Skip to content
Author

A turf reduction project at Carmel Mountain Ranch is a nod to the environment and a futuristic look at course design.

Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club is taking a less-is-more approach with its $4.4 million turf reduction project slated for completion this month. The renovation is designed to annually save up to 40 million gallons of water without infringing on a player’s enjoyment.

“We’re creating a dynamic new product. It’s got a completely different feel from what we had before,” said Kevin Hwang, general manager of the San Diego public facility. “The course keeps its fun array of holes but gorilla hair [shredded redwood bark] surrounds the tee boxes and decomposed granite lines the fairways to produce a unique desert aesthetic.”

The hue and volume of the reddish-brown gorilla hair adds a nice color contrast to the green grass and thousands of plants – many of them drought resistant – that surround the tees, fairways and greens.

Combating the Southland’s prolonged dry weather is a challenge for regional courses so adding a beautification element to a turf reduction project is something the management team at JC Resorts – the owner of the property – feels is worthy of emulation.

“This is the future of Southwestern golf. Nobody’s making new water and we’re using more every year, so the golf industry as a whole needs to change, and certainly we’re always going to be at the forefront of whatever’s best for our properties,” said JC Resorts director of golf Erik Johnson. “So it’s a pretty exciting time. And you can see where not only does it have the benefit on the reduced resources but it adds definition and playability … so it’s really a win-win.”

The golf course stretches from 4,863 to 6,599 yards, with several tee boxes re-positioned during the renovation to make landing areas more generous. But the course still has bite from the back tees because of elevation changes, doglegs and two par-3s longer than 215 yards. Every hole is touched by the renovation that included a two-month period when the course was closed.

Carmel Mountain Ranch opened for limited play in late December, with positive reviews the norm.

“This sneak peak we’ve been doing has given people an opportunity to come see the renovations while we’re finishing the golf course,” said head professional Brandon Delgado. “The feedback’s been really good.”

The course’s terrain and mountain views make it different from many regional courses, and the renovation includes island tee boxes and fairways that are typical of desert layouts. The Ron Fream design requires accurate drives and aggressive approach shots because of the sloped and tiered greens.

The layout also has a nice mixture of holes, with two of the best being the 222-yard par-3 sixth and the 554-yard par-5 10th. The former is uphill so it requires everything you’ve got to reach the green; contrast that with No. 10, which is downhill, meaning that the right line and bounce could lead to your longest drive of the day.

It all adds up to a new golf experience for former visitors to Carmel Mountain Ranch and a possible look ahead to the future of Southland course construction and maintenance.

BY THE NUMBERS

600: Number of trees removed during the renovation project

50: Number of acres of rough that was removed

40 million: Estimated gallons of water that could be saved annually because of turf reduction

8,000: Estimated number of plants that were added to the layout

160: Yardage of the uphill par-4 13th hole from a new forward tee box

60: Estimated number of weddings the facility will host in 2015

Visit clubcmr.com or call (858) 487-9224