Course Source: Presidio Golf Course, Ranch Course at the Alisal

Course Source: Presidio Golf Course, Ranch Course at the Alisal










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange June 17, 2013 2:20 AMThe SportsXchange


IN THE PUBLIC EYE: Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco.

THE LAYOUT: Built as a nine-hole course for members only in 1895 and designed by Robert Johnstone, Presidio was expanded to 18 holes in 1910.

On the grounds of the former U.S. Army base that guarded the Golden Gate, it was operated by the military from the 1950s until it became a public course in 1995, after the area was designated as a national park.

Presidio Golf Course, maintained beautifully by Arnold Palmer Golf Management, plays to a length of 6,424 yards from the tips, with a USGA rating of 72.3 and a slope of 136.

The course is located about 10 minutes from downtown in one of San Francisco's finest old neighborhoods, and you can see the century-old Victorian homes through the eucalyptus and cypress trees that line the fairways.

Although the course measures under 6,500 yards, it plays much longer because of the elevation changes on the hilly fairways, the general dampness of the Bay Area and the breeze off the ocean, making club selection critical.

GENERAL MANAGER: Don Chelemedos.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Playing the Presidio Golf Course is to walk where icons such as Teddy Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, Ben Hogan, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bing Crosby and Joe DiMaggio, San Francisco's favorite son, have left their footprints.

After the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration planted hundreds of eucalyptus and pine trees on the course, and they have reached maturity. While the course is not extremely tight, accuracy still is a must.

The layout's hilly nature is no more evident than on the first two holes, starting with a dogleg right, 352-yard par 4 that plays dramatically downhill from the tee box and then slightly uphill to the green. Big hitters will be tempted to drive it over the bunker in the dogleg, but anything right is in the driving range.

No. 2 is a roller coaster of a par 5, only 473 yards to a smallish, elevated green that is almost completely surrounded by bunkers. The smart play is to lay up about 100 yards short of the green to set up a short approach, but the hill is so steep that this is a blind shot.

Don't be deceived that the fourth hole is rated No. 18 on the card because there is a 35-foot drop from the tee to a green complex that is a virtual island, surrounded seven bunkers and natural vegetation.

The turn gives golfers to unusual opportunity to play back-to-back par 5s, the 522-yard ninth and the spectacular 504-yard 10th. Despite the yardage differences, No. 9 is the one that can be reached in two more often because No. 10 plays uphill to another elevated green.

No. 13 is a 175-yard par 3 that is memorable because of a tall tree in a large gully between the tee and green that can block the view of the flag. Be sure to hit enough club because if you miss the green, the chip is much easier on the plateau level of the elevated green than from below.

The home hole, a 516-yard par 5, requires another accurate tee shot through a narrow-ish swath cut through a stand of towering eucalyptus, but there is more room than it appears from the tee. Beware of the fairway bunkers right off the tee and another waiting slightly under 100 yards from the green on the left.

San Francisco weather can be unpredictable, so bring at least a windbreaker even if the day starts out sunny and warm, because the fog can roll in at any time and drop the temperature 20 degrees in a matter of minutes.

Course regulars are proud of the 7,000-foot clubhouse, which was the first new building constructed at thePresidio in decades when it opened in 1999. If you are in the area on the weekend, take advantage of the popular Sunday brunch.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: Harding Park Golf Course is another exceptional course in the San Francisco public chain, surrounded by picturesque Lake Merced and located less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean. Harding, designed by Willie Watson and opened in 1925, underwent a $16 million renovation a few years ago and hosted the 2005 WGC-American Express Championship, in which Tiger Woods outlasted John Daly in a playoff, and the 2009 Presidents Cup.

Lincoln Park Golf Course, which opened in 1910, is a sporty par-68, 5,149-yard layout that winds around the hillsides on the grounds of the De Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. The 242-yard 17th hole is a stunning and treacherous par 3, with views of the Golden Gate.

Also in San Francisco are three fun 9-hole courses -- Golden Gate Park Golf Course, Gleneagles International Golf Course and the Fleming 9 at Harding Park Golf Course.

