hitting woods into the greens. Alice [Dye] did a wonderful job of making it a ladies’ golf course also with two sets of forward tees,” which start at 4,959 yards.

Like a good wine, the course improves with age as

members uncover its wonderful subtleties with repeated playings—easy to do, too, since there aren’t any tee times.

They’re helped along by a knowledgeable starter who blends people in an effortless fashion and a group of caddies who are the best in the area—more than 25 are mini-tour players or assistant pros up north. White gravel paths rather than concrete, close greens and tees, and lack of hills make the course very walkable.

The first two holes—a short par four and wide-open par five—ease players into the round. Marsh comes into play both left and right of the green on the 200-yard 3rd (“the shortest par five in Palm Beach County,” members joke), 8th hole, 215 yards 2012 EDITION |

57

PC12_OLD_MARSHv5_Layout 1 12/15/11 3:58 PM Page 58

OLDMARSH

18th hole, 460 yards, left 9th hole, 458 yards, right

PC12_OLD_MARSHv5_Layout 1 12/15/11 4:00 PM Page 59

With the wetlands dictating much of the routing and strategy, Dye’s course is as visually intimidating as it is visually stunning.

PC12_OLD_MARSHv5_Layout 1 12/15/11 6:59 PM Page 60

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

12th hole, 502 yards Below: 5th hole, 362 yards

while the 362-yard 5th is one only Dye could have designed, an Alps hole modeled after the 17th at Prestwick that requires a blind approach over a two-story mound—with a bunker on top, no less. Fortunately, a rock depicts each day’s hole position, just like the Dell hole at Lahinch.

The front nine finishes with a flourish with a dramatic par five that plays downwind in season, a par three with a peninsular green that juts out into the marsh, and a long par four with a large lake that separates 9 and 18 coming into play on the left.

After the clockwise rotation of the front side holes, those on the back run counterclockwise, with wetlands bordering the left side of most of the holes. The natural settings are among the game’s most spectacular with some tees on islands

60 |

2012 EDITION

in the marsh and flocks of snowy egrets congregating in the trees every afternoon. It’s no surprise that the course became an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary in 1998.

The 313-yard 10th is a Cape-style hole from the tips where the smart play is a fairway metal; however, big hitters have been known to take a rip at the green, like the caddie who had a hole-in-one a couple of years ago. The club’s poster hole is the scenic 16th, a medium-length par three fronted by water and flanked by a cypress hammock that provides sanctuary to migrating and indigenous birds. The most difficult hole is the long par-five 17th, which typically plays into the wind: The lay-up to a narrow area constricted by marsh on the left and a canal on the right is the hardest shot on the property.

Overlooking the 18th green (as well as the 9th) is the 22,000square-foot clubhouse, which underwent a major renovation in 2005, enhancing both the men’s and women’s locker rooms along with the kitchen, main dining room, and mixed grill.

Inclusion is the modus operandi, whether it’s General Manager Michael Gibson pairing up parties for dinner, Director of Golf Tom Dyer pairing up golfers for a round, or the guys’ golf group welcoming a new member at the big table they all sit around in the afternoon in the men’s locker room.

“I’ve belonged to a lot of clubs and it’s the best combination ever put together from a facilities point of view and staffing point of view,” says Capazzi. “If I had to give up all my clubs and could only keep one, Old Marsh is the one I’m going to hang onto, even when I can’t play golf anymore.” ■

PC12_OLD_MARSHv5_Layout 1 12/15/11 4:02 PM Page 61

‘If I had to give up all my clubs and could only keep one,’ says longtime member Bob Capazzi, ‘Old Marsh is the one I’m going to keep.’

