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Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas at Las Colinas
June 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Play TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas, Experience Byron Nelson’s Legacy
By Andy Reistetter
Featured Columnist Andy Reistetter was on site at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and played the TPC Four Seasons at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas, Texas a few days later.
Here is his account and thoughts on that memorable round of golf.
As I walked onto the first tee at TPC Four Seasons I knew it would be a special day, I felt like the kid waiting for Christmas morning to come.
After all I had walked with and followed the pros all week long reporting on their play on the fairways and greens of the TPC Four Seasons.
Now I had the opportunity to play the golf course under very similar tournament conditions.
The moment to put my peg in the ground on the first tee could not have come soon enough for this avid golfer.
The sign at the first tee struck me more than the beauty of the vista of the downhill dog-leg-right first hole.
“Byron’s work for the kids continues…”
The words say as much to you as the larger-than-life bronze statue of the true Texas gentleman which stands only a few feet from the first tee.
To say something special happened when the Salesman Club of Dallas, vintage 1920 and Byron Nelson, vintage 1912 came together in 1968 is quite an understatement.
The HP Byron Nelson Championship was the first PGA TOUR event to raise $100 Million dollars for charity.
It seemed since the moment I arrived on site I felt the presence of the golfing legend.
After meeting his beloved widow Mrs. Peggy Nelson on Thursday morning, his legacy and her being inspired me.
Never before on stage in the media center, she took the microphone in her hand to tell people why she wrote her autobiography “Life with Lord Byron.”
“I wanted people to know that he was even better in private life.”
We know Byron for his golfing ability, his television commenting skills and his namesake golf tournament the very first one ever to have the name of a PGA TOUR golfer.
Byron was as Peggy would call it “a total, consistent grace.”
As inspiring as Byron was, this woman is incredibly vibrant and beautiful in her own way.
She shared how she learned Byron had passed and what she felt at that moment.
“I came back from Bible study, there he was, already gone to heaven, and I chose in that moment to simply be glad for him, knowing where he was. In fact, I remember I put my hand on his cheek and I said, “I’m so glad you’re in heaven now.”
People inquire as to whether she misses him?
“I don’t want to go down that sad road; there is no end to that one. So why not be happy for all the great times we had with him and great memories and the fact that he was the real deal, always.”
Byron is a “born encourager” and Peggy inspires us to live life to its fullest.
Today was the day for me to thoroughly enjoy the confines of TPC Four Seasons amidst the aura the great golfing legend.
I played from the blue tees at 6,548 yards.
With a rating of 73.2 and slope of 136 I knew it was all the golf course I needed, even on a good day.
I quickly realized the golf course was still playing hard and fast, especially around the greens.
Blasting from the greenside bunker on No. 1 and chipping from a closely mowed swale area on No. 2 I was unable to stop the ball on the green.
Even though I knew they were fast and adjusted accordingly I put myself in short-sided positions from which bogeys were not possible.
I rejoiced in recognizing the challenges of the recent D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolfard redesign of the 1983 original Jay Morrish beauty.
After all, the Lord himself along with Ben Crenshaw had a hand in assisting Morrish as player consultants.
The words of Steve Elkington who opened with a pair of 66s and finished T16 rang true to me:
“This course is likely playing pool…that’s what this course is all about, angles. Doesn’t matter if you are a long hitter or a short hitter, you can still do it.”
I was “doing it” by taking additional strokes to get that little white ball in the hole.
No matter, the golf course had me totally engaged from the get-go.
My only comment on the condition of the golf course came to mind as I battled the rough down the left side of the long and difficult third hole.
The tournament is over- please cut the rough!
I did pitch up and make a short putt for bogey.
Maybe I was growing accustom to the fast, large sectioned greens, with Pat Green “wave-on-wave” undulations throughout.
The next few holes I started playing better.
Maybe I was naturally settling down or being inspired by the hole markers proclaiming the statistical accomplishments of Byron Nelson?
In 1945, Byron Nelson recorded 18 victories in 30 starts, was under par for 22 straight rounds, and had an average score of 68.33.
Byron Nelson won 34 of his 52 PGA TOUR titles from 1944-1946.
Over his career he won six tournaments by more than 10 strokes and finished in the Top 5 in Majors 73% of the time.
I was now consistently hitting some greens and making par.
Maybe it was the 5 star service?
I thought the 5 star service was only in the resort but I was wrong.
When we jumped into the golf cart to head for the practice facility to warm up there was a cool refreshing mango flavored towel ready for us before we realized we needed one.
Ditto for the course marshal who came up to us on the sixth tee.
Not only were our faces aromatically refreshed, he brought us cool crisp apples and perfectly ripe bananas.
Now this golf course was beginning to feel like the Garden of Eden!
So refreshed, so inspired I was in the zone missing a makeable birdie on No. 7, two-putting 8 for par and chipping in for birdie on No. 10.
The high point of the golf course comes at the 7th green with dramatic views of the Dallas Fort Worth area and downtown Irving right in front of you.
On October 16, 2006 Byron Nelson was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, The Highest honor given to a civilian in the United States.
Nelson’s legacy permeates this place whether it is in the views of the 7th green or from his seat above the 18th green where he use to watch the play and greet each golfer after they finished.
I felt good about posting a front nine 41 after a double-double start.
Making a birdie always gets you in the right frame of mind.