WHERE TO STAY: The venerable Fairmont San Francisco, flagship of the worldwide chain, has stood sentinel over the "City by the Bay" for more than 100 years from its perch on Nob Hill. It survived the Great Earthquake of 1906, when it was finished but not yet open, and housed many displaced San Franciscans over the next several years.

The landmark hotel has been fully refurbished to its original grandeur, from the 591 guest rooms and suites, to the magnificent grand main lobby with marble floors and Corinthian columns trimmed in gold.

Dine at the Fairmont in the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar, which offers exotic Asian cuisine and the bestMai Tai in San Francisco in a tropical rainforest setting. Or try the Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar, a typical Northern California dining experience.


The Fairmont is located at the only crossing of San Francisco's three cable car lines -- and Chinatown, the Embarcadero, the Financial District, Union Square, Golden Gate Park and Fisherman's Wharf are easily reached from the hotel.

Also in the neighborhood on Nob Hill are the Mark Hopkins InterContinental, the Renaissance Stanford Court, the Huntington Hotel and the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco.

Other fine hotels in San Francisco include the Mandarin Oriental, Le Meridien San Francisco, the Westin St. Francis, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, the Palace Hotel and the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.

ON THE WEB: www.presidiogolf.com



THE LAST RESORT: Ranch Course at the Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort in Solvang, Calif.

THE LAYOUT: Noted designer William F. Bell crafted a classic resort course through the trees in a rustic valley on the outskirts of Solvang in 1955, and Steve Halsey upgraded the layout in 1991.

The course, which plays to a par of 72, stretches to 6,551 yards from the back tees with a USGA rating of 72.0 and a slope of 133.

The narrow fairways are lined by mature oaks and sycamores, with deer and other wildlife often seen on the course.

Al Geiberger, a native Californian who played at USC and was the first player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59, holds the course record of 65 on the Ranch Course at the Alisal.

HEAD PROFESSIONAL: Dave Hartley.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Even though the fairways are narrow in places, this is an ideal resort course because what you see is what you get -- there are no tricks to the course.

There are several elevated tees on the Ranch Course, which is lined by oaks and sycamores, and the Santa Ynez River runs along the West border of the layout, which is traversed several times by Alisal Creek before it meets the river.

Every hole is a picture postcard, but none is prettier than the 161-yard sixth. The tee shot from the top of a hill must carry the creek to a green 50 feet below that is heavily bunkered on the left. Pause for a moment to appreciate the view of Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley.

The eighth is a demanding 416-yard par 4, the most difficult hole on the course. A barranca that bisects the fairway 236 yards from the elevated tee is reachable with a big drive. Once on the fairway, the approach shot must be hit with a fairway wood or long iron to a small green that is only 15 yards wide and is protected by traps right and left.

There are some interesting quirks to the course, which includes three par 3s, three par 4s and three par 5s on the front nine. Both nines open with a par 5 and close with a par 3, but the 208-yard ninth and the 201-yard 18th are anything but easy.

Players coming down the stretch with a good score must first get past the 420-yard 17th, a daunting par 4 that requires a tee shot to the right of the fairway short of a barranca in order to see the green on the big dogleg left. Anything to the left makes it virtually impossible to go for the green and probably means a lay-up short of the barranca.

Get past No. 17 and you still have the ticklish 18th to deal with.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: Right down the street from the Ranch Course is its sister course, the public River Course at the Alisal, which plays through a wide-open meadow.

La Purisima Golf Course a few miles down the road in Lompoc is one of the best public courses inSouthern California, having played host to the PGA Tour Qualifying School and U.S. Open qualifying.

Also nearby are some other outstanding courses -- Black Lake Golf Resort in Nipomo, Avila Beach Golf Course, Marshallia Ranch Golf Course at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Cypress Ridge Golf Club in Arroyo Grande and Rancho Maria Golf Course in Santa Maria.

Only 40 minutes away are several more top-shelf courses in Santa Barbara, including Rancho San Marcos Golf Club, Glen Annie Golf Club, Santa Barbara Golf Club and acclaimed Sandpiper Golf Course, which is known as the "Pebble Beach of Southern California."

