Storied Golf Courses on Monterey Peninsula Raise National Profile with Sustained PR Program
(SEASIDE, Calif.) — Bayonet Black Horse Golf Club has retained Buffalo Communications (“Buffalo”) to provide media-relations and publicity services to enhance its national profile following a multi-year, multi-million dollar renovation by the Bates Golf Design Group.
Buffalo will create and execute a full-service PR program for the storied sister courses located on the scenic Monterey Peninsula, one of the world’s truly legendary golf destinations. Buffalo will position Bayonet Black Horse for consistent, high-profile coverage in a wide variety of media outlets. The property’s rich history (see “About” sections below) and enviable location just off the pristine coastline, as well as the aesthetic quality and intricate strategy of the revamped golf courses, provide innumerable golf, travel and lifestyle story angles.
“Gene Bates had one of the last, great canvasses to work with on the west coast, and he and his design team created a golf experience that rivals any of the famous courses of this region,” says Dick Fitzgerald, project director for Seaside Resort Development, the entity spearheading the renovation. “Both Bayonet and Black Horse are ‘must-plays’ for serious golfers making a pilgrimage to the Monterey Peninsula to sample some of the world’s best courses.”
“The views of the Bay are unheard of in this market and will be what draws golfers here from around the country,” says Gene Bates, president of Bates Golf Design Group. “Once they tee off, players will be pleasantly surprised by the amount of elevation change on property. There’s a nice up and down rhythm to the holes and a lot of variety.”
Wholesale changes were made to routings, corridors and view sheds in order to take advantage of the property’s stunning sight lines and vistas. Bunkers were relocated and reshaped, providing each course with its own unique character, and green complexes and putting surfaces were redesigned and rebuilt to USGA specifications.
The agronomic work involved with the renovation is just as impactful: all kikuyu and poa annua grass on the tees, fairways and greens has been replaced with Jacklin T1 Bentgrass, a thick, dark-green strand that was actually bred to compete against poa annua. The rough is a bluegrass blend that complements the bentgrass playing surface in color and texture. One of the most striking changes is the removal of hundreds of cypress and pine trees originally planted by the U.S. Army, particularly on Black Horse. In place of these non-naturally occurring strands, Bates installed a series of oak clusters to create what he calls a “visually stunning” effect from the tee boxes.
The new-look, 36-hole facility is scheduled to re-open for play in December as the final renovated holes are grassed-in. The facility never closed during renovation; Bates Golf Design worked on nine-holes-at-a-time and golfers had access to different nine-hole combinations.
For more information about Bayonet Black Horse, visit www.bayonetblackhorse.com or call 831.899.7271 (PAR 1).
About Bayonet Golf Course
Bayonet, named after the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, opened in 1954 on the site formerly occupied by Fort Ord. The course was originally designed by General Robert B. McClure, a left-handed golfer with a severe slice, who laid out the course to suit his game. This is best demonstrated by holes 11-15, famously dubbed “Combat Corner,” a series of sharp dogleg-lefts wrapped around an uphill, 215-yard par 3. Known for its narrow playing corridors and steep, penal bunkering, the par-72, nearly 7,100-yard Bayonet has long been considered the most difficult test of golf on the Peninsula.
About Black Horse Golf Course
Black Horse features sweeping vistas of the Pacific and was originally designed by Generals McClure and Edwin Carnes in 1967. Rolling fairways, bunkers with distinctive, serrated edges and slickly-contoured greens highlight the 7,000-yard-plus, par-72, layout. The par-3 15th, created during the recent renovation by award-winning golf course architect Gene Bates, faces the bay and is sure to emerge as one of the great holes on the Peninsula.
A 275-room, five-star hotel, 125 fractionals / condos and 125 home sites are also part of the masterplan for the property.
Getting There: The Monterey Peninsula Airport offers commercial and charter air service, including direct flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix and Las Vegas. San Jose International Airport and San Francisco International Airport serve the area and are one and two hours north of Bayonet Black Horse, respectively.
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (cell)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3509
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