I couldn’t wait to play the short 323-yard par-4 11th hole.
We played it from the back tee across the water since that angle really makes the hole extremely visually appealing.
I bombed a drive but chili-dipped my short pitch to the back left hole location on the angled to the fairway slipper green.
I followed Matt Weibring on Sunday as did his father and golf course re-designer D.A. Weibring.
It was interesting to watch the son play and watch the father watch the son play.
On No. 11 Matt hit his drive long into the right rough.
The hole was perched short front right with a huge swale dividing the green.
With the new old grooves Matt hit a flyer on his pitch and the ball ran landing past the hole then running down the slope almost into the far left water hazard.
Now Matt was faced with an 80-foot putt with the last 10-to-20 feet up a steep slope.
The hole looked to be perched on top of a pitcher’s mound.
I am sure father and son had many skull sections about the design of TPC Four Seasons and how to strategically play the course.
But there was no margin for error for that hole position on the 11th green.
The son putted the ball up the slope and with no friction to stop it, the ball continued down the front slope finishing well off the green.
In my opinion 8 out of 10 pros would do the same thing or leave the putt drastically short.
It had to be hard for the father to watch the son knowing his design had challenged him to the limit and then some.
To his credit Matt pitched his ball up on the pitcher’s mound and made the putt for a good bogey.
The climax of the father designer-son player round came at the uphill par-5 16th hole where Matt had a 15-footer for birdie.
Again father watching, knowing the break and knowing the son knew the break too.
Son rolled the rock right into the hole.
Afterwards, father and son embraced with some back slapping celebration on the walk to the 17th tee.
After my own personal failure at the 11th I was able to pitch it up and make a good bogey.
The cart girl, like no other cart girl, Janie professionally pampered us more as we came off the 12th tee.
With beverage, food, sound golfing advice and the personality to make us feel like we were her only guests that day we were unduly delayed with the foursome of ladies catching up to a rather pathetic twosome of men.
Her other job is conducting charity auctions.
No doubt the most successful charity auctions in all of Texas, perhaps the country.
I was hoping both the long par-4 third and 15th holes would be par-5s on the members’ scorecard.
Not.
Once again as the back nine progressed the rough caused a temporary demise in my game.
After unsuccessfully holding the 16th green from the greenside bunker like I did on No. 1, I set my sights on finishing strong.
As the signature par-3 17th hole came into view I was excited to see the hole in its historic Sunday far right location.
Any miss right means water.
Like the sensational 16-year old amateur Jordan Speith I was determined to go for the hole.
Ace, deuce or par would be memorable, even a bogey or worse was okay as long as I went for it.
“You’re going to look back and say that you wish you’d fired at this pin, even if it goes into the rocks or the water. You’ve got to try to make a hole in one here.”
When does a 16-year old kid ever look back?
I look back all the time because there is likely more years behind me than in front.
Taking dead aim, my 5-iron stayed true and surprisingly carried well over the flagstick and released to the fringe area.
With a good chip-putt I achieved my par which will be a lifelong story and cherished memory.
The 18th is likely a signature hole too
One is drawn to stop and simply gaze at the slightly uphill, slightly dogleg left 429-yard par-4 finishing hole.
It fits the eye perfectly with the green and flagstick visible from the tee.
One quickly picks up the four lakes and cascading water short left of the green back to the area in the fairway where one’s drive will hopefully land.
That landing area gradually rises and is clearly defined by the water left and large bunker and live oak trees right.
There is no bailout on the final stretch to the clubhouse.
Having witnessed the watery Sunday finish for both champion Jason Day and challenger Blake Adams my challenge was to get them out of my mind as I put my peg in the ground for the last time, this time, at TPC Four Seasons.
A par-par finish would be the ideal way for this truly memorable round of golf to end.
After a good drive I used too much club and was left with a no chance downhill putt on the last.
But even with a three-jack on the last and a back nine 43 I hit the ball well enough to thoroughly enjoy the challenge of TPC Four Seasons.
I whole-heartedly agree with the comments of Steve Elkington.
The intrigue, the design and the playability of this course is there for any player.
Whether man or woman playing from any of the four sets of tees, playing TPC Four Seasons is a must on anyone’s “must play” list.
Walking off the 18th green and up the hill towards the resort one is again in the presence of the statue of the bigger-than-life man.
The sign on the 18th tee says it all…
Byron Nelson: A Champion… A Gentleman… Our Inspiration.
Raised in my hometown of Binghamton. New York I would wander over to one of the other “Triple Cities” and play En Joie Golf Club.
En Joie previously hosted the PGA TOUR’s B.C. Open and now hosts the Champions Tour’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.
En Joie’s motto is “play where the pros play.”
After playing TPC Four Seasons I think their motto should be- “play where the pros play and where you are treated better than a pro!”
Make your reservations now!
Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering and working part time for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and The Golf Channel.
He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.
He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to AndyReistetter@gmail.com
Royal Isabela in Puerto Rico
June 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Royal Isabela Golf Club
Play Royal Isabela in Puerto Rico… Be Inspired!
By Andy Reistetter, 3/30/11
Golf Writer Andy Reistetter continues his exclusive “Play-Write” series with one of the truly soon-to-be fully discovered golfing experiences- Puerto Rico’s Royal Isabela. Having the opportunity to play this spectacular seaside gem is an experience of a lifetime. Here is the eighth article in the PLAY-WRITE series.