LOCATION

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida PAR 72 YARDAGE 7,021 YEAR FOUNDED 1987 ARCHITECT

Pete Dye CONTACT

oldmarshgolf.com

3rd hole, 200 yards

PC12_OLD_FARMv8_Layout 1 12/15/11 5:59 PM Page 62

9th hole, 388 yards Opposite: 2nd hole, 446 yards

PC12_OLD_FARMv8_Layout 1 12/15/11 5:59 PM Page 63

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

The Olde Farm

PHOTOGRAPHY BY L. C. LAMBRECHT

One man’s vision culminates in a perfect blend of stunning scenery, award-winning golf, and genuine camaraderie in the southwest Virginia hills

2012 EDITION |

63

PC12_OLD_FARMv8_Layout 1 12/21/11 12:39 PM Page 64

THEOLDEFARM

T

HERE ARE VERY FEW PLACES IN THE WORLD, if any, where you can truly disappear and escape the realities of modern-day life. But at The Olde Farm in Bristol, Virginia, members and their guests speak volumes about crossing the cattle guards and entering a sanctuary in which golf and friendships are all that matter.

“It may sound like a cliché,” says Marc Eubanks, The Olde Farm’s general manager and former superintendent, “but the frenetic pace of modern-day life definitely seems to stop when you cross through the gates. People really do come here and escape the real world.”

On paper, this would seem to be a tall order, considering that many of the club’s members are celebrities and business and political icons. “Our members really do lose their titles when they cross the cattle guards into the club,” adds Daniel Whicker, head professional. “Once they are here, it’s not about bank accounts or achievements; it’s about a passion for golf and camaraderie.”

The Olde Farm, which sits in a natural valley in the southwestern foothills of Virginia, is the brainchild of James McGlothlin, a coal-mining baron and a lover of golf.

McGlothlin grew up nearby in Grundy, Virginia, where he was one of the founders of the United Coal Company back in 1970, a company that he grew into a diversified giant known the United Company that eventually sold in 2009.

17th hole, 484as yards While he may be a wealthy man, McGlothlin doesn’t judge accomplishment by the size of one’s wallet. To him, “success is enjoying your work and enjoying your friends.” And it is precisely that philosophy that led him to the rural hills of Bristol to build a place for his friends and their friends to gather and play golf.

The land is a stunning piece of property full of creeks, streams, rocks, and rolling hills. It used to be a working farm, with several barns and other structures incorporated into the course. Shortly after purchasing the land, McGlothlin

17th hole, 468 yards

invited Bobby Weed, a former Pete Dye protégé, to take a look at the site. He and Weed had worked together on the development of the Slammer & Squire Course at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. Weed showed up in a rental car, walked the property, and in one day “found” the golf course.

“When I first walked the property,” says Weed, “I was amazed at the landscape and I realized the golf course was already here. We just brought it out and knocked the dust off of it.”

Weed’s routing was laid out in the valley, playing alongside the hills rather than up and over them, thus preserving the integrity of the valley and promoting walkability, both McGlothlin desires. “The course complements its surroundings completely,” says Kenny Schweitzer, membership director. “You can’t come here without admiring the natural beauty of the landscape.”

That landscape is clearly evident on approaching the property, but nothing prepares you for the view of the course and the Clinch Mountain range from the back porch of the clubhouse, which was patterned after Castle Hill, a home built more than 200 years ago in Charlottesville. From this vantage point, the links-style course unfolds below, with windswept grasses, rugged bunkering with fescue “eyebrows,” exposed rocks, several ponds, and Sinking Creek meandering across the bottom of the valley.

“There is a great openness to the course,” says superintendent Ryan Severidt. “This allows it to play firm and fast, which is the way it was designed to play.”

PC12_OLD_FARMv8_Layout 1 12/20/11 3:26 PM Page 65

4th hole, 235 yards

The 7,063-yard, par-71 course features bentgrass tees, fairways, and greens, and Kentucky bluegrass in the rough. It also utilizes both fine and field fescue to give it a more rugged look. Wide fairways, open entrances to greens, and large putting complexes make The Olde Farm a course anybody can enjoy. But scoring well is not easy, as the course requires strategic placement of tee shots, accurate approach shots to well-guarded greens, and a dependable putter, as there are very few flat spots on any of the putting surfaces. And Sinking Creek comes into play on seven holes.

While every hole is memorable, standouts include the 446-yard, par-four 2nd, with its intimidating downhill tee shot and well-guarded green; the 438-yard, par-four 3rd, which rides along the ridge top and offers an unimpeded

view of the entire course; the devilish 386-yard, par-four 14th, which one member says has “one of the meanest greens on the course”; the 461-yard, par-four 16th, guarded down the entire right side by cattails and a pond; and the lengthy 468-yard, par-four 17th, which puts a premium on distance and accuracy.

