What Will be the Fate of Poppy Hills Golf Course?
In the not too distant future, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am could be sporting a new look.
The planned addition of a new Pebble Beach Company course, which could be ready for play by 2005, begs the question: What will be the fate of Poppy Hills Golf Course?
Poppy Hills, which is home to the Northern California Golf Association, joined the pro-am's rotation in 1991 when it replaced Cypress Point Club.
"Right now, we just don't know what's going to happen," said Pebble Beach Co. Senior Vice-President of Golf Paul Spengler. "Of course we would like to see the new course used during the pro-am. Whether it would be used every year, however, we just don't know yet. That will be a decision the Monterey Peninsula Foundation will have to make."
The Monterey Peninsula Foundation, along with being the financial backbone of the new Buy.Com Tour Monterey Peninsula Classic, operates the AT&T Pro-Am.
"It's still early, but we've already examined potential possibilities," Foundation Executive Vice-President Ollie Nutt said. "One of the ideas that has crossed the table involves rotating courses."
One of the most popular ideas, the rotation would involve Poppy Hills, Spyglass Hill and Pebble's new course, with each course taking a break once in a three-year span.
Foundation Vice-Chairman John Zoller week agreed that rotating courses may be the ultimate solution.
"Right now, who knows, but my guess would be that we would get into a rotation," Zoller said.
The idea of rotating courses also struck a chord with Spengler and Poppy Hills CEO and president Paul Porter.
"Whatever happens, it's sure to be a cooperative spirit between Poppy Hills, Pebble Beach and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation," Porter said. "I'm sure we'll all sit down and figure out what's best for the tournament."
Ground-breaking for the new course, which will be designed by renowned architect Tom Fazio, is expected to begin in fall 2002 or spring 2003 if all goes as planned.
As for Poppy Hills' track history in the pro-am, opinions have been mixed.
In its inaugural year as a pro-am venue in 1991, Paul Azinger left the course by stating, "The best part about the course is the 19th hole." Inclement weather in following years later led the course to be referred to as 'Sloppy Poppy.'
Since its first years of infancy, however, Poppy Hills has changed dramatically.
"The biggest change in the course since then has been drainage," said Poppy Hills superintendent Manny Sousa. "Most people have no concept what we did."
What Sousa and his crew did, exactly, was to install an immense drainage system that covers the entire course.
"Every fairway on the course is now intensely drained," Sousa said. "There are drainage pipes every 15-feet on every fairway."
Sousa, who has been the superintendent at Poppy since it first opened in 1986, also said Poppy Hills wasn't prepared for heavy rains that can sometimes hit the Monterey Peninsula.
"Through the first five years the course was open, the Peninsula was in a drought and didn't get much rain," Sousa said. "The course was bone dry. Then, in 1992 and 1993 the rains came, and through 1994-1997 the rain kept getting worse. The course just couldn't handle it."
Other problems with the course in its early years included the greens, which at one time were a combined mixture of half bent grass and half poa annua.
"The two grasses grow at different heights, and were making the greens bumpy," Sousa said. "It was difficult to make them smooth."
Thanks to a slew of renovations, most importantly the drainage re-design and letting the poa annua grow in, Poppy Hills has now established itself as a pro-am venue that would be difficult to abandon.
"Out of the three courses, Poppy Hills has the best greens," said Tiger Woods following a round at the 2001 Pro-Am.
"There's been a huge improvement over the years," said PGA Tour rules official Vaughn Moise, who has worked the course the past nine pro-ams. "Unlike Pebble, Poppy doesn't get a lot of sun, so in the past it would get wet. The drainage changes have made a significant impact."
Ten years later, even Azinger has second thoughts.
"It's still not my favorite, but they've made some tremendous changes," Azinger said. "It's definitely improved."
November 6, 2001