Puerto Rico is known as “the enchanted island.”
The Golf Links at Royal Isabela will become known as one of the most fascinating and inspirational charms of the golfing world.
Suffice it to say that if you want the experience of playing Pebble Beach Golf Links and the Old Course at St. Andrews in the same day go to Puerto Rico now and play Royal Isabela.
You won’t be disappointed and you will remember it for the rest of your life.
If not for playing golf on the cliffs with dramatic ocean vistas then for the variety of golfing habitats experienced and their magical blending into one awesome round .
It is written that wisdom is looking beyond what seems to be.
If you look beyond what seems to be at Royal Isabela the experience may be more than memorable, it may change your life.
Absolutely, positively, without a doubt brothers Stanley and Charlie Pasarell have discovered, nurtured, and are now presenting an inspirational place for the golfing world to enjoy and treasure as well.
Or perhaps a place of passage for you to venture into the next step in your life’s journey?
Beyond the beauty of Isabela is the inspirational story of Isabela.
This is the island Borinquen- “the Land of the Valiant Lord,” and the heritage of the indigenous Taino people.
One sees the profile of the Taino Indian face in the cliffs off the tee on the 12th hole.
One feels the spirit that looks proudly out into the ocean proclaiming “this is our land, a special place that we protect so it will be here for all of eternity.”
The story of Isabela is the story of Stanley and Charlie’s great grandfather- Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía. That man born in 1855 published the first novel by a Puerto Rican author in 1894.
Gandia’s naturalist novel dealt with the difficult realities of life in the remote and mountainous regions of his beloved homeland. A land and heritage he so loved that he was an advocate for Puerto Rican independence after the Spanish- American War.
A love of the Puerto Rican land has passed down to the current generation.
The story of Isabela is the story of a son that answered a call from his father in 1978 to return home to Puerto Rico to help rescue the family business from bankruptcy. The company prospered and is now one of Puerto Rico’s most successful privately-held companies.
The family sold their majority interest a few years back to Edwin Perez who is Stanley and Charlie’s other partner in Royal Isabela.
A respect for family and doing what one needs to do to be successful.
The story of Isabela is the story of the preservation of nature, heritage and the land. Everything on the property, with the exception of the exceptional Mini Verde putting surfaces on the greens is native to the 426 acres of Royal Isabela.
“Once an era, the land has its way. It speaks and we listen. It beckons and we follow. It commands and we obey. So it is- and so it always will be- we are not the creators of Royal Isabela, we are its caretakers.” -Stanley and Charlie Pasarell
The game of tennis may have never before impacted the game of golf in such a creative and awe inspiring manner.
Charlie, a friend and teammate of tennis great Arthur Ashe at UCLA, was the No. 1-ranked men’s singles tennis player in the United States in 1967.
Stanley played his collegiate tennis at Stanford University and represented Puerto Rico in the Summer Olympics in Mexico City in 1968.
While at Stanford Stanley shared the cover of the “Stanford Golf & Tennis” magazine with Tom Watson.
The Pasarell link to golf was much stronger than a magazine cover.
Golf became a part of the family when their father Charlie Sr., an accomplished tennis player that played in the 1953 U.S. Open (tennis), accepted a challenge to quiet the talk that “golf was so much tougher to play than tennis.”
The bet was simple- could he break 100 the first time he played a round of golf?
At age 40 he took lessons on his lunch hour and went to the driving range to practice at night.
The result?
Charlie Sr. made an 18 foot putt on the last hole to shoot 99.
Together, brothers Stanley and Charlie Jr. played, studied and analyzed Scottish and Irish golf courses similar to what insurance salesman Pete Dye did in the early 1960s as he transformed himself into a golf course architect.
The Pasarell brothers teamed up with architect David Pfaff who started his career as the original and only associate of Peter Dye and Associates in 1965. With experience nearby at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic and the philosophy of hands-on, personalized course design, Pfaff was a natural to complete the Isabela design team.
The result was a “tropical Scotland” type golf course that was ready for play in 2009.
I was invited to play the day after the Puerto Rico Open. Mariel Prieto, the Director of Marketing and Real Estate received me warmly and Brother Stanley acted as host.
Brother Charlie was in Indian Wells, California fulfilling tournament director responsibilities at the BNP Paribas Open an ATP sanctioned tennis tournament that is part of the 2011 ATP World Tour.
Charlie is one of the founding members of the ATP (association of Tennis Professionals) and was elected and served in the ATP board for more than 25 years, the longest tenure of any board member to date.
The ATP headquarters is less than one mile from the PGA TOUR headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Perhaps there are more ties between tennis and golf than previously thought.
My playing partner was Miguel Suarez, the Director of Golf, at Isabela.
Suarez is an acclaimed international golfer that started playing golf at the nearby Punta Borinquen Golf Club- the first public golf course in Puerto Rico. Miguel was educated on the mainland and played on mini-tours once winning the Golden Bear Tour Championship.
Suarez is the story of a kid who played all sports including golf stating at age 9 at summer golf clinics, then chose golf and played golf every day starting at age 16.
One of the most respected golf professionals in Puerto Rico, Suarez oversees the national Junior Golf League, a program he created to give back to the game which has given him so much.