While the golf course is the crown jewel of the property, it is only part of what makes The Olde Farm so special. What really elevates the club is its culture. Despite the fact that 80 percent of the membership lives more than 100 miles away, the overriding feeling is one of camaraderie.

“It all begins with Mr. McGlothlin,” says Eubanks. “He is the common denominator that binds the eclectic group of members together.”

PC12_OLD_FARMv8_Layout 1 12/15/11 6:01 PM Page 66

18th hole, 550 yards

EVAN SCHILLER

THEOLDEFARM

PC12_OLD_FARMv8_Layout 1 12/15/11 6:01 PM Page 67

The Olde Farm is a place that, as one member says, “embodies all the qualities that touch our senses.”

It has everything you could ever want—and more.

PC12_OLD_FARMv8_Layout 1 12/20/11 3:27 PM Page 68

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

One of the first things McGlothlin instituted was the annual Blue-Gray Tournament, featuring three days of Ryder Cupstyle competition with a Civil War theme. Which side a member is permanently allied with depends on the color of marble he or she picks out of a bag upon acceptance into the club.

“I dreamed up this idea to integrate the membership… and break down real or imagined barriers,” says McGlothlin, who picked a blue marble despite his ties to the South. “Club members from all over the country address history head on and bond together to defend the cup for their team. It has become our most cherished tradition.”

It’s not the only tradition that stands tall at The Olde Farm.

The club opened in March 2000, but many of its facilities are rooted in the history of the area and the original farm. The

Party Barn was previously used to store hay but has been refurbished and now serves as the club’s main dining and entertaining facility; Long Barn, a former tobacco barn, now houses the halfway house complete with two hitting nets and a putting green; Caddy Shack is a quaint log cabin created with logs from the property’s Stout home; and the clubhouse, built on the site of the original farmhouse, offers a golf shop, dining area, locker rooms, boardroom, workout facility, and wine cellar.

A few years ago, the club added three cottages along the first hole—each offering luxurious accommodations for 12 guests—and more recently the Pavilion, an incredible openair facility alongside the 13th hole for entertaining up to 150 guests. “This place is always evolving,” says Eubanks, “because as [McGlothlin] always says, ‘if you’re staying put, then you’re not improving.’ ” The Olde Farm is a place that, as one member says, “embodies all the qualities that touch our senses.” It has everything you could ever want in a golf club and more, all stemming from the vision of one man.

But to his credit, it is not about him.

“It’s all about the experience of the members,” says McGlothlin. “This is a place where they can get a break from the real world and be who they want to be. And it is our job to see that they get what Party Barn ■ they want.”

12th hole, 208 yards

68 |

2012 EDITION

PC12_OLD_FARMv8_Layout 1 12/15/11 6:02 PM Page 69

The links-style course unfolds with windswept grasses, rugged bunkering, exposed rocks, several ponds, and Sinking Creek meandering across the valley.

LOCATION

Bristol, Virginia PAR 71 YARDAGE 7,063 YEAR FOUNDED 2000 ARCHITECT

Bobby Weed CONTACT

theoldefarm.com

15th hole, 165 yards

PC12_RENv11_Layout 2 12/16/11 5:16 PM Page 70

6th hole, 148 yards Opposite: 16th hole, 550 yards (All hole numbers reflect new configuration)

PC12_RENv11_Layout 2 12/16/11 5:17 PM Page 71

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

The Renaissance Club

MARK ALEXANDER (2)

One of the finest courses in Britain gets even better thanks to new holes on new land acquired from an old, and revered, neighbor

2012 EDITION |

71

PC12_RENv11_Layout 2 12/20/11 5:21 PM Page 72

THERENAISSANCECLUB

8th hole, 481 yards

D

ON’T BE RIDICULOUS.” That was the reply from Jacksonville businessman Jerry Sarvadi when, during a 2002 visit to Pinehurst, he and his brothers were asked, “How would you like to build a golf course in Scotland on a spectacular site next door to Muirfield?”

