Renovated Poppy Hills design in Pebble Beach to open April 4, 2014
PEBBLE BEACH, CA (Dec. 18, 2013) … New Poppy Hills Golf Course General Manager Brad Shupe has done this before.
Shupe joins Poppy Hills as its general manager after overseeing a Robert Trent Jones II renovation at Mission Viejo Country Club in Southern California. Poppy Hills is set up open April 4, 2014, after undergoing an intensive renovation project by RTJ II that began last spring.
As general manager of Poppy Holding, Shupe will supervise both Poppy Hills and Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore for the Northern California Golf Association, which owns and operates both facilities.
“The opportunity to work with the NCGA and lead its two world-class facilities is a dream come true,” said Shupe, who will work out of NCGA headquarters at Poppy Hills. “We truly look forward to serving the members of the NCGA and making their visit to the forest unforgettable.”
The Robert Trent Jones Sr. design at Mission Viejo was updated by RTJ II in 2009. A new clubhouse was also built. Poppy Hills is undergoing a similar transformation, as RTJ II has reinvented the original 1986 Robert Trent Jones Jr. design. The clubhouse is being modernized, and will include a new pro shop, restaurant and snack bar, as well as fire pits and new outdoor furnishings on the deck, overlooking the golf course.
“The second generation of Poppy Hills is absolutely amazing,” Shupe said. “The holes flow through the forest and will provide one of the most serene and natural golf experiences in the world.
“We want to do something extraordinary for NCGA members,” Shupe said. “We strive to make golf more affordable, more environmentally friendly and more fun.”
Shupe implemented an incredibly successful pace of play program at Mission Viejo, reducing rounds by more than a half hour (to an average of less than 4 hours, 10 minutes). He also cultivated one of the strongest junior golf programs in Southern California, one that produced recent U.S. Open phenom Beau Hossler.
Shupe had been the general manager at Mission Viejo since 2009, and the director of golf since 2002. Shupe was also the head professional at Los Coyotes Country Club in Buena Park from 1994-2002. Shupe is a two-time Golf Professional of the Year and Merchandiser of the Year (PGA Metro Chapter), and has been a Class A member of the PGA for 22 years.
Shupe joins superintendent Matt Muhlenbruch as recent additions to the Poppy Hills staff. Muhlenbruch came to Poppy Hills in July from The Olympic Club, where he was the Lake Course superintendent. Muhlenbruch graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in Turfgrass Science, and earned his MBA from San Francisco State.
Muhlenbruch joins long-time Poppy Hills superintendent Manny Sousa in manicuring a course that will feature no rough and dramatically improved drainage, a setup that will produce firm and fast conditions year-round. All 18 greens have been redesigned and reseeded with creeping bentgrass (two-thirds 007 and one-third Tyee) and the fairways and tees will be a mix of ryegrass and fine fescue.
About the Northern California Golf Association
The NCGA is one of the largest regional golf associations in the country, with more than 150,000 members throughout Northern California and into Nevada. The NCGA is the only golf association in the country to own two courses – Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach and Poppy Ridge in Livermore.
Since 1901, it has been the NCGA’s mission to support and promote the game of golf in Northern California. The NCGA provides official handicap indexes, conducts more than 50 championships annually, publishes NCGA Golf magazine and operates a Foundation to support deserving youth. The NCGA Foundation’s Youth on Course program allows juniors to play more than 100 courses in Northern California for just $5.
About Poppy Hills:
Poppy Hills was the first golf course to be owned and operated by a regional golf association in the country. Built in 1986 by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Poppy Hills hosted the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am from 1991 through 2009.
Poppy Hills has also hosted the 1991 NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship, and has been the tournament home for NCGA championships. It is the headquarters of the NCGA.
Poppy Hills closed for renovation March 11, 2013, and will reopen April 4, 2014. RTJ II has reinvented Poppy Hills, building a firm, fast and fun golf course that fits seamlessly into the stunning Del Monte Forest. The par-71 layout features state-of-the-art drainage and irrigation, sand-capped turf, one fairway-height cut of grass throughout the course, and 18 redesigned bentgrass greens. Poppy Hills also reduced the amount of irrigated turf from 80 acres to 60, primarily with the introduction of natural sandy areas – extensions of the forest floor made up of pine straw and native grasses that wrap throughout the golf course, adding both strategic and aesthetic value.
Contact:
Scott Seward
Northern California Golf Association
(831) 625-4653
sseward@ncga.org
Karen Moraghan
Hunter Public Relations
(908) 876-5100
kmoraghan@hunter-pr.com