Having competed in all four of the PGA TOUR’s Puerto Rico Opens, his game was as hot as the blazing Puerto Rican sun.
Ever play with someone who hit every fairway, their approach shots seemingly covered every flagstick, hit nearly every green and putted like a demon?
Suarez recorded 5 birdies alone on the front side and shot a 5-under 68 from the blue tees playing a little social golf with mere amateurs.
The “blues” are 6,804 yards with a rating of 75.7 and a slope of 145.
Suarez holds the course record of 2-under 70 from the tips or so rightly labeled as the “naturals” at Isabela.
The “naturals” are 7,667 yards with a rating of 80.3 and a slope of 155.
That is not a typo- a rating of 80.3 and a slope of 155.
Our forecaddie was Jose Perez who caddied for Paraguay’s Carlos Franco the week prior in the Puerto Rico Open.
Does one’s golfing life get any better than this?
The front nine goes inland with an equatorial parkland sort of design.
The par-5 first hole is memorable with a peephole view of ocean in the V-shaped gap between two hillocks to the left of the green.
One encounters the first flavor of Scotland with a sod faced bunker to the left of the second green.
The uphill 155-yard par-3 fourth hole gave me a sense of Texas hill country golf with live oak trees and stone ruins behind the green.
The fifth green is dramatically placed in front of the earlier sneak preview of the ocean. The hole was on the upper level of a triple tiered green. My ball not only spun back to the lower levels but rolled another 30 yards down the hill in front of the green.
Tropical paradise- not!
The sixth hole makes its way back to the high point of the property where the clubhouse area is found.
Here is where you sense the buoyant brothers may have encountered a disagreement, a fork in the road with respect to hole design with designer Pfaff coming to the rescue.
Whereas it is said that Palmer and Nicklaus butted heads a bit designing the “King and the Bear” in northeast Florida and the resolution was that each took a nine to design. At Royal Isabela each brother won out by designing a sixth hole of their own with a common tee.
We played the Charlie version, an uphill 622-yard par 5 hole with the green sitting below the clubhouse.
The other Stanley version, following the right fork in the road is a really uphill 493-yard par 4 hole that finishes on a high point with ocean vistas.
Please note again that we played Charlie’s par 5 and hence a par 73 golf course. Okay so it was a 544-yard par 5 birdie opportunity versus a difficult par-4.
The next three holes were the earliest holes to open and form the dreaded triangle- a designer tool to completely befuddle the golfer’s sense of trade wind direction.
After missing the meandering Scottish burn off the tee, the second shot on the par-4 seventh hole is the first true links feel of Royal Isabela- a prelude of what is to come on the ocean front back nine.
My round began to deteriorate with an unforced error into the water hazard short of the par-5 eighth green. In reality my thoughts of the Charca del Diablo or Devil’s Pond began when we made our way past the island 9th green on our way to the seventh tee.
Much like Dye’s Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, this threatening triangle of an otherwise beautiful non-intimidating Royal Isabela (at least up to this point) gives you many bad thoughts to think about much too soon.
I did tighten up my Bermuda britches and managed to land one safely on the devilish island green of the 174-yard par 3 ninth hole. In fact I would only lose that one ball for the entire round at Isabela.
Feeling safer now that the tormenting triangle was behind us we were warmly greeted by Stanley’s dog Dunas who knowing there was food to be had followed us up to the clubhouse for a lunch of flat iron streak at the turn in the open-air grill.
The transition from the lush parkland of the front nine to the more barren ocean facing links of the back nine is as evident as the vastness of the ocean from the 10th tee.
One sees the links of the distant holes and can sense being on a high elevation that goes to the edge of the ascertainable golfing grounds. It is there that the cliffs drop straight down 350 feet to the level of the sea.
It is there in the distance near the double green of Isabela on the steep face of the rock that the Taino warrior protects these sacred grounds. The elevation protects golfers from the sea but not from the wind or other hazards of the Pasarell-Pfaff designed Royal Isabela.
Two sod face bunkers guard a second shot that cuts the corner on the 578-yard par-5 10thhole. Another one short right of the green minimizes the bailout area. A golfer must be accurate even in the wind by the sea. This is true links golf.
Instead of the scorecard par-3 11th hole we play Brother Stanley’s future private home site par-3 whose green is perched on the cliffs. Miguel notes that this is admittedly a 100-yard par-5 hole.
Given the green complex namely the bunkers and the slope of the putting surface not to mention the distraction of the thunderous Atlantic Ocean below I agreed without question.
Walking away with my “par-5” I was completely overtaken with the beauty of Isabela.
Seeing the majestic view off the 12th tee with the prominent profile of the Taino Indian face I went with driver and put one in play on the 435-yard hole along the cliffs.
After nearly making a 6-footer for birdie, Miguel cried out that there were whales to be seen off the coast. The rare and impressive Humpback whales visit this area every year on their migratory route to the North Atlantic where they mate during the summer months.
Now my golf game was completely lost. I was in the “feeling one with nature” zone no longer “in only the golf zone.”
The 13th hole, Palm Grove traverses an old grove of coconut palms. Like the “W” at the finish line in the 1963 film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” I had my eye on those tall, thin palm trees for a couple of holes now.
It’s a Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful World.
One of the most spectacular views is from the perch of the 13th green looking south. The cliffs end at the shoreline there and what you see down below is another mile of native dunes with the approaching white lined surf.
