Major Renovation by Gene Bates Places Courses in Top Ten for 2009
(SEASIDE, Calif.) – Bayonet Black Horse Golf Club, the 36-hole, full-bentgrass facility on the Monterey Peninsula – has been named to Golf Digest’s “Best Remodel” list for 2009, with the Bayonet course placing seventh and Black Horse 10th.
The “Best Remodel” category is part of Golf Digest’s annual “Best New Courses” survey conducted by its panel of nearly 950 male and female raters. Courses are rated using five criteria: shot values, design variety, resistance to scoring, memorability and aesthetics. Bayonet and Black Horse are the only two public courses to make the list.
“This is a tremendous honor and validation of the hard work and dedication of our staff and Gene Bates’ team that went into making Bayonet and Black Horse two of the best golf courses in the region,” says Dick Fitzgerald, project director for owner/operator Seaside Resort Development. “The recognition by Golf Digest will increase awareness among avid golfers in search of an unforgettable, yet affordable, 36-hole golf experience.”
Bayonet and Black Horse re-opened in December, 2008 after a $13 million renovation by Bates Golf Design Group (Gene Bates). Both courses underwent dramatic view-shed alterations and hole re-routings to reveal new, breathtaking ocean vistas and improved playing options. Bunkers, tee boxes and greens were completely rebuilt to USGA specifications.
The agronomic enhancements to both courses are equally as dramatic and impactful: the invasive kikuyu and poa annua grasses on the tees, fairways and greens has been replaced with Jacklin T1 Bentgrass, a rarity on the Monterey Peninsula and a turf that produces superior lies and ultra-smooth putting surfaces.
The “Best Remodel” honor is the second bestowed upon Bayonet and Black Horse this year by Golf Digest. In April, Bayonet was named to the magazine’s vaunted “50 Toughest Golf Courses” list, ranking No. 35. While it focuses on overall difficulty (slope rating, course rating and reputation), the list is also a veritable roll call of America’s greatest golf courses.
For more information, rates and tee times, visit www.bayonetblackhorse.com.
About Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Club
Bayonet, with its narrow playing corridors and steep, penal bunkering, has long been considered the most difficult test of golf on the Monterey Peninsula. The par-72, 7,104-yard course has retained its famous bite after the recent renovation by award-winning architect Gene Bates, but playability and strategic options have been greatly improved. The uphill, dogleg right, 476-yard, par-4 ninth hole exemplifies the course’s significant challenge. Black Horse, a 7,024-yard, par-72 layout, features sweeping vistas of the Pacific and is highlighted by fescue-framed fairways, bunkers with distinctive, serrated edges and slickly-contoured greens. The par-3 15th, created during the renovation, faces the bay and is sure to emerge as one of the great holes on the Peninsula.
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
