COURSE REVIEW

Laguna Seca Golf Club:
Be Sure to Bring All Your Clubs

By Ray Brewer,
Staff Writer

July 12, 1999

MONTEREY, Calif. - Make no doubt about it, golf - no matter what course it is played on - is a challenge.

The sport challenges you physically and mentally for 18 holes of competition - whether you are competing with yourself or the group you are with.

Part of the mental challenge includes deciding which club to use in your bag.

Knowing what your clubs can do for you is something you might want to have down before playing the Laguna Seca Golf Club.

This 6,157-yard course, overlooking the coastal hills on the Monterey Peninsula, allows golfers the opportunity to test all of the sticks in their bag. Even though the course it a short, par-71, it is a true test.

"The fun part of the course I would say is the great atmosphere of challenging golf," golf shop associate Brad Cursio said. "It’s a great landscape with fun, challenging holes."

Cursio explains how the golfer with the best approach might be the most successful.

"You have to know when to hit your three-wood and know when to hit the driver," he said. "The course really starts to get interesting on the back nine."

An example of this is the 17th hole - a par-three that is guarded by five sand traps. Since the greens are surrounded by the sand, the golfer must pick the right iron to avoid hitting into the dirt.

Another hole that involves club selection is No. 11 where the golfer has to decision to drive over the dogleg of forest trees into birdie position. If you know how far your driver can take you, then you might want to challenge the hole and go for the birdie.

The course, which opened in 1970, is the only one of the Monterey Peninsula to be designed by master golf course architect Robert Trent Jones. The course has strategically bunkered holes that follow oak-studded coastal hills along the fog-free Monterey-Salinas corridor.

This climate receives some of the credit for the course being in great shape.

Especially the greens.

"The greens here are always in good shape," Cursio said. "They are not firm, so the ball really sticks and they are relatively fast."

On a historic note, the clubs sits on land that was once part of a 2,197 acre Spanish land grant deeded in 1834 to Catalina M de Munras.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.