As if Royal Isabela’s 3.5 miles of shoreline is not enough, she is part of the larger Costa Isabela development which owns the land of dunes far below cliffs. The same is true on the north side of the property.
All told there are plans for four more golf courses and my guess is one each will be built at sea level on the dunes to the north and south and two more inland perhaps along the meandering Guajataca River.
After taking in the view and appreciating the vastness and diversity of the landforms on the property we played the 443-yard par-4 14th hole that takes us back north along the cliffs to the elbow-shaped double green with the 12th.
The name of the hole is Hidden Pearl, a tribute to great-grandfather Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía’s artistic creation. Though now that Royal Isabela is coming onto the world golfing scene in full bloom it is debatable whether or not it is still a hidden pearl.
The final cliff-hanging shot is where the Atlantic Ocean once again comes into play at the dramatic 200-yard par-3 17th hole. For the first time on this strategic thinking course one must carry the ocean and a gorge for there is no bail out route.
This is perfectly fitting in golf and in life for there are times we must work through and not go around a difficulty.
I remember the inscription in the Ben Hogan instructional book my older brother gave me as a young boy: “Golf is a lot like life, the more you read, understand, and become educated about it the easier it is to meet its challenge.”
I took a hybrid 3 and pushed all thoughts out of my mind with the exception of feeling and making a solid, confident, and balanced swing. The well-struck ball flew out over the ocean and gorge, landed with friction and ended up on the back fringe of the green from where I two-putted for a heavenly par.
The 18th is a difficult 491-yard uphill par-4 hole aptly named “Ruins” with the remnants of a house and rock wall on the inside of the sweeping dog-leg-left fairway that takes you back up to the gracefully but royally placed clubhouse.
On the right side of the fairway you will find the wind-swept native oak tree- the logo tree of Royal Isabela.
Royal Isabela’s logo reminds us that golf is all about the wind and its impact on the golfer.
Having played Royal Isabela it seems my life and my thoughts linger a bit more these days.
Making the acquaintance of Isabela has somehow impacted my soul.
For more information on Royal Isabela please visit the web site www.royalisabela.com.
Royal Isabela is shown by invitation and appointment only. Please contact Mariel Prieto, Marketing Director, at 787.565.7710 or mprieto@royalisabela.com for more information.
To read more articles in Golf Writer Andy Reistetter’s exclusive “Play-Write” series go to the following links:
1. Daniel Island Club (Charleston, SC): Home of the Nationwide Tour Championship and the Charm of Charleston, South Carolina.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/281587-the-charm-of-charleston-the-daniel-island-golf-club
2. St. Johns Golf & Country Club (St. Augustine, FL): On the Road to the PGA TOUR.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/301493-st-johns-golf-country-club-on-the-road-to-the-pga-tour
3. TPC Four Seasons (Las Colinas, TX): Home of the HP Byron Nelson Classic.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/400754-play-tpc-four-seasons-experience-byron-nelsons-legacy
4. Cog Hill Dubsdread (Lemont, IL): Deserving of a Future U.S. Open.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/406212-pga-tour-jemsek-family-cog-hill-deserving-of-2017-us-open
5. Greenbrier’s Old White Course (White Sulphur Springs, W VA): A Charles Blair Macdonald Masterpiece enveloped with the essence of Slammin’ Sammy Snead at America’s Resort.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/422692-pga-tour-the-greenbrier-americas-resort-takes-center-stage
6. Scioto Country Club (near Columbus, Ohio): Scioto CC: The Bridge from Jones to Nicklaus and Beyond.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/423359-scioto-cc-the-bridge-from-jones-to-nicklaus-and-beyond?
7. Orlando’s Grand Cypress to Host 2010 LPGA Championship.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/521768-orlandos-grand-cypress-to-host-2010-lpga-championship
Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a Research and Broadcast Assistant for the major golf broadcast companies. He spends time on all four major American golf tours- the PGA TOUR, Champions, Nationwide and LPGA Tours.
Reistetter resides in near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.
A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him at AndyReistetter@gmail.com
2011 Southern California Golf: The Next La Costa Is Here!
December 20, 2011 By
Golf writer Andy Reistetter continues his exclusive “Play-Write” series with an extended visit to the recently renovated La Costa Resort & Spa in Southern California. As part of a Special Media Preview, Reistetter met with architects Damian Pascuzzo, Jeff Brauer and Champions Tour Player Design Consultant Steve Pate, learned the history of La Costa and the inside story of the recent golf course renovations. Truly an exceptional visit to an exceptional place—the Next La Costa is here!
Golfing foursome on the 16th tee- Jeff Brauer, Andy Reistetter, Steve Pate and Damian Pascuzzo…
Some things never change, they are simply transformed in the next era.
That is exactly what has happened at La Costa where the final touches of a $50 million renovation by owner KSL Resorts are being completed.
That’s on top of an earlier $150 million upgrade.
Needless to say, La Costa has reinvented herself into the impressive, sophisticated, all-encompassing resort of the future.
Whether you are visiting as a single, a couple, a family or a corporation, everything is there for you at La Costa.
Not too far from Los Angeles or too close to San Diego, this is a special place.
Redesigned and well-appointed guest rooms, suites and villas are your new home.
