Beauty And The Beach

Monarch Beach Golf Links is delightful to the senses

By Eric Tracy
erictracy@earthlink.net

It was just a few years ago that playing Monarch Beach Golf Links meant golf with beautiful ocean views. But, that's not all that it meant. It was also more than 100 sand traps, no trees, tight fairways, small greens and winds howling off the Pacific that could blow your hair off even if you didn't wear a toupee. Well, not only has the only Robert Trent Jones Jr. daily fee course in Orange County matured--the trees all grown up, the beautiful Tuscan clubhouse standing stately atop the hill--but if you haven't visited Monarch Beach in a while, you wouldn't recognize it. You know that gangly little girl down the street that grew into a beauty, that's what's happened to Monarch Beach.

WARMING UP: The course isn't the only thing that got a little surgical facelift along with stretching the yardage out a bit, but the neighborhood moved on up too. With the completion of the nearby 400-room St. Regis Resort the whole area is now something to behold. Up and coming architect Casey O'Callahan did a really nice job replicating the plan laid out by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., in his redesign of several holes. Monarch Beach is course where you want to bring your clubs and camera to capture the whole experience.

MY FAVORITE HOLES:

• No. 2: 446-yard par 4 (7 handicap): Part of the course redesign, the large mound that made the second shot a blind one has been leveled off and one of the two bunkers near the green has been taken out. "We think it makes this hole much more playable," said course GM Alan Deck.
• No. 3: 315-yard par 4 (17 handicap): The roar of the ocean in front of you may cause everyone in the foursome to talk a little louder, with phrases like "What an awesome view!" And that's after the first two impressive looking holes already made you marvel. The dogleg left won't allow you to cut the corner on this relative short par 4, so the fairway wood off the tee puts you into a sloped landing and about a 70-yard pitch into a two-tiered green that'll be a bear if the flag is anywhere but the No. 1 position (down in front). There are three grass bunkers behind the green if you blunder too far. Even if you play this hole badly, enjoy the few minutes you get to spend here, it's gorgeous.
• No. 7, 602-yard par 5 (1 handicap): For a course with a relatively short yardage count, this one makes up for a lot of it. Look up to the left off the tee box way up the hill and you'll see the South Shores Church. Maybe saying a prayer to the patron saint of lost Titleists before hitting your drive would be prudent. Ironically, the diagram in the yardage book makes it look like two holes - a long par 4 with a tough par 3 off to the left. And yes, folks often play it in 7.
• No. 13: 146-yard par 3 (12 handicap) and No. 17: 157-yard par 3 (18 handicap): Both of these beauties were lengthened from the tee boxes. At the 13th, the bookend fountains and bridge make it a photogenic moment, but the loudmouth bunker on the left certainly spoils the moment of Zen. You're going over water, no matter what tee box you pick, and you'll be tempted to hit a couple just to see what happens with different irons. Go long, and there's water hidden behind, too. Remember, no swimming, fishing or wading in the recycled water. Over on 17 is a tightly guarded green with a shot into the wind. It's a much tougher hole than the 18-handicap ranking assigned to it.
• No. 18: 358-yard par 4 (10 handicap): Smack a 3-iron as far as it can go before the water, then do whatever you did back on 13 to get over the water and onto the promised piece of green that wrapped snugly by the wet stuff. If you go right, it's all water under the bridge and round over.

WILDLIFE ALERT: Beware of rabbits sprinting across the cart path, but also be aware of the beautiful birds that nest in the nearby marshlands. Focused joggers, nannies pushing strollers and cyclists with their heads down are other things that need to be cautioned about, because with the beach access, they all share many of the same trails as the golf carts, which don't have horns…but should.

DID YOU KNOW:

The new Augusta white crushed marble used in the traps brings a dramatic contrast to the course. We Californians don't really know about "white sand" beaches. This is what it looks like..and I like it a lot, both the look and the feel, which can be even challenging when the stuff is wet. It's like sticky-rice. Definitely hold on to that club a little tighter and finish or you'll get another chance to hit out of the sand. And another.

COOL PERKS: While there's not enough land to build a driving range, there are four warm-up cages that at least allow players to whack something around before they go out to play. Otherwise, keep in mind this is a course designed to be played as soon as you show up.

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS: The second weekend in December marks the first every Hyundai Team Championships at Monarch Beach. 24 touring Pros from the PGA, Senior PGA and LPGA tee it up for 2-days of match play. It's a great opportunity to get up close and personal with names like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nickalus, Tom Lehman and Fred Couples, Juli Inkster and Karrie Webb and Monarch Beach is a great place to hang out for the weekend..

SUMMING IT UP:

Playing Monarch Beach already requires an extra club per hole since most of the greens are elevated, but because of the heavy air, you can't expect to hit those monster drives like you could in the desert. The back nine plays par 34 because there are 3 par 3s and just one 5, so if you're looking to score on the way home, you can here. It's hard to believe that in Southern California with so much coastline we have so few ocean courses. But if you love Pacific Ocean blue with St. Augustine green give Monarch Beach a whirl.

Eric Tracy

KFWB RADIO