Monterey Bay Country Club (Ported to 2019)

[mayday_golf83]

Welcome to Monterey Bay Country Club, a fictional course with plenty of real life influence set in northern California’s famous Monterey Peninsula.

The course takes a heavy influence from a couple of Charles Blair MacDonald tracks -- National Golf Links of America and Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Dunes course, which he co-designed with Seth Raynor in 1925.

This course stays true to the feel of MPCC, taking you inland, through the dunes and finally to the shores for a spectacular stretch of closing holes. And, as one would expect from a MacRaynor design, features several classic template holes - including a Redan, Eden, Biarritz, Road, Long and many more.

The par-70 layout is not overly daunting, checking in at just under 7,000 yards from the tips and is unique in the fact that the layout includes 5 par-3s and 3 par-5s. While not the longest course in the game, rolling greens and strategic hazard placement make for an 18-hole chess match.

[mayday_golf83]

Hole 1 - Sahara - Par 4, 445 yards
Right away the golfer is faced with a decision on this hole that mimics the 2nd at the National. There’s plenty of room down the right if you chose, or you can take on the Sahara bunker and open up a more direct angle to a green that runs off in all directions. Don’t let the backdrop of the closing stretch of holes distract you from the task at hand.


Hole 2 - Bottle - Par 4, 415 yards
As we head inland, this shorter par 4 will likely require something less than driver off the tee. The fairway is more than 40 yards wide, but tapers to less than 30 the further you go away from the tee. The backside of the same Sahara bunker complex on hole 1 comes back into play, cutting off the fairway. Where the pin is cut for the day will determine the best angle in for a short iron to a green fronted by two bunkers.


Hole 3 - Leven - Par 4, 403 yards
Another shorter par 4, but the most direct approach is not necessarily the best, as a drive down the right side will leave a semi-blind shot and a sidehill lie that runs away from the gree. Coming in from the left is the best play, but that means taking on the fairway bunker. There is also out of bounds with the driving range left of the fairway. A short iron or wedge will be all that’s required to a two-tiered green that works back left to front right.


Hole 4 - Biarritz - Par 3, 230 yards
A classic one-shot template derived from Golf de Biarritz in France. The trademark of the hole is a large, well-fortified green that is bifurcated by a swale in the middle of it. This hole plays downhill, though the green generally slopes back to front. Proper club and shot selection are a must to keep your ball on the correct level. Otherwise 4 or worse comes into play quickly.


Hole 5 - Narrows - Par 4, 462 yards
One of the more demanding tee shots you’ll hit all day. There’s a bunker right and a dune left that can come into play. The fairway generally slopes left to right, though keeping the ball on the left side of the fairway will open up the best angle to a green that is guarded by bunkers on three sides, is divided into four subtle quadrants and runs slightly away from the player.


Hole 6 - Alps - Par 4, 464 yards
Heading back into the dunesland, challenging par 4, similar to the 3rd at the National awaits. Anything played down the left short of the Alps bunkers will likely face a blind second shot to a raised green. Playing out to the right opens up the view, but will likely require a draw off the tee or a 3 wood to prevent the ball from running through the fairway and into the large waste area on the right. A Redan-style green will help work balls in from the left.


Hole 7 - Plateau - Par 4, 452 yards
A slight draw off the tee is the best play, but the second shot is the attention-grabber on this uphill par 4 that features a double-plateau green that is raised on the front left and back right. A Principal’s Nose bunker helps frame the approach, along with the dunes right and long. A hidden bunker can gobble up an approach shot that pulled left of the target.


Hole 8 - Maiden - Par 3, 197 yards
An uphill par 3 to a reverse Redan green that cants away from the player at 45-degree angle. A ridge runs through the middle of the green and a backboard can be used to steer shots closer to the pin with the left and back hole locations.


Hole 9 - Monterey - Par 5, 537 yards
The first par 5 of the day is one that bares resemblance to its real life counterpart, Hole 9 at MPCC. A creek runs the length of the hole and awaits to penalize any overaggressive shots that head left. Dunes frame the hole on the right. The green’s nestled between the creek and the dunes with a ridge in the middle helping to create three distinct portions of the green.