The family friendly Bistro Legends and the signature Blue Fire Grill are two highly-acclaimed restaurants. The Diversions Sports Bar is another dining option, as well as outside pool and spa cafes.
The quaint village at La Costa…
The Coastal Events Center has 110,000 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space, while the Coast Costa Del Sol Ballroom is the largest in North San Diego County.
With two championship golf courses, 17 clay and hard surface tennis courts and one of the best spas in the world, once you come on site you will never want to leave.
Plus, there is Splash Landing waterslides, Kidtopia children’s programs and the Vibz Game Lounge for kids of all ages. La Costa is a guaranteed better experience for your kids than any cruise ship that you have ever been on.
Shopping is abundant and unique with Coastal Dunes and Audrey’s Closet to explore. The golf and tennis shops carry all the top brands and are well stocked.
Palm trees greet your arrival at La Costa…
La Costa has a village atmosphere that is well accentuated with three large water fountains, majestic palm trees and an ambiance of restorative peace and tranquility.
Fire atop the water fountains once the sun sets brings additional warmth to a serene setting.
Her Las Vegas desert heritage and Hollywood flair seem to be present as the gentle breezes of the not too distant Pacific Ocean envelop you in a sense of well being.
Golf, namely professional golf, came to La Costa from the desert for the first time in 1969 and stayed for the next 30 years.
Inner sanctum of the Spa at La Costa…
Like the resort, known as “the best of the best,” the golf tournament’s mission was to determine “the champion of the champions.”
Gary Player won the first Tournament of Champions at La Costa, and Phil Mickelson in 1988 won the last, both for their second time.
In between, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson won it three times on the famed original 1965 Dick Wilson designed “tournament” course.
Lanny Wadkins, Steve Elkington and Tom Kite also won the prestigious event at La Costa.
Johnny Miller’s triumph there in 1974 was one of eight PGA TOUR victories that year, the year after a Sunday 63 won him the U.S. Open at Oakmont CC.
Tiger Woods at La Costa in 2006… Photo Credit: Harry How Getty Images
Tiger Woods won in 1998 when it was known as the Mercedes Championship.
As Player said in his inaugural win, “this is golf.”
Golf continued at La Costa in 1999 with the very first World Golf Championship.
Never before in the history of the game had the world’s best 64 golfers come together and compete in head-to-head single elimination match play to determine the best golfer in the world.
In the premier event, Jeff Maggert beat Andrew Magee and won $1 million in a 36-hole final that went two extra holes.
The next year, Darren Clarke showed early signs of his recent Open brilliance by defeating Tiger Woods in the final match 4&3.
The WGC Match Play continued at La Costa through 2006, with the exception of 2001 when it went down under to Australia.
La Costa is located near the childhood backyards of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Like San Diego, Phil is closer, but Tiger enhanced his legacy at nearby Torrey Pines with a Monday playoff over Rocco Mediate in one leg in the 2008 U.S. Open.
Tiger also owns the modern golfing legacy at La Costa.
Woods won back-to-back WGC Match Play Championships in 2003 and 2004.
Who can forget the “9&8” drubbing Tiger put on Stephen Ames in a first round match in 2006? Mind you it was an 18-hole match. Mathematically, only “10&8” could have been worse for the outspoken Ames.
Remember the 6-iron to 10 inches in 1998 on the par-3 16th hole to beat Tom Lehman in the first hole of a sudden-death playoff?
In 2010, golf came back to La Costa with South Korea’s Hee Kyung Seo winning the season-opening LPGA event by six strokes.
The LPGA will be back in 2012 with the Kia Classic in mid-March.
Dramatic bunkering on the par-5 second hole…
With 45 years of tradition and a superb renovation of 18 holes of championship golf now called the Champions Course, who knows what the future of hosting professional golf tournaments will be for La Costa?
All that is known is that the Resort, Spa and Golf at la Costa have been transformed into the next era and are ready for your visit and the perpetuation of professional golf championships.
Damian Pascuzzo and Steve Pate formed 2P Pascuzzo & Pate Golf Course Design in 2006.
Pascuzzo worked for and became a partner with famed designer Robert Muir Graves right out of college.
The John Goodman look alike brought in Jeffrey Brauer out of Texas to assist with the La Costa project. Both architects, like Graves, are past Presidents of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCS).
Steve Pate, a veteran of 553 PGA TOUR events and a winner of six, finished in the Top Ten of two majors this year as a rookie on the Champions Tour.
A California native and UCLA graduate, Pate’s biggest career victory came in 1988 when he opened with a pair of 66s and won the MONY Tournament of Champions at La Costa.
To say La Costa is a special place for Pate is probably an understatement as it was also the place where he came as a child to see his first professional golf tournament.
Pate’s most recent win came last year on the Nationwide Tour in Columbia as he prepared for his May Champions Tour debut.
Needless to say, the design team to renovate La Costa was superb!
Interestingly, the scope of the project was not a renovation of the original Dick Wilson “tournament” 18.
Instead, the scope was to renovate the North Course- the original Dick Wilson tournament front nine and the back nine added by his design partner Joe Lee in 1984.
With new Bent grass greens, the upgraded holes can no longer be combined into a tournament course with the original Bermuda greens.
No longer the North Course, it is now known as the “Champions’ Course.”
Also renovated were four holes of the South Course where Lee added the front nine to Wilson’s tournament back nine in 1973.
