Suburban Golf Retreat in Los AngelesWritten by Mel Barosay
Suburban Golf Retreat in Los AngelesRead Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/golf02/LAX/robinson.html TRADITIONAL DESIGNS - Certified Preowned Callaway Golf Clubs Some 25 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, and right in middle of Southern California's urban and suburban growth, Robinson Ranch has captured feeling of golfing in country. Co-architects, Ted Robinson Sr. and Ted Jr., whose family has ties to Golden State dating back to when early settlers traveled Sierra Nevada=s by foot, have given golfers a glimpse of California's lost heritage, "The Way It Used to Be." The 400-acre complex sets on rolling hills, rock outcroppings and dry stream beds with hundreds of stately oak trees, natural alluvial and coastal sage, bordering Angeles National Forest. It is one of few places a golfer is more likely to look at some of wildlife, such as raccoons, weasels, deer, bobcats, coyote, fox and even bear - instead of looking at their wild golf shots! Ted Robinson, Sr. has designed more than 170 courses around world. As a team, both father and son combined their experience in, and passion for, golf with a spectacular layout. For instance, bi-level and undulating greens, numerous dogleg par 4's and 5's, uphill fairways, cliff-hanging tee-off boxes, strategically-placed deep bunkers, stream-dissecting fairways, middle-of-the-fairway oak trees, sometimes wide-open and beautiful fairways, canyons surrounding greens, and refreshing, but non-golfer-friendly lakes are some of eclectic features of two courses - Mountain and Valley. One of true signature holes of Valley Course is scenic par 3, hole seven called "Tarantula." The golfers' tee-off from some 100 feet above green, approximately 200 yards away.
| | Golf Amongst the Coyotes at Paiute Golf CourseWritten by Mel Barosay
Golf Amongst Coyotes at Paiute Golf CourseRead Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/golf02/coyote/coyote.html It is 39o at 5:00 a.m. on a dark, but clear early November morning in Las Vegas. Loading a golf bag in car and heading 77 miles on I-15 North to Mesquite, Nevada (a town named for its hardwood Mesquite groves when settled By Mormon families in 1880). Vegas Show TicketsOn agenda for day is "crown jewel" of Mesquite master-planned community, Oasis Golf Course. The rear view mirror provides a picture of island (they call Las Vegas), rich in resource and life with all its glimmering lights. As speed limit is increased to 75 m.p.h., and abandoning other headlights from behind while passing last bastions of outer Twilight Zone (Nellis AFB), glimpse of sunrise in high eastern sky is apparent. Ambivalence is experienced during get away from vexation of city to sense race against sunlight, and feeling of being first golfer to tee off and touch virginity of unwielded golf course. Going forth to hear a new story and experience in yet another new golf adventure A little over an hour later, as daybreak just occurred, Arnold Palmer-designed Oasis Golf Course, which is recognized as one of top 5 best new resort golf courses in North America and is rated among "top 10 you can play" by Golf Digest is evident. Immediately greeted graciously by Randy (the Director of Golf) and his staff, golf cart is loaded with a brief set of course facts and nuances and onto tee #1. The first thing that strikes an avid golfer about Arnold Palmer design is hilly terrain with meandering fairways. This requires concentration to perfectly position drive, otherwise second shot will be in thicker rough, and out of position to reach green in regulation since there are many blind shots over rolling mounds and into gullies. This provides golfer with plenty of course management options, including use of draw and fade. The course starts out and finishes as a typical master-planned golf course community with new, upper-scale homes and commercial space trimming its desert target course layout. Beautiful man-made creeks and landscaping lace first four holes, and lakes and cascading water