WHERE TO STAY: The Ranch Course can only be played by club members and guests at the Alisal Guest Ranch, which was founded in 1946 and became a hideaway for Hollywood icons such as Doris Day and Clark Gable, who married Lady Silvia Ashley in the old library on the grounds.

In addition to golf, the 10,000-acre Alisal Guest Ranch offers tennis, horseback riding, biking, swimming and hiking, plus boating and fishing on Alisal Lake. There are nature walks and bird watching on the property, which borders the Ronald Reagan Ranch that served as the Western White House during Reagan's presidency.

Solvang, an authentic Scandinavian village founded by Danish settlers in 1911, is one of the top tourist sites in California. Of course, the Spanish padres arrived much earlier, in 1804, and founded Mission Santa Ines.

The town features several themed hotels, including the Best Western King Frederik Motel, the Kronberg Inn and Svendsgaard's Danish Lodge.

Also close is Pea Soup Andersen's Inn in Buellton.

ON THE WEB: www.ranchcourse.com

Golf notebook: McIlroy-Horschel feud fades

Golf notebook: McIlroy-Horschel feud fades










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange June 17, 2013 2:20 AMThe SportsXchange


--When it came to feuds, Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woodsmade all the headlines last week at the U.S. Open, with the Spaniard apologizing for his "fried chicken" remark made a few weeks earlier at a dinner before the BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour at Wentworth.

Rory McIlory and Billy Horschel, few even knew there was anything between then.

Their bad blood came about in the 2007 Walker Cup atRoyal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle, Northern Ireland, where Great Britain and Ireland scored a 12 1/2-11 1/2 victory over the Americans.

Horschel, who played college golf at Florida, was matched against McIlroy three times, scoring a 1 up singles win over the Irishman on the first day and teaming with Rickie Fowler to beat McIlroy and Rhys Davis of Wales, 2 and 1, in foursomes on the morning of the second day.

However, McIlroy scored a critical 4-and-2 singles victory over Horschel on the afternoon of the final day and admitted afterward that more than a little personal satisfaction went along with it.

"It was great to win, especially against him," McIlroy said. "I don't really have much time for him, to be honest."

McIlroy apparently was not pleased with Horschel's animated behavior during the matches, a bit like the Americans' disdain for some of Garcia's antics in the Ryder Cup.

Horschel, who captured the Zurich Classic of New Orleans earlier this year for his first PGA Tour victory, said it's all in the past.

"He didn't think the way I conducted myself on the golf course was right, but we were young," the 26-year-old Horschel said. "We were immature.

"I consider him a buddy. There's no spat at all, no hard feelings at all. We were young guys and we're going to make mistakes when we're still maturing as individuals. It was water under the bridge a long time ago."

Horschel even played a practice round with McIlroy and Tiger Woods the day before the tournament started last week at Merion.

--Miller Barber, one of the colorful characters on the PGA Tour during the 1960s and '70s, died at the age of 82 at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Barber, who was known as "Mr. X," won 11 times on the PGA Tour before really turning it on when he moved to what is now the Champions Tour, winning 24 times during the early years of the senior circuit with his distinctive, looping swing.

"We are saddened by the passing of Miller Barber," commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement. "He was a wonderful player who made his mark on the PGA Tour with 11 victories and then really excelled on the Champions Tour, becoming one of its best players in the tour's formative years.

"Miller and the Champions Tour's other early stars helped establish the tour and make it the tremendous success it has become."

Despite his unorthodox swing and pudgy frame, Barber played in a record 1,297 tournaments in his career on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour and earned more than $5.6 million.

Barber's right elbow flew out on his backswing as he raised the club to the outside, bringing it high over his head, the shaft almost perpendicular to the ground.

From there, he looped the clubhead inside and produced an orthodox downswing.

"He has a great release through the ball, and that's one of the most important things," Arnold Palmer told Newsday in 1989. "And don't let that muscle tone fool you. He is strong."