“You’re telling me there’s a piece of prime golf property available next to Muirfield,” said Sarvadi. “What do you mean by ‘next to’? Up in the hills a mile away?”

“No,” was the reply, “literally a stone’s throw from the Muirfield links—but with even better views over the Firth of Forth.”

Now Sarvadi was interested. Turns out he was talking to a representative of the Duke of Hamilton, laird of a 1,000acre estate that did indeed abut the hallowed home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. A few weeks later Sarvadi walked the property known as the Archerfield Estate and fell in love. In 2005, The Renaissance Club was born, with a mission both simple and grand: to combine time-honored Scottish tradition with the finest in modern amenities and service.

The owners—Sarvadi, his brothers, and a group of friends from both sides of the Atlantic—took a bold first step toward their goal with the selection of course architect Tom Doak, one of the most sought-after men in the business.

Having already designed Pacific Dunes, Cape Kidnappers,

72 |

2012 EDITION

Barnbougle Dunes, and Ballyneal—all ranked among the top in the world—The Renaissance Club was Doak’s first opportunity in Scotland. And he took full advantage.

On a unique 300-acre tract, Doak crafted a series of compelling holes that began amid immense stands of pine and sycamore before emerging onto classic linksland on a bluff above the firth. When the course opened in 2008 it was hailed as one of the finest in the British Isles. However, even as they smiled at the reviews, Doak and Sarvadi knew there was the potential to make the course even better.

At the northern edge of the property, beside the Firth of Forth, was a triangle of land owned by the Honourable Company, enough land to accommodate three spectacular holes.

“When I first took Tom out to see that land, he said just one word: ‘Wow,’” says Sarvadi.

The HCEG was interested in trading the land for a piece of Sarvadi’s property, a deal that was consummated in 2005.

But it took until early summer of 2011 for the environmental authorities to give its blessing. And so, just three years old, the Renaissance is experiencing a renaissance.

PC12_RENv11_Layout 2 12/20/11 5:22 PM Page 73

The original first three holes—all in the wooded sector— have been made into a practice loop, and the three new firthside holes inserted in the very center of the course as holes 9 through 11. Several changes have been made to other holes, with the result an entirely new golf experience—a course of rich variety and unrelenting challenge, with a centerpiece par four that is sure to become one of the most famed and photographed holes in the world.

Par remains 71 but now there are five par threes instead of four, four par fives instead of three. The new course begins at original hole No. 4, threading down a deftly bunkered fairway to a green banked on the left with a massive mound

MARK ALEXANDER; GARY EUNSON

9th hole, 225 yards

that will help the slightly missed approach but penalize anything more errant. A strong opener, it measures 460 yards from the (rarely used) championship tees, but there are other markers at 431, 393, and 377. Unlike most Scottish courses, there is no set of “boxes” from which everyone must play: Golfers are encouraged to choose their own tees, even mix and match within the round, depending on wind conditions.

Hole 5 (number 8 in the original routing), the first on open linksland, is the shortest par four on the course, reachable when the wind is at one’s back. However, on either side of the drive zone juts a distinctive hazard that adds challenge and character to several holes—the remains

PC12_RENv11_Layout 2 12/19/11 7:21 PM Page 74

THERENAISSANCECLUB

10th hole, 430 yards

PC12_RENv11_Layout 2 12/19/11 7:21 PM Page 75

GARY EUNSON

Several changes have been made to other holes, with the result an entirely new golf experience, a course of rich variety and unrelenting challenge.

PC12_RENv11_Layout 2 12/20/11 5:23 PM Page 76

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

13th hole, 579 yards

76 |

2012 EDITION

New tees, greens, and additional yards enhance many of the remaining holes. But 15 is a brand-new par three of 200 yards to a green that will be about as welcoming as a French waiter. And the stone wall makes its final appearance on the final hole, creating a final hurdle by stretching across the fairway to menace the lengthy approach.

Shaping and seeding of the new holes and alterations was completed in the fall of 2011, but the original course will remain in play for another year, with the grand unveiling set for 2013 when the Open Championship returns to Muirfield.

