Bayonet Black Horse Golf Club

Written by: Charlotte Wells	5:39 PM PST - 3/11/2009
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Wow! Is the word I used when I turned the corner to the Bayonet Black Horse complex. I had driven into the golf course numerous times before the renovation. However, I had only been there in the fog jammed, chilly summer mornings. This late December morning I saw the ocean many times and was basking in sunshine for the entire round. The contrast of the clear blue sky, shimmering blue water, and the dark green fairways was stunning. Can I say WOW again?

For over 50 years now golf has been played on this gorgeous piece of the Monterey Peninsula. Its history is well documented. General Robert B. McClure designed his dream course, Bayonet (the nickname of the 7th Infantry Light Fight Division) in 1954 with input from two local guys. One was the pro golfer Robert “Boots” Widener and the other the future hall of famer Ken Venturi who was stationed at the then-military base, Fort Ord. The course was exceptionally long for the time at over 7,000 yards, and boasted one of the few 600 yard holes in the region. It was also challenging as it played up and down hillsides with narrow corridors.

Black Horse golf course was started in 1962 with the help of the just-retired Gen. McClure, its new General Carnes, and Merle Russill, the Fort's golf course superintendent. It was completed in 1964. Used by the military personnel only until the base closed in 1994, the public began to experience both of these courses when the City of Seaside bought them after closure.

The $13M Gene Bates redesign of both courses is now complete. The Fairmont Hotels and Resorts' joint project with Seaside Resort Development to develop a 275-room hotel, fractional ownership condos, and home sites for a mixed-use community is scheduled for completion in 2009. This will culminate in the first large scale golf/resort development on the Monterey Peninsula since the 1980's.

We had a unique opportunity on this morning to sample both designs by playing the back nine of Bayonet and the front nine holes of Black Horse. Congratulations to Mr. Bates' team. These courses are now on par with the area's top courses and should be at the top of your list for the coming year.

The challenge as Bates put it was to make the two courses complementary. Bates asserts “both are challenging and appealing from an aesthetic standpoint and are on the level with each other now, but the style of the greens and bunkers make the courses distinctly different.” Over 2,000 non-native trees were removed during the construction, allowing players unobstructed views of Monterey Bay, downtown Monterey, and Point Pinos from a number of holes.

Bayonet retains its tree-lined character and maintains the always tough back nine's 'Combat Corner' that McClure designed as a series of right to left doglegs to fit his left-handed fade. Elegant bunkering with sugary white sand adds challenge and visual impact. Black Horse's picturesque front nine with its stunning bay views combined with deep fescue rough and large contoured greens give it a very links style feel.

Both courses playing-conditions benefited greatly with the eradication of the kikuyu and poa annua grasses in the fairways and greens. State-of-the-art drainage and irrigation systems now service the new dark green T1 bentgrass turf.

WOW yourself with a visit to these newly inspired courses, whose history continues to be recorded along the famed corridor of the Monterey Peninsula.

Bayonet (opened 1954)
Architects: Robert B. McClure, 1954
Gene Bates, 2008 (redesign)
Par: 36-36=72

Tees:
Black 7,104
Blue 6,641
Blue / White 6,249
White 5,945
White / Red 5,618
Red 5,229

Grasses: Jacklin T1 Bentgrass (greens, fairways, tees)

Black Horse (opened 1967)
Architects: Robert B. McClure / Edwin Carnes, 1967
Chris Gray, 1998 (renovation) / Gene Bates, 2008 (redesign)
Par: 36-36=72

Tees:
Black 7,024
Blue 6,533
Blue / White 6,263
White 5,910
Red / White 5,522
Red 5,084

Grasses: Jacklin T1 Bentgrass (greens, fairways, tees); native grasses, fescue (rough)

Green Fees:
Monday - Thursday 7 am - 1 pm $115
1 pm - 3 pm $95
3 pm - close $75
Seniors $85*
(60+playing before 10 am)
Juniors $35
(17 and under)
Replay $80

Friday - Sunday 7 am - 12 pm $160*
(and Holidays) 12 pm - 1 pm $135
1 pm - 3 pm $115
3 pm - close $95
Juniors $35**
(17 and under)
Replay $90

* Cart Fee ($50, $40 after 3 pm) included
**Juniors must be accompanied by full-paying adult prior to 1pm

Practice Facility
58,000 square feet of hitting space, double-ended
Grass tees, numerous target greens, and pitching / chipping area for optimal practice conditions