Played it for the first time since the Renovation on 4/28. It's a very different & markedly better course than I remember from before. It is a tough course! I feel I would need to play several round... Continue »

Played it for the first time since the Renovation on 4/28. It's a very different & markedly better course than I remember from before. It is a tough course! I feel I would need to play several rounds before figuring it out:

First of all, the greens are diabolical. Not the fastest I've played, but certainly quick & smooth rolling. They are extremely undulating & visually deceptive. I often felt more like Ray Charles than Bob Charles with the flat stick in my hand. Everyone in my group had multiple putts that were simply flummoxing. They are very firm as well, so even if you hit the green with a short iron, it will often roll off the back. The good news is there are very few ball marks on the greens.

Second, the course features no rough at all. Like zero. It's fairway or forest (or sand trap, or waste area...etc.). Wonderful if you hit the ball in the correct area, but distance control factors in, or you just run through into some real problem areas. Also, all of the lies around the greens are tight. You can choose to putt from more areas, but chipping is definitely squirrelly.

Lastly, the waste areas. They provide a wonderful visual & they greatly reduce the water usage on the course, but you can wind up in some really funky places. The grasses in & around the Waste Areas are long & gnarly & most of the lies in them are far less than bueno. I played with a short-hitting older gentleman & he often couldn't carry the waste areas, although he could have swallowed some pride & moved up tees.

That being said, the course is absolutely beautiful & each hole is a joy to play. The look & feel of the course is a mix between Augusta National & Pine Valley. But don't get me wrong, not comparing Poppy to either of those Mount-Golf-More Courses, just similar elements of the design. They have a really detailed Yardage Book available & definitely make use of it if you are playing it for the first time.

In conclusion, as others have stated before: definitely a must play if you are in the area.

Played in late March and the course was in real good condition. I feel sorry for anyone coming to Monterey and missing this place. This is one of the best courses in MOnterey. You miss this place when... Continue »

Played in late March and the course was in real good condition. I feel sorry for anyone coming to Monterey and missing this place. This is one of the best courses in MOnterey. You miss this place when yer here and you blew it. The new layout is awesome.

Played Poppy for the first time in new configuration on a warm January morning, teeing off at 11ish and finishing in 4.25 hours walking. The weather is as much the contest as the course in the Pebble... Continue »

Played Poppy for the first time in new configuration on a warm January morning, teeing off at 11ish and finishing in 4.25 hours walking. The weather is as much the contest as the course in the Pebble area and today was no different. Warm air to start (55 degrees), then light rain for the front nine, turning into a cold misty rain and then dense fog for the remainder of the round. Fog was so thick at times that we had to yell to the group ahead of us to make sure we would not hit into the group. Either they quit on 17 or they are still out there lost in the fog. If someone is missing two Carmel teenagers, take a look around 16 green or 17 tee box. Last 4-5 holes played nearly blinded by white fog.

The course itself is beautiful and the manicured waste areas look nice, but are noticeable because of the different color earth. Not really a great look, but at least you know where you are. Didn't hit out of any of that, but partners said it was firm and playable.

The greens were beautiful to look at but played slow from start to finish. It is a true test to hit many of the greens that are crowned and ready to repel seemingly GIR approach shots. Hit short part 3 on the back only to see it spin a little, roll to the right fringe... and off the planet - gone down a creek canyon and into poison oak hell. My bad, won't do that next time. Stay left.

The fairways remained firm and fast and were a joy to hit from. Good yardage markers (no GPS in partners' cart). Bunker sand was wet but consistent and very enjoyable with no debris. Tee boxes were good and the rough was much easier than I recalled several years ago. Kind of a weird scorecard that 50-year old eyes struggled to read. Hey NCGA, go ahead and make those numbers bigger and darker, eh?

Not long from the #2 tee box, generous driving landing areas and many, many perfectly placed bunkers to suck in slightly off center tee balls. Great practice area, putting green, grill, pro shop. I walk/carried it easily with only a couple of holes having longish walks from green to next-tee. NCGA price was $100 for a Friday and it was a thoroughly enjoyable and unique day. Just don't ask me to describe many holes after the fog rolled in, I didn't see 'em. Visibility was less than 100 yards and frankly I was guessing where to hit my next shots (thanks 18th approach gully). Excellent course, worth the greens fees, car drive and day. Maybe check the weather if you want to take photos.