“Our goal is for the Renaissance to be the best conditioned golf course in Great Britain,” says Sarvadi. “When members and their guests play here we want them to have an experience that is unsurpassed. To protect that quality, we will limit our membership: When it gets to the point that we’re seeing close to 25,000 rounds a year, we’ll start a waiting list.”

Another major part of the Renaissance experience will be the 34,000-square-foot clubhouse. Its four floors will include a fully staffed spa and fitness area, a cocktail lounge and dining room (with Michelin-star-trained chefs), plus six bedrooms to extend the accommodations currently provided by a luxurious 14-room lodge.

“We’ve tried to define what it takes to have a private club of the very highest quality,” says Sarvadi, “and we’ve narrowed it to four ingredients—a great golf course, a camaraderie among the members, the very best in food and service, and a comfortable clubhouse with all the amenities a discerning golfer could desire.”

The Renaissance Club is about to have all those things— ■ and all in the birthplace of golf.

MARK ALEXANDER (2)

of a centuries-old stone wall. The three-tiered green at 5 was inspired by the 12th at the Old Course in St. Andrews.

Doak clearly had some fun crafting the green complexes at Renaissance. At the par-five 7th (originally the 10th), a mound obscures the right side of the green and steep falloffs wreak havoc with any shot that strays left or long. The sternest putting assignment comes at 8 (originally 11), a massive par four that rambles upward and rightward to a slender target that pitches several feet from back to front. On the left is a mound and pot bunkers, on the right the stone wall returns along with a lone giant sycamore, and to the rear is a wizened old Scots pine. It all makes for one beautiful beast of a hole.

On the very brink of the headland sits the tee of the new No. 10, a par four that will cause jaws to drop and knees to shake. Curving 400 yards right to left along the edge of a cliff, it is one of the few Cape holes in links golf, a bite-off-asmuch-as-you-dare tee shot and then a nerve-jangling iron to a green perched on the precipice. Just offshore stands the white lighthouse of Fidra Island, said to be the inspiration for Treasure Island.

“I’ve never had a favorite hole on the course,” says Sarvadi, “but now there’s no question I do.”

The trio of new holes ends with a par three that will play roughly 175 yards from a slightly elevated tee to a green backdropped by another ancient wall. To stand on that green is to behold one of the great views in golf, a more than 180-degree panorama that extends several miles, from Arthur’s Seat (one of the seven hills that loom over the city of Edinburgh) northeastward and across the firth to the hills of Fife and further east to the North Sea.

PC12_RENv11_Layout 2 12/16/11 5:22 PM Page 77

‘When members and their guests play here,’ says Sarvadi, ‘we want them to have an experience that is unsurpassed.’

LOCATION

North Berwick, Scotland PAR 71 YARDAGE 7,373 YEAR FOUNDED 2005 ARCHITECT

Renaissance Club Clubhouse and Lodge

Tom Doak CONTACT

trcaa.com

PC12_SUPERSTITIONv6xp_Layout 1 12/21/11 5:22 PM Page 78

Prospector Course, 6th hole, 406 yards

PC12_SUPERSTITIONv6xp_Layout 1 12/21/11 5:23 PM Page 79

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club

EVAN SCHILLER

Nestled at the base of the majestic Superstition Mountains are two Jack Nicklaus courses in a community proudly growing and thriving

2012 EDITION |

79

PC12_SUPERSTITIONv6xp_Layout 1 12/21/11 5:30 PM Page 80

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN

Lost Gold Course, 6th hole, 414 yards

T

HE SUN COMES UP EARLY in east Phoenix, its white-hot rays warming the Sonoran Desert and illuminating the stony face of Superstition Mountain, the massive block of volcanic rock, 5,000 feet high, that towers over this side of the ever-spreading city.

The 25-million-year-old mountain has captivated man for centuries. The Pima Indians

thought it possessed magical powers, which is probably why Spanish conquistadores, who came in search of the fabled Seven Cities of Gold, named it so mysteriously. It is said that Geronimo disappeared in its crags and canyons, and that UFOs appear there. And that somewhere in its labyrinth of tunnels is the notorious Lost Dutchman’s Mine, reputedly found in the mid-1800s and still enticing modern-day prospectors.