Barber never captured a major title, with his best chance coming when he took a three-shot lead into the final round of the 1969 U.S. Open at the Champions Golf Club in Houston.

However, he closed with a 78 and wound up in a tie for sixth as Orville Moody took home the title. Barber finished in the top 10 of all four majors that season and played on the United States Ryder Cup team.

Of his nickname, Barber said: "Jim Ferree gave me the nickname because I never told anyone where I was going at night. I was a bachelor and a mystery man with many girlfriends in many cities. I didn't marry Karen until I was 39.

"It wasn't their business to know where I was going, so for a while they called me '007;' the James Bond movies were popular at the time. But my activities prompted Ferree to start referring to me as 'The Mysterious Mr. X,' and it really stuck."

Barber, who was born in Shreveport, La., and played college golf at Arkansas before turning pro in 1958, is survived by his wife, Karen, and five children, Casey, Doug, Brad, Larry and Richard.

--The day before the start of the U.S. Open, the United States Golf Association announced a nationwide public-education campaign to address the game's growing problem of slow play.


The "While We're Young" campaign is part of a program launched earlier this year by the USGA in partnership with others in the golf industry concerned about the pace-of-play issue.

The USGA said it would enforce stricter policies on slow play at the U.S. Open, the second of the year's four majors.

"Pace of play has been an issue for decades, but it's now become one of the most significant threats to the health of the game," USGA president Glen D. Nager said.

"Five hour-plus rounds are common, and they're incompatible with modern life. Beyond the time involved, poor pace of play saps the fun from the game, takes too much time, frustrates players and discourages future play.

"In a recent study by the National Golf Foundation, 91 percent of serious golfers reported that they're bothered by slow play and say that it detracts from their golf experience."

According to Nager, more than 70 percent of golfers believe that pace of play had become a bigger problem in recent years and more than 50 percent admitted to walking off the golf course in frustration over the length of rounds.

Borrowing from the "While We're Young" phrase uttered by Rodney Dangerfield's character Al Czervik in the 1980 film "Caddyshack," the campaign takes a lighthearted approach to encourage golfers to improve pace of play.

Tiger Woods, the No. 1 player in the World Golf Rankings, has thrown his weight behind the campaign.

Woods, who was vocal in his frustration over slow play after he won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January, spoke when he learned the USGA planned to take on one of the biggest problems in golf, on and off the tour level.

"Pace of play is a big issue," Woods said. "Rounds of golf take too long, and no one enjoys it. ...

"We played nine holes in just over three hours (at Torrey Pines), and three of them are par 3s. I started losing my patience a little bit, and that's when I made a few mistakes."

The Golf Channel also has gotten into the act, declaring June as Pace of Play month, with a series of shorts that encourage amateur golfers to speed things up on the course.

--The CIMB Classic 2013, which will be the first official PGA Tour event in Asia to offer FedEx Cup points, has been moved to the West Course at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, organizers announced.

In the past, the tournament was played at the Mines Resort and Golf Club, which measures only 6,966 yards, and Nick Watney won the tournament by shooting 10-under-par 61 on the final day.

The West Course at Kuala Lumpur measures in excess of 7,000 yards and is considered more difficult that the Mines.

"The CIMB Classic is now a marquee event on the PGA Tour calendar," said Dato' Sri Nazir Razak, CIMB Group chief executive. "The event has grown from strength to strength over the last four years.

"This year it makes its debut as a full-fledged PGA Tour FedEx Cup event, with an increased field and a new venue. KLGCC is a venue that will give us the scale we need to take it to the next level."

The 2013-14 PGA Tour schedule starts on Oct. 7-13 with the Frys.com Open at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, Calif., with the CIMB Classic scheduled to be the third event of the season on Oct. 27-30.

Early commitments to the CIMB Classic include Phil Mickelson and the past champions from the three-year history of the tournament -- Nick Watney, Ben Crane and Bo Van Pelt.

--Incidents of television viewers calling in to report suspected rules violations have become an issue on the PGA Tour this year, most notably when Tiger Woods was handed a two-stroke penalty for an improper drop during the Masters.