Got a last minute invite to play in a scramble tournament up at Poppy Hills on Sunday. Teed off at 9:30 with light fog and gray skies, but by noon the clouds had burned off and we played under beautif... Continue »

Got a last minute invite to play in a scramble tournament up at Poppy Hills on Sunday. Teed off at 9:30 with light fog and gray skies, but by noon the clouds had burned off and we played under beautiful weather the rest of the day.

The tournament played from the "2 Poppy" tees, and those tees had some uneven lies and divot damage, but for the most part were decent. I'm guessing it's a popular spot to play from for the seniors, as its only 5800 yards. Fairways were in great shape, offering nice lies throughout the course. Greens were receptive of well-hit shots and were firm in the afternoon sun. They rolled true and quick, especially putting towards the ocean. Traps were great. I played out of a couple after we finished our hole just to experience them. Beautiful white sand, and there's plenty around the course that look shallow until you're in them and you can barely see the top of the pin.

I won't comment on the pace of play, as playing in a scramble tournament with cart path only really made for a very long day. Great course, can't wait to get back to the peninsula and check a few more courses off the list.

Played here on the second day of my mini trip up north with a 12:20 "Deal" time from TeeOff.com. Paired with two guys from Las Vegas, seemed like we waited on most holes all day but POP wasn't too bad... Continue »

Played here on the second day of my mini trip up north with a 12:20 "Deal" time from TeeOff.com. Paired with two guys from Las Vegas, seemed like we waited on most holes all day but POP wasn't too bad. Total probably around 4:40. I took a cart even though it was cart path only. They are opening the fairways to carts on August 1. The starter told us we were fortunate because the course was super foggy earlier in the day, but had cleared by the time we started. It only remained clear until the 9th hole, though, and then we played the rest of the round under grey skies, which definitely hurts the aesthetics somewhat.

Conditions are good to great. Greens were fast, the kind that feel a little bit thin. They accepted full shots pretty well; medium firmness overall. Fairways were great for the most part. Since the remodel, there's not a ton of rough out here, but what there is was mostly in good condition and cut short. There are some longer areas that are semi-native looking with taller grasses around the extreme edges. I played the "Four Poppy" tees and the boxes were in good condition. Bunkers were excellent.

After playing Pasatiempo the previous day, Poppy Hills paled in comparison but is still a really nice course. I wouldn't say I loved it, but I really enjoyed it and it's very beautiful in places. I especially liked anywhere that the native areas and naturalistic bunkers came into play. I can't think of much more to add so here's a link to my Flickr album of 40 photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm5vvFCZ

Course is always in great shape. A couple of the traps had some thin spots but nothing too bad. Greens are top notch. As a reminder Poppy is cart path only (as are all the courses in Pebbble Beach) ... Continue »

Course is always in great shape. A couple of the traps had some thin spots but nothing too bad. Greens are top notch. As a reminder Poppy is cart path only (as are all the courses in Pebbble Beach) making it a good choice to walk. Pace of play is generally slow even in the late afternoon.

The handful of times I've played, I've never had any issues with staff members.

This is more of a rant than a review. I don't know if this is where I am supposed to post thin but anyway. My buddy and I knew that rain was in the forecast but we had a tee-time schedule to play Po... Continue »

This is more of a rant than a review. I don't know if this is where I am supposed to post thin but anyway. My buddy and I knew that rain was in the forecast but we had a tee-time schedule to play Poppy Hills at 9:00 on Sunday morning October 30. Was charged $125 including cart (NCGA guest rate), which I think is way overpriced anyway, as I have played Poppy several times including after the redesign, and although this is the home course of the NCGA, and the course is generally in very good shape, I am not a big fan of the design, and to make matters worse, they are now building homes along the back nine.

My rant is when we teed off it was misty but definitely playable. That changed by hole 2 and the rain and the wind would of stopped any tournament, only thing that was missing was lightning. The heavy rain continued all through the 9 holes we got through (the greens were becoming unputtable as puddles were pooling up on the greens) of which even though I had 4 layers on I was completely drenched. It made matters worse that the course was cart path only, so you did not have even any cart protection to wait before hitting your shot. After we came and quit at 9, and ate at the clubhouse, the weather changed, and for the rest of the day was actually sunny. Especially since my friend plays here regularly, why didn't the starter say that heavy rain is in the forecast for the next couple of hours, and we can go out now, or wait until it lets up? Wasn't like the tee sheet was full of golfers looking to play. At least make us aware of what was ahead. We were ready for rain, not a torrential downpour. I felt like the person at the pro shop only cared about collecting the $125 green fee. If I was told how bad the conditions were looking and that it looked like it will clear up later in the day, if I decided to play that would be on me. When we said something after we ate, the guy in the golf shop said, well you can go out now and finish your round. Really? do you have a dryer that I can dry my 4 layers of rain repellant clothes? let alone my golf bag and all its contents being soaked? I generally come up to the Monterrey area twice a year, and always play Poppy, but not anymore. Blackhorse/Bayonnet and some other courses in the area are much better options in my opinion.

