Poppy Hills Golf Course

November 16, 2020 Off By BBF

Poppy Hills Golf Course is a parkland golf course in the Del Monte Forest near Pebble Beach that was built in 1986. It was purpose built to be the headquarters and home course of the Northern California Golf Association. To our knowledge, the first time this happened in the United States. The Robert Trent Jones Jr. course design was embraced by the tour very quickly and over the subsequent 20 years it became a perennial favorite of the PGA tour hosting events from the Spalding Invitational, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (formerly known as the Crosby Clam Bake) and even the NCAA finals. In fact, Phil Mickelson is quoted that the weirdest thing he’s ever seen during a match was at Poppy Hills. Apparently he saw a spectator on a bike get knocked over and the assailant stole the man’s bike. Right there in front of everybody!

But, alas, the course fell out of favor for these events. Was it the heavy public traffic flow? Were they not quite keeping up with it? Who knows really. The nearby private club Monterey Peninsula Country Club replaced Poppy in the rotation for the Pro Am and that seemed to be that. Or will it be?

*Pond next to number 1 green, Poppy Hills Golf Course*

The NCGA undertook a total course renovation of the course in 2013 and the course rose from the ashes of its former glory in April of 2014. The remodel was extensive, and was primarily focused on making sure the course would use much less water going forward. But every decision also made an incredibly improved golf course. First off, they sand capped the course to improve drainage which massively improved playability. Also, Trent Jones returned to restore the course to its original intent. They reversed the 9’s from the original layout which results in a magnificent 1st hole par 5 experience and now culminates in a fantastic par 5 experience. Really one could say that it was one of the best renovations in golf course history…

By all accounts playing Poppy Hills Golf Course is like a magical walk in the Del Monte Forest. Literally, you feel like at any time you are going to come up on Grandma’s house, or perhaps a giant old shoe someone is living in. Maybe Thumper will run across the fairway in front of you being chased by Snow White. The forest, with its gnarled Monterey Pines, take on a Dr. Suessian sense and feel. Moreover, the design enforces this feel. On many holes you can’t see the green due to elevation or doglegs. But as you inch closer to the green complex the hole reveals itself to you, much the way Goldilocks creeped up on the house with the three bears. It’s truly artful in the reveal of its design.

*Number 2 green, Poppy Hills Golf Course*

It’s also a nice test of golf. The fairways are tight, and errant shots will be punished. But they are not so tight to make it a horrible day of “Drive: Punch Out: Swear…”. It’s a thinking man’s golf course from that perspective, and there is some risk reward on basically every shot. The greens are wild, not flat and boring parkland golf course greens. There are many zoo animals that must have been sacrificed to be buried in the to make them a tough test of making a 2 putt. The greens in general are well protected, but large so it is a fun golfing experience for golfers of all skill levels. Keep in mind, you can’t always see the Pacific Ocean, but it will almost always have some pull on your putt. So even if you can’t see it— know where it is.

In the end what you have in Poppy Hills is Spyglass Hill Golf Course’s baby brother which is closely related but not as dark, moody or punishing. When making the bucket list golf trip to Pebble, we personally believe that Poppy is a must play along with Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. And with that, we hope the Tour will place it back in the Pro Am rotation and restores it to 100% clam bake and bucket list status.

*Snack Shack at the turn of Poppy Hills Golf Course*

Best Buddies Golf Trip Rankings:

Bucket list rank (from 1 to 5 buckets): 3 buckets
Caddies: NA
Location: 8
Spectacle/ visual: 8
History: 6
New/ancient: modern
Playability : 8
Memorability : 7
Buddy-a-bility : 8
Service/etc: 8
Value: 9
Shopping: 7
Warm up facilities/Range: 8
Food & Drink: 8

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About The Author

BBF

BBF or “Big Ball First” comes from a golf saying for hitting a shot fat. Or hitting the “big ball first” in that you hit the ground (the big ball) before hitting the golf ball. In the BBF blog, it’s a metaphor for traveling the planet, soaking in exclusive experiences, and pointing people to the Awesome, the Great, the Good, and the not so good out there. We’re hitting the big ball running with tales from international golf courses, with fine wine, fine food, did I mention golf…well, especially the ‘buddies bucket list golf trips’. The hope is that like minded people will enjoy the stories, and hopefully use it as a reference point. If this blog helps people prioritize the experiences they want to have on our planet then we will have succeeded on our mission. We only have so many go’s at “bucket list” travel experiences. Especially the bucket list buddies golf experiences. My hope is you can refine your experience based upon my learning, and take your “big ball first” experiences to the next level.