But those looking for true riches should forget illusory buried treasure and stake a claim to the very real golf sitting near the monolith’s base, the two Jack Nicklaus-designed courses at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club.

They anchor an 878-acre private residential enclave that is as welcoming as any desert oasis.

Driving up the entrance through a long corridor of ash trees, past villages of stately Southwestern-style homes and villas, and arriving at the handsome, Tuscan-inspired club-

80 |

2012 EDITION

house, it is hard to imagine that the club was a near-victim of the economy. But three years on, new management—and a dedicated membership—have Superstition Mountain stable, healthy, and growing at an unprecedented rate.

“We have a wonderful membership,” says General Manager Gene Blum, who took over in 2009. “They rallied in a time of uncertainty and made this a true members’ club.

They brought their friends to play and they fell in love with the place, too. Our members are our best sales force.”

AIDAN BRADLEY

PC12_SUPERSTITIONv6xp_Layout 1 12/21/11 5:31 PM Page 81

Also helping close the deal in this meticulously planned community is the award-winning clubhouse, which serves as the gateway to two courses—Lost Gold and Prospector— which although designed by the same architect present very different challenges.

Unlike many desert courses, both Lost Gold and Prospector feature wall-to-wall turf (a total of 180 acres of grass on the two tracks) and wide landing areas. Not that there isn’t trouble, because there is, including big, steep fairway bunkers.

This is a gentler Jack Nicklaus, his restraint perhaps the result of creating Superstition Mountain with two of his sons.

Better players prefer Lost Gold, laid out by Jack and oldest son Jackie in 1999, where position in the fairway and the ability to move the ball are vital for leaving proper angles into greens. For example, the first hole is best played with a draw off the tee—contrary to Nicklaus Senior’s personal predilection—then a fade on the approach. Also favoring a draw is the long par-four 7th, which bends hard left and dares cutting the corner while avoiding a cluster of bunkers and a giant saguaro cactus at the crook of the dogleg.

Most holes on both courses leave their entrances open for run-ups onto the Bermuda-grass greens, which are generous and generally flat but can be lightning quick. Those putting

surfaces guarded by the rocky, cactus-filled terrain are also usually flanked by grassy bail-out areas; straightforward chips and putts often can save a good score.

The Golden Bear bares his teeth on the par-three 17th, which isn’t long but is surrounded by bunkers with the greens sloping sharply from back to front. “A wayward tee shot will spell trouble for a player of any level,” says Director of Golf Pat Tyson.

Players can breathe a little easier on Prospector, designed with son Gary in 1998. Here the fairways are even more generous, sand (desert and bunker) is less in play, and the greens are less vigorously defended. Preferred by most members, it is especially popular with women players, of which the club has many.

The hardest hole on Prospector is the long par-four 3rd, which swings right to left and is lined on both sides with bunkers and desert. Throughout the course, angling holes create the illusion that trouble is closer than it really is: Members quickly learn that there is more room in the fairways than it appears.

Deception rules at the par-five 13th, which bends first to the left, then comes back to the right. A big bunker on the left side of the landing area not only threatens to snag tee

2012 EDITION |

81

PC12_SUPERSTITIONv6xp_Layout 1 12/21/11 5:25 PM Page 82

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN

Unlike many desert courses, both Lost Gold and Prospector feature wall-to-wall turf (a total of 180 acres of grass on the two tracks) and wide landing areas.

Prospector Course, 16th hole, 446 yards

PC12_SUPERSTITIONv6xp_Layout 1 12/21/11 5:25 PM Page 83

PC12_SUPERSTITIONv6xp_Layout 1 12/21/11 5:35 PM Page 84

LINKSPREMIERCLUBS

shots but is elevated just enough to hide the fairway beyond.

Once on short grass, the temptation is to aim the second shot well left and away from bunkers near the green, but then the following shot will be longer and into the narrowest part of the putting surface. The smart play is at the bunkers on the right, leaving a short pitch onto the longest part of the dance floor.