Played thurs 7/14, 1:50pm, 4:10 round walking as a 3 some. Nice cool day with some sun. wind mild most of round. I last played here before the reno, and my recollection after last time was "nice co... Continue »

Played thurs 7/14, 1:50pm, 4:10 round walking as a 3 some. Nice cool day with some sun. wind mild most of round. I last played here before the reno, and my recollection after last time was "nice course, but every hole started to look the same". I think the renovation fixed that problem. It seems like a completely different course, even the holes that didn't change much. Between how they dressed the bunkers, and slight changes to green locations, it's a much more inviting course, with some interesting holes. I think they added bunkers throughout, in addition to the waste areas.. i know they moved tees and greens here and there. i don't remember the old course, but I enjoyed this course. It's cart path only, so I walked. It's a semi challenging walk, but totally doable.

As for the conditions: Greens are rock hard, and moderate speed. They are in great shape, but they will not hold a shot. Play shots to bounce on and roll... if green is in the back, play the front. Try to see the contour of the green, so you can play a break. I had one shot where I short sided my approach (par 5)... so I had 100 yds over a bunker and about 7 yds pin from the edge. Impossible to get close. People complain about this, but I say, adjust and play the course. Certainly makes you think. My main complaint is the number of unfilled divots in EVERY fairway. I guess this is due to lots of walkers who don't carry sand. We saw many deer as well, which is always cool.

A nice course, in a great setting, and if you catch the right times, it's quick, and if you are ncga, the price is a bargain. Restaurant was good. Overall a good day.

Finally had the chance to play the "new and improved(?)" Poppy Hills this afternoon. Had a 3:00 tee time and was paired with another single. We both walked. Unfortunately, we were stuck behind a group... Continue »

Finally had the chance to play the "new and improved(?)" Poppy Hills this afternoon. Had a 3:00 tee time and was paired with another single. We both walked. Unfortunately, we were stuck behind a group of 12 (three foursomes) and they were pretty slow. It felt like a 6-hour round with so much standing around in between shots, but in reality it was about 4:50. No marshal out this afternoon and only saw the cart girl once (on the first hole). Conditions are very nice overall as the still relatively new turf continues to mature. Tee boxes great. Fairways looked nicer from far away than up close (turf not completely pure coverage), but still great overall and I always had good tight lies. There really is no rough now, except for some collars on the far edges of fairways and around bunkers. Bunkers had really nice soft sand, but could use some raking to fluff back up and level out old footprints, etc. The greens were rock hard and nearly impossible to hold. I might have a chance to stop a wet hacky sack with a 64-degree wedge, but otherwise couldn't get much else to stop. They rolled fairly quick and very true on putts, though, getting a little bit slower as the round went on with more moisture in the air. I have been eager to play the renovated course. I played it once before and loved it then. There are some things about the new course I liked. Aesthetically, there are some nice places where they used the turf-reduction (sandy waste areas and beauty bark) to frame things nicely. Very reminiscent of Bandon Trails in some spots (especially on the back nine). Then, there are other spots where it doesn't look as nice as when it was all super lush and green across the board. The fairways here have a ton of slope and there are hardly any flat spots on the course, so the firmer/turf and lack of rough can provide extra roll-out. That's not always a good thing as some seemingly good shots can end up in trouble. The firm greens require a great deal of local knowledge and precise strategy. However, there are a lot of false fronts that make it hard to run shots up in true links style. I feel like the course will play better when the greens soften up some with time. I have mixed feelings about the new version of the course. It's still an awesome course, but I think I liked it better before. People said it was too hard before, but I would argue it's more difficult now. Still worth checking out on a Pebble Beach trip, though NCGA membership appears to be the only way to get any kind of decent price. They definitely jacked up the rates after the renovation!