When you have neighbors like Pebble Beach, Cypress Point and Spyglass Hills on the Monterey Peninsula, you have to go the extra mile to get the attention of golfers.
The Poppy Hills Golf Course, which supplanted Cypress Point on the rotation of courses used for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am from 1991 to 2010, underwent a major makeover by original architect Robert Trent Jones II and reopened in April of 2014, receiving rave reviews.
There’s now no drainage problems and sloppy conditions. Instead, it now plays firm and fast as a five-inch layer of sand was spread throughout the course. All rough areas were eliminated along with the 1980s-style mounds and sectionalized greens. New bentgrass greens were built without as much undulations. Some of the severe doglegs have been soften or eliminated in the case of the 90-degree-dogleg par-5 12th, now a downhill par 4 with a stunning view of Monterey Bay that reduces par to 71.
In addition, head golf professional Cole Handley points out that Poppy Hills has enhanced the playing experience by providing daily tournament-quality detailed pin placement sheets to golfers, thanks to the utilization of the ezLocator software program to manage pin placements.
“We love it,” Handley said about the ezLocator system. “Professional looking pin sheets is something that our regular golfers didn’t usually see except for special tournaments. It’s something other courses around here don’t offer and stands out in the players’ minds.”
Handley also noted that Poppy Hills now can provide a constant colored flag instead of having to use three different colors as it did in the past to designate front, middle and back locations.
“Since I am the one getting the feedback from the golfers, I work closely with Matt Muhlenbruch, our superintendent, deciding pin locations, Handley added. ezLocator makes communicating our needs to Matt, and his department very easy.”
“We are very excited to add Poppy Hills to our growing customer list. Jon Schultz, ezLocator’s President, states. We believe ezLocator’s professional pin sheet will help enhance the players experience at Poppy Hills Golf Course.”
As the home course for the Northern California Golf Association, Poppy Hills hosts a lot of tournaments. Now officials can decide on pin locations in advance and they can be isolated in the system until time for the event.
Handley also pointed out that Poppy Hills now has the pin locations used for the reopening day saved so that they can be used again if a special event is planned in the future. “It’s really cool to have that history saved,” he said.
About ezLocator
ezLocator specializes in merging the best technology with the best practices for healthy greens. This provides agronomists and superintendents with a simplified system to manage their greens and provide golfers with an exceptional experience. ezLocator is a sustainable solution that utilizes the entire putting surfaces of the greens and optimize pin locations, allowing courses to offer members and guests a new course every day for a more tournament-like experience.
For more information, you can find us online at ezlocator.com or call (972) 231-4040.
Contact:
James McAfee
On the Tee Communications
(214) 724-1261
Onthetee18@msn.com
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