Other than comfort stations and frequent ice chests, the only water on both courses is found on the final holes. A lake lines the left side of Prospector’s last, a long par five, pushing tee shots to the right and a better angle of approach to a green that tilts toward the drink. On Lost Gold, a lake hugs the green from the left and may have to be carried when approaching this par four. In both cases, a par is well earned.

Among those to challenge Prospector have been pros. The LPGA’s Safeway International was played on it from 2004 to 2008, with the event won by a who’s who of female stars— Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa twice each, Juli Inkster once. In 2002, Prospector hosted The Tradition, a Champions Tour major won by Jim Thorpe. During that event, Ben Crenshaw, who knows something about putting, said that the greens were “as good, if not better, than any I have ever played.”

And golf is not the only game in town. The Sports Club has four tennis courts, a fitness center with state-of-the-art machines and classes, spa services, a swimming pool, kiddie pool, and Jacuzzi. There’s also a roster of concierge services designed for homeowners and members who come and go.

Members don’t have to own on property, but there are numerous options for those who choose to live inside the gates.

Stay-and-play villas, including the luxurious 5,600-square-foot Ranch House, offer great accommodations for guests and potential members to experience all that the club has to offer.

Overlooking the property is the 50,000-square-foot clubhouse, which resembles a Tuscan village with courtyards and

84 |

2012 EDITION

fountains. Inside are lounges, a library, dining room, pro shop, and luxurious, expansive locker rooms. Spacious patios look out over the courses, into the desert, and, of course, at the eponymous mountain that seems close enough to touch and changes its look and mood as the sun moves through the sky.

Growing faster than the national average for similar communities, the club offers a variety of membership opportunities including a 30-day Trial Membership and a “Buddy” Incentive Program. Houses and lots are also selling briskly, with more than 60 sales in 2011. There’s something for everyone and every taste at Superstition Mountain, with homes ■ available from 2,000 to 20,000-plus square feet.

EVAN SCHILLER

Clubhouse

PC12_SUPERSTITIONv6xp_Layout 1 12/21/11 5:27 PM Page 85

Ben Crenshaw, who knows something about putting, said that the greens were “as good, if not better, than any I have ever played.”

LOCATION

Superstition Mountain, Arizona PROSPECTOR COURSE

LOST GOLD COURSE

72 YARDAGE 7,225 PAR

PAR

72 7,351

YARDAGE

YEAR FOUNDED

1998

ARCHITECT

Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club

Jack Nicklaus with Gary Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II CONTACT

superstitionmountain.com

Prospector Course, 1st hole, 418 yards

PC12_MAPv2_Layout 1 12/20/11 5:04 PM Page 86

GUIDE TO

THE BEST OF PRIVATE CLUBS Where to find the clubs featured in the 2011 edition of LINKS Premier Clubs

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, ARIZ O N A

superstitionmountain.com

THE BRIDGES AT RANCHO SANTA FE R A N C H O S A N TA F E , CALIFORNIA

thebridgesrsf.com

PC12_MAPv2_Layout 1 12/20/11 5:05 PM Page Cov3

THE RENAISSANCE CLUB NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND

trcaa.com

HAMILTON FARM GOLF CLUB THE OLDE FARM BRISTOL, VIRGINIA

GLADSTONE, NEW JERSEY

hamiltonfarmgolfclub.com

theoldefarm.com

LIBERTY NATIONAL GOLF CLUB JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY

libertynationalgc.com

MOUNTAIN LAKE L A K E WA L E S , F L O R I D A

mountainlakecc.com

BENT PINE GOLF CLUB VERO BEACH, FLORIDA

bentpinegolf.com

BONITA BAY CLUB B O N I TA S P R I N G S , F L O R I D A

bonitabayclub.net

OLD MARSH GOLF CLUB PA L M B E A C H G A R D E N S , FLORIDA

oldmarshgolf.com

layout_Layout 1 12/19/11 7:14 PM Page COV4

TM

“XPLOS1VE”: The common reaction after testing the latest ultra-performance golf shoes from FJ. These game-changing XPS-1 golf shoes provide every level of player with a more balanced and powerful transfer of energy.

GET XPLOS1VE at footjoy.com/xps1

E V O L T E G