New Dining Options
Porter’s dining room was dreamed up by famed inte- rior designer Blair Morgan, and gives off a relaxed San Francisco vibe. The spacious room draped in the dark wood of the surrounding Del Monte Forest seats up to 150 guests, and opens up to offer a spectacular glass panoramic view of four holes converging right in front of you. “We’ve really rethought the plate in front of you,
and the environment around you,” Shupe said. The dining room is now suitable for hosting wed-
ding receptions and special events. A beautiful new wedding site was sculpted into the forest next to the 18th hole, underneath the towering Monterey Pines. To the left of the entrance of Porter’s, a room with elegant wooden sliding doors fits up to 30 patrons for tournament scoring or small celebrations. Poppy Hills also offers outdoor heated seating on the rebuilt deck that is protected by a high glass rail-
ing, which blocks wind without disrupting the view of the four holes below. In front of the deck is a beautiful landscaped
patio that circles a fire pit, next to a new permanent snack shack. The patio holds up to 50 guests, and also features a Memphis-style smoker.
Golf Shop
The dining area now offers outdoor heated seating on the rebuilt deck that is protected by a high glass railing.
Behind glass doors awaits the new golf shop, designed to hold up against any in the nation. Glass windows overlook the 18th green, and the dark wooden décor gives off a rustic vibe inherent to this unique property in the Del Monte Forest. Just as unique is head professional
Cole Handley, who jumped headfirst into the construction team when Poppy Hills closed for renovation in March of 2013.
“I had the opportunity to be
exposed to all aspects of golf course construction,” said Handley. “I was literally building my dream out there.” Handley operated bulldozers,
Practice Facility
Remember how the old driving range felt like you were hitting off a cliff and into a canyon? The mounding that was taken off the golf course was used to fill the new driving range. The result is a dramatically upgraded driving range that plays nearly level. Seven greens and four bunkers create a variety of challenging targets, and more than 1 acre of teeing ground ensures quality practice on grass year-round. You can practice out of a green side bunker and a waste area behind the driving range, or utilize the
approximately 9,000 square foot putting green on the course above the first tee to putt. There is also a short game area with tight lies and bunkers adjacent to the 18th green, on the opposite side of the clubhouse. If working on your game by yourself isn’t enough, Poppy Hills has partnered with Jeff Ritter, a Golf Digest
Best Young Teacher whose “Make the Turn” weekly challenge appears on Golf Digest TV. “Jeff isn’t trying to get famous so he can teach a tour pro,” said Shupe about Ritter’s Make the Turn
program. “He really wants to help the everyday golfer get better.” Unlimited use of the practice facility is included in green fees, and all-day practice packages are also
available in the golf shop. SPRING 2014 /
NCGA.ORG / 35
For information about the new Poppy Hills or to reserve a tee time, visit
PoppyHillsGolf.com
giant dump trucks, surveyed slopes of greens and tees, installed drainage, built bunkers, seeded greens and much more. He also joined the Poppy Hills maintenance staff in November and helped groom the course to its current specs: firm and fast. “It’s amazing to rebuild a place
I love, and help make it the place I’ve always wanted it to be,” Handley said.
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