Central Coast Golf, Wine & Real Estate

Golf is Bustin' Out in SLO County

Thursday, June 09, 2005

A little sniffing around turned up some more information about the upcoming golf courses being built in Nipomo at the Woodlands. Bob Weisgerber at Golf Today Magazine recently wrote an article - Golf is Bustin' Out All Over in Nipomo, San Luis Obispo & South SLO - highlighting golf, lodging and dining in San Luis Obispo and South County.



Especially of interest is the inside knowledge he shares about the first of the 18-hole courses currently under construction at The Woodlands - Monarch Dunes. As I shared earlier, I have also been out to the construction site, but only got a glimpse of the new course. I think I saw the 1st and 9th holes near the Club House.

Below is Bob Weisgerber's description of Monarch Dunes. You can read his entire article here.

Let me be the first to break the great news that 45 NEW holes of golf are on the drawing board in the South County at the small town of Nipomo. While construction is underway on the first of these courses, to be named Monarch Dunes, when completed there will be two championship-length courses and one executive-length course. Given the restrictions on new golf courses along the California coast it seems nearly miraculous that these three courses will be built close enough to the coast that some holes will be able to feature sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.

The design of these three courses at The Woodlands has been entrusted to Damian Pascuzzo, past President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. His office is in El Dorado Hills, east of Folsom, CA. That's a smart choice because Pascuzzo is a strong supporter of weaving strategy into hole design and using natural land forms to accomplish that aspect of course design. The overall development, which is quite sizeable, will include housing, but by and large the courses will have integrity of their own.

I was fortunate to tour the Monarch Dunes course while construction was underway. It is clear from the get-go that there will be fun and there will be challenge at this course. The first tee will call for a shot from an elevated tee to a left-bending fairway that hugs a large pond (at the time of my visit the lining was being laid in prior to the addition of water). Those who appreciate classic hole design will recognize a variation of the classic Cape hole, where the golfer is tempted to hit the drive as far left as he or she feels that the ball will land "dry." You can bet that some golf balls will have a very short life on that hole. When the first course is complete (expected to come on line in late 2005) there will be lots of golfers who want to test themselves on this new beauty.

The 7th tee and the 9th tees are elevated and call for shots to sail past some tall eucalyptus trees. All in all, there will be a lot of variety on the course, including changes in elevation, and subtle movements in the terrain. I look forward to coming back for the grand opening and I expect to be pleasantly surprised and delighted. We'll keep you informed.

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