The four South holes renovated were the first and last of each nine, all clearly visible from the elevated resort and clubhouse area.
The project significantly improved water flow and drainage of both golf courses by raising fairways and dredging lakes.
Playability under all weather conditions is a key criteria for hosting professional golf tournaments.
Even in Southern California where the song goes that it seems like it never rains but when it does it pours man it pours.
The exciting part of the golf course renovations were the changes to the routing and the bunkers.
The 16th is now a dramatic short par-4 with the green perched out into a lake. This is the ultimate risk-and-reward hole with sand and water hazards guarding the reachable green.
The par-3 17th was shortened from a middle/long iron to a relatively short iron, an 8-iron for this amateur golfer. With an elevated tee, a lake to carry and a shallow green, this hole like the 16th is simply fun to play.
Fairway bunkers that originally were opposite one another in the landing area are now strategically staggered and very appealing from mostly elevated teeing grounds.
The design team used historical deception techniques such as a hidden fairway between seemingly connected bunkers and oversized distant bunkers that appear to be in play but are not unless you are Tiger Woods. This makes for an engaged golfing experience at The Next La Costa that is here now for you to enjoy.
The upgraded green complexes are difficult yet fair to play and incorporate all the latest design techniques and course setup features such as run-off areas and tight and guarded hole locations to test your short game finesse.
Green complex on the uphill par-5 sixth hole…
The classical uphill par-5 6th hole is now a fairer hole to play with visible and built up landing and layup areas.
This is a golf course that fits your eye with dramatic, magnificent elevated tee shots on par-4 holes Nos. 1, 7, 10, and 13, the par-5 11th and the par-3 16th.
Pascuzzo and Pate, along with Brauer, took two nines built years apart and created a unique and special flow of a golf course as it meanders through canyons to the north and then comes gently back to the resort.
There is no higher acclaim for a golf course than for it to be in tune with the land it is built upon. This graceful feeling is there for all to experience on the Champions Course at La Costa.
My only recommendation is not addressed to the golf course or resort renovation but rather to the LPGA’s decision to play the March 2012 Kia Classic on the South Course rather than the newly christened Champions’ Course.
While it is understood that the South is more central to the resort and convenient for the patrons and contains the famous “Longest Mile” finish, the Champions Course is deserving of its first professional golfing event.
It’s a beautiful stroll to the far eighth green/ninth tee and an opportunity to view the 40 acres of new native grasses. The viewing areas for patrons are outstanding on the Champions layout.
Granted, there is little growing season even in southern California in the next three months, but the greens are rolling true and fast and the fairways seem free of any lingering sod lines.
Just cut the rough, give it a go and let the girls play!
These girls can play and deserve to play on the best tests of golf, including the newly-renovated Champions Course at La Costa!
Christmas tree with fairways of La Costa beyond…
Well okay, I do have a second recommendation…let’s get 2Ps & B (Pascuzzo, Pate & Brauer) started renovating the remaining 14 holes before Pate gets healthy and too successful on the Champions Tour.
Then we will have our course for professional golf at La Costa and be able to play it, too.
The new and dramatic Champions’ holes Nos. 16 & 17 as the tournament front nine with the “Longest Mile” finish determining future champions at la Costa.
One thing for sure is that they got the names right—”Champions” Course and The “Next” La Costa!
Some things never change, they are simply transformed in the next era.
Historic Golf Discovery in Williamsburg, Virginia
July 21, 2011 By
Golf Writer Andy Reistetter takes his exclusive “Play-Write” series on the road north to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. While known for its historical role in the emergence of American democracy, more should be known about its present-day role as a 45-hole world-class golfing destination. Whereas George Washington and Thomas Jefferson walked down the main street on the way to American liberation, so too have many famous golfers walked the fairways of the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club. Enjoy this autumn golfing trip with Reistetter, then schedule a golfing trip of your own!
Escape from all of the hullabaloo outside R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse over a stamp tax and head to the links for a quick round of golf on the Spotswood, Green or Golf courses of the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club.
“Are you people of the frontier?” cries Mr. Richard Lee, a historical re-enactor in the R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse when asked a silly question about life and politics in the year of 1765.
The same could be said for seasoned golfers who have yet to play the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Colonial Williamsburg.
“Are you golfers of the rough?”
Come to the fairways and greens of the championship Gold and Green Courses designed by the renowned father-son golf course architects Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Rees Jones.
Jones Sr. called the Gold Course which opened in 1963 his “finest design—a natural arboretum upon which a great golf course has been built.”
The following year the World Golf Hall of Fame member reconfigured the original 1947 Fred Finlay nine-hole course into the executive-length Spotswood Course.
This little family-favorite gem earned “the best nine-hole course in the country” distinction of Golf Magazine.
From where does the name “Golden Horseshoe” originate?
Spotswood, the course’s namesake, was the colonial governor in 1716 and led an expedition from the coastal plains to the far western portions of the Virginia colony.
Many horseshoes were consumed due to the newly encountered rocky soil of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The expedition was successful and when they returned to civilization the governor gave each pioneer a Golden Horseshoe.
Four years after the Gold Course opened, Jack Nicklaus set the professional course record of 67 in an exhibition match.
More recently in collegiate competition, Daniel Summerhays of Brigham Young University and Michael Schachner of Duke University have posted 10-under-par 60s.
