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play when I was growing up, I wouldn’t be out here on Mondays beating my head in.” The course is something of a secret with green fees that need no discount: $38 for non-residents on weekdays with substantial discounts for twilight rates. Johnny Miller played there often with his kids in his prime. “PG” or Pacifi c Grove Golf Links


was a secret among the best players in Monterey until Sports Illustrated let the cat out of the bag prior to the 2000 U.S. Open. H Chandler Egan, who partnered with renowned archi- tect Alister Mackenzie to renovate the Pebble Beach Golf Links prior to the 1929 U.S. Amateur, designed the front nine at PG. Jack Neville, who designed Pebble with Douglas Grant, did the back nine. The course is on the opposite tip of the Monterey Peninsula on the ocean. Green fees are $40 to $48 with discount cards available.


Alister MacKenzie lived in North-


ern California. His ashes are scattered outside his house on the sixth fairway at Pasatiempo GC (which offers NCGA member deals from time to time via e-mail) in Santa Cruz. He did build some public courses here that are stand- out bargains in today’s market. Sharp Park in Pacifi ca is the only sea- side public course designed by MacKen- zie in America. For a paltry $41 (or less) you can play this masterpiece. MacK- enzie also designed a 9-hole course on the Russian River in Monte Rio called Northwood, which is Roger Maltbie’s favorite. Play a true MacKenzie in the redwoods for $22 on weekdays. Sacra- mento is home to another MacKenzie bargain, Haggin Oaks, costing $47 to play 18 magnifi cent holes.


Harding Park


in San Francisco, current home of the Schwab Cup on the Champions Tour, can be played for $69 during weekday twilight for Northern Cali-


fornia residents. Standard weekday fees at Harding are $150. My last value is a secret I hesitate


to reveal. At the top of the Napa Valley in Calistoga there is a nine-hole course that can be played for $20 or less (Napa County Residents pay $18). That’s less than the cost of a bottle of wine! Mount St. Helena GC is a par-36 course with tree-lined fairways and good defi nition, a pleasure to play.


Ron Salsig is a contributing writer for NCGA Golf and has won three national golf writing awards. FALL 2011 / NCGA.ORG / 35


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