[mayday_golf83]

Hole 10 - Peconic - Par 4, 301 yards
This hole takes its cue from the 17th at the National, and a bit from the 10th at Riviera as well. Can you drive the green? Yes. Should you drive the green? That’s the debate. A draw will be required to do so and the same creek that ran down the ninth runs back up the 10th. With a shaved bank short and left of the green, trouble awaits any overaggressive drive, or any misplayed chip from above the hole. Bunkers right and long also await to gobble up any misses. The wise play is to take out a long iron or hybrid to the corner and leave a pitch or wedge into arguably the trickiest green on the course.


Hole 11 - Shinnecock - Par 4, 488 yards
The longest par 4 on the course is based on the 10th hole at the National of the same name, a drive down the right opens the best angle into the green, but also brings into to play a pair of fairway bunkers. The green’s protected by bunkers short and left, and falloff/mown area on the right. A 4 here is nothing to sneeze at.


Hole 12 - Redan - Par 3, 218 yards
This spectacular par 3 gives you your first great look at the ocean and sets the stage for the finishing stretch. Though 220 yards, it plays shorter than the card given that it’s downhill to a classic Redan green that slopes front right to back left. The general rule of thumb on this hole is to take one less club and aim it 20-30 feet right of the pin to help work the ball in close.


Hole 13 - Long - Par 5, 622 yards
A big, burly hole along the coast. Even the longest of hitters will take three shots to get home here. You’re greeted with a fairly generous fairway, but the decisions become more interesting with each shot. Multiple layup zones away, including a neck of fairway that invites you to thread it past the Hell bunker on the left and the waste area right. Distance control is vital for the approach to a green that guarded by a deep bunker and falls off short, left and long.


Hole 14 - Eden, Par 3, 183 yards
The course’s signature hole combines the breathtaking shoreline view of the 14th at MPCC and the classic design of an Eden green, and mirrors both. In this case, the ocean is left and long, the Hill bunker is on the right and the Strath bunker on the left. Like many Edens, the green slopes sharply back to front, making it a premium to keep the ball below the hole.


Hole 15 - Road, Par 4, 479 yards
Another of the more often used templates in the MacRaynor playbook, Road needs very little introduction. This one’s a mirror of the famous 17th at St. Andrews, meaning the aggressive play is down the left that brings the out-of-bounds coastline into play. You can play right, but that brings the Road bunker, played in this case by a large dunes area that runs the right side of the hole, much more into play for the second. A runoff over the green simulates the road itself.


Hole 16 - Valley, Par 4, 391 yards
Patterned after the opener at the National, this hole again forces you to decide between an aggressive play down the left or a conservative play up the right. As you’ve probably guessed by now, the former leaves a better angle while the latter leaves a semi-blind shot with more bunkering to contend with and a lie where the ball will likely be above your feet. Like it’s counterpart at NGLA, the battle’s less than half over when you get to an undulating green that slopes back to front.


Hole 17 - Alcatraz, Par 3, 148 yards
Can you escape the island without getting caught? The last one-shotter of the day is a short/island hybrid with trouble awaiting any misplayed shot. Deep bunkers will gobble misses short and right. A watery grave awaits anything long or left. Even if you safely find terra firma, getting the ball on the proper portion of the green will determine if you have a look at birdie or are scrambling for par.


Hole 18 - Cape, Par 5, 548 yards
No self-respecting Monterey-inspired course could not tip its cap to Pebble Beach along the way. The closer here bears a resemblance to the 18th at Pebble, which is a classic Cape design. The ocean asks you how much you dare to chew off the tee and guards the left side of the hole the entire way. The closer you flirt with the cliffside, the more the angle opens for a long shot into the green. Not many leads are safe coming to the home hole, which can bring anything from 3 to 7 into play.