Though relatively short at 6,817 total yards from the back tees, the tightly laid out design nestled amongst rolling hills and a hardwood forest requires precise golf shots from tee to green.
Aesthetically pleasing to the eye and the soul are the four par threes which are memorable.
The par-3 16th on the Gold Course is as finest a par-3 as you will find anywhere in the world of golf.
Three of the four, Nos. seven, 12 and the signature No. 16 cross water in a magnificent little valley near the center of the traditional layout which is free and clear of any adjacent development.
In fact you could be a million miles from civilization for all you know yet you are close by one of the earliest civilizations in our country.
The 16th is a true island hole. Having been constructed in 1963 it is one of the first holes with an island green anywhere.
The second shot on the reachable par-five second hole is a risk-reward all or nothing shot over the same stretch of water.
The par-three third hole has water of its own cutting across the front of a diagonally placed green. From the elevated tee a bunker short right appears as a beach even though Virginia Beach is 60 miles away.
Originally the Gold and Spotswood courses met the needs of the locals and golfing guests to Colonial Williamsburg.
The par-3 third hole on the Gold Course has water of its own.
Director of Golf Glen Byrnes has been a golf professional at Golden Horseshoe since 1986. He recalls the design challenge of the Green Course as being “a playable resort course that can host a major golf championship as well.”
Rees Jones, the younger son, answered the call and designed a green masterpiece literally next door to his father’s legacy.
Both the Gold and Green Courses are certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries.
The Gold and Green Courses are the only father-and-son, side-by-side designed courses in the world. One could literally play the first five holes on the Gold then check in at the Green clubhouse, play 18 and come back to finish the remaining holes on the Gold.
With up to five or six teeing grounds on each hole the yardage of the Green Course extends from the red tees at 5,348 to the green tees at 7,120.
For a touch of history one can look to the right and see the timeless boathouse of John D. Rockefeller Jr., the man who championed the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg in the 1920s.
The Rees Jones-designed Green Course opened in October 1991 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
With extreme flexibility of course setup particularly in tee and hole locations, narrowing of fairways and length of the rough this playable links style course can be transformed overnight into the most difficult test for the world’s best golfers.
That happened in the 2004 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship.
Yano Tseng got the best of Michele Wie in 2004 on the Green Course at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club. This picture is more recent.Victor Fraile/Getty Images
Defending champion Michelle Wie battled a young Yani Tseng down the stretch.
It all came down to the classic finishing hole a reachable par five with an elevated tee shot over water down into a valley with an upward slope—to the well-bunkered green.
All square in their 36-hole match both Wie and challenger Tseng bunkered their second shots greenside at the home hole. Tseng got it up and down and Wie did not.
Tseng, at age 15, became the second-youngest winner of the championship behind Wie, who captured the title as a 13-year-old. Wie is in the record books as the youngest titlist of a USGA “adult” championship.
Tseng, if by chance you have been out on the frontier, has gone on to become the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships..
The Williamsburg Inn recently enlarged both guest rooms and bathrooms reducing the number from 100 to 62. Spectacularly appointed and luxurious.
Colonial Williamsburg’s motto is “The future may learn from the past.”
Whether you play the Spotswood, Green or Gold or hopefully all three what you will learn is that Colonial Williamsburg is a premier golfing destination.
I guarantee that you will remember your rounds of golf at the Golden Horseshoe in 20 years’ time.
My insider’s tip when golfing Williamsburg is to make it truly a “Jones family affair.” Prior to going, read older brother Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s Golf by Design book. This will give you the knowledge to lower your score by understanding how golf courses are designed.
Perhaps once you come in from the frontier, armed with knowledge and faced with the challenge of these 45 holes of golf, your golfing experience at the Golden Horseshoe will be your best ever!
Golf Williamsburg’s motto, in my opinion, is “Come play golf here and we will do whatever it takes to make it a memorable experience.”
The Spa at Colonial Williamsburg has perfected the golfers massage!
Besides the golf and American historical experience of Colonial Williamsburg, there are great restaurants, lodging and of course the full-service spa.
For an elegant dining experience may I recommend the Regency Room at the Williamsburg Inn (coat required)?
I had the Crabmeat Randolph for a first course and Grilled Angus Filet and Veal Sweetbreads for my entrée. In addition the steward recommended a local Virginia wine, Octagon vintage 2006—a proprietary blend by from Barboursville Vineyards.
My desert selection was the Carrot-Coconut Cake with caramel cheesecake frosting and pineapple relish.
Truly a memorable culinary experience!
With nearly 700 guest rooms and suites available, whether you stay at the Williamsburg Inn, Lodge or the Woodlands you will be close to the golf courses and Colonial Williamsburg.
The Lodge is literally right across the street from the Gold (& Spotswood) clubhouse with the Green only a few drivers away.
Reistetter is all smiles golfing at Golden Horseshoe and enjoying the autumn season.
Also across the street is The Spa. I enjoyed the sports massage which is really the golfers’ massage. Even after 11 years of yoga I don’t think my shoulders or hips have ever been so free. I only wish I had taken the massage before I played the golf!
One final tip—there are five taverns nearby. Don’t miss an opportunity to taste one of the locally brewed AleWerks beers.
That’s all for now, reporting from a state of bliss…