During the first rounds of the U.S. Open at Merion, viewers phoning in what they thought were violations bySteve Stricker and Adam Scott went 0-for-2.

Stricker's tee shot at the par-3 third hole seemed to land in a bunker, but hung up on grass and under a tree on the lip of the bunker. He was allowed to take a drop and one-stroke penalty because of an unplayable lie by an on-course official.

After taking his drop, Stricker walked up a hill and back down a few times, and the fan who called in believed he did it intentionally to improve his lie before hitting his next shot.

"I had a pine tree in my way and I was struggling to get the line of my drop," said Stricker, who carded a double-bogey 5 on the hole. "I couldn't see the wicker basket (famously used instead of flags on the pins at Merion).

"I dropped it in an area that was not disturbed."

Stricker said he was surprised when Thomas O'Toole, vice president of the United States Golf Association, asked him about it in the scoring trailer after he shot 1-over-par 71 in the first round.

O'Toole said he simply reviewed the situation with Stricker before determining there was no penalty.

"It's not an intent-based rule," O'Toole said. "In light of other things, we wanted to review it."

USGA spokesman Joe Goode told reporters that there were several calls and emails claiming that Scott grounded his club before hitting his shot from the edge of a hazard, just above a small stream on the left side of the fifth fairway.

After a review, the USGA again ruled there was no violation, and the bogey 5 that Scott made en route to a 72 stood up.

Will Tiger Woods Ever Win Another Major?

Will Tiger Woods Ever Win Another Major?











Adam Fonseca June 17, 2013 9:48 AM




COMMENTARY |


b> To say that Tiger Woods had a disappointing week at the 2013 US Open would be an understatement.



Undoubtedly the best player in the world, Woods seemed to shuffle his way around Merion Golf Club with the mentality and the confidence of a child looking for a lost puppy. He never looked comfortable on the


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course during any of the four championship rounds, often resorting to risky swings in ankle-deep rough to blast his golf ball back into play. He even managed to tweak an elbow injury after one particularly-violet slash through rough that many players called excessively punitive.



The result? A final round 74 that translated into a finishing score of 13-over par.

"There's always a lesson to be learned in every tournament whether you win or lose," Woods told reporters following his final round. "I'll look back at the things I did right and the things I did wrong. … I did a lot of things right. Unfortunately, I did a few things wrong."

Gee Tiger; you think?

Unfortunately for the World No.1, 'doing a few things wrong' has become a redundant anthem since Woods' last major triumph.

He has not won a major championship since the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines. He's now 0-for-2 in 2013, meaning the two courses that held Tiger's best chance at victory - Augusta National and the short Merion -- have come and gone. All that remains this season are Muirfield for the British Open and Oak Hill Country Club for the PGA Championship.

In 2002, Woods finished T-28 at Muirfield which included a spellbinding 81 in his third round. In 2003, Woods had a similar showing at Oak Hill Country Club at the PGA Championship, finishing T-39 with the likes of Hal Sutton and Joe Durant. Needless to say, Woods does not enjoy the next two major venues.

Thus, if history has taught us anything, we are presented with the likelihood that Woods will not win a major championship this season. Who would have thought such a thing could be possible for a man who already had four wins on the PGA Tour by June?

In many ways, Woods has become his own worst enemy. In years past he has famously stated that all he cares about is winning major titles, hoping to one day eclipse the record (18 major titles) of his long-time idol Jack Nicklaus. Regardless of what he may say to reporters when asked about achieving this goal, it is easy to see that the record has become an obsession of sorts for Woods. You can tell just by watching him live and die on every shot while playing a major.

This past week, we saw more grimaces and scowls on Tiger's face than smiles and exuberance. We saw frustration, anguish and even physical pain as he stumbled to another disappointing major championship finish.

Even more importantly, we saw a man who knows his window at golf immortality is quickly closing.



Adam Fonseca has been covering professional golf since 2005. His work can also be seen on the Back9Network. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife. Follow Adam on Twitter at @chicagoduffer.