[joegolferg]

What a great course. I love the MacRaynor design style so it was obvious I was going to love this one. I definitely noticed the characteristics of some of the templates, absolutely love the awkward Biarritz, looks stunning from the the tee. Only gripe I had was that the redan wasn't really a redan, the big shoulder was missing. Couldn't feed the ball down the green. Loved the Pebble finisher too. Best peninsula course in the game for me.

[mayday_golf83]

Jul 4, 2018 12:53:05 GMT -5 joegolferg said:

What a great course. I love the MacRaynor design style so it was obvious I was going to love this one. I definitely noticed the characteristics of some of the templates, absolutely love the awkward Biarritz, looks stunning from the the tee. Only gripe I had was that the redan wasn't really a redan, the big shoulder was missing. Couldn't feed the ball down the green. Loved the Pebble finisher too. Best peninsula course in the game for me.

Thanks Joe!

Had to take a little artistic license on 12 (the redan) and lower the shoulder, otherwise I'd never be able to get a pin on the right side of that green with what I had set for speed and firmness. As it is, I feel the basic playing strategy of the Redan is still there. One club less and 20 feet right of the hole w/ a little draw should set you up nicely to run it in there close regardless of where the pin is placed.

Hole-by-hole with pics coming up in a little bit!

[Terry Grayson]

Beautiful course, very well done Jeremy...Loved the finishing holes and cant imagine how long all those dang rocks took to plant

Great work bud...enjoyed it thoroughly..

[mayday_golf83]

Jul 5, 2018 9:16:17 GMT -5 Terry Grayson said:

Beautiful course, very well done Jeremy...Loved the finishing holes and cant imagine how long all those dang rocks took to plant

Great work bud...enjoyed it thoroughly..

Thanks Terry!

The shore along the 18 was a bit of a bugger b/c that was advance editing a crapload of large boulders to interface w/ the shore. As for the rest of it, all I can say is thank God for spam planting. My left d-pad button, left joystick & X button got a workout during this one 🙂

[mayday_golf83]

Enjoyed VctryLnSprts playthrough this afternoon. And some good, constructive banter by B.Smooth13 as well. 

ICYMI, here's the stream. (Note: if it doesn't already take you there, jump to 4:42:30 for Monterey Bay)

[mayday_golf83]

For those curious, Golf Club Atlas has a really good write-up on Monterey Peninsula CC (Dunes), which served as the primary inspiration for the course. 

Interesting to note that Seth Raynor passed away while the course was in construction and a local by the name of Robert Hunter was brought into finish off the project. Hunter, according to Golf Club Atlas' write-up, wasn't a big fan of Raynor's sharp, geometric style. That, plus Rees Jones' makeover of the course in the late 1990s, help to explain why MPCC Dunes doesn't quite have the same look as other MacRaynor tracks.

[joegolferg]

Rees Jones though..... Wouldn't trust him to plant my garden...

[hmammoth]

Fantastic course, one little issue when playing with Pablo tonight, a patch of rough in the fairway.

[mayday_golf83]

Jul 7, 2018 17:16:21 GMT -5 hmammoth said:

Fantastic course, one little issue when playing with Pablo tonight, a patch of rough in the fairway.

Yeah, Pablo PM'ed me on it. Pretty sure I know what the issue is. Will be rectified when/if it ends up on a tour. Thanks!

[pablo]

Jul 7, 2018 18:07:24 GMT -5 mayday_golf83 said:

Jul 7, 2018 17:16:21 GMT -5 hmammoth said:

Fantastic course, one little issue when playing with Pablo tonight, a patch of rough in the fairway.

Yeah, Pablo PM'ed me on it. Pretty sure I know what the issue is. Will be rectified when/if it ends up on a tour. Thanks!

Fixed it for ya Jeremy

Fantastic course pal. As should be expected coming from you

[pingzing]

This one`s a favourite,loved every minute on the course

Excellent job mate

Thanks

[mattf27]

Played through this one blind, makes sense that it was heavily based on a real life course. I loved how you did the beach area, and my main (but minor) complaint was I didn't think the course utilized that area as much as it could have. The course itself is solid, and the visuals are absolutely gorgeous. This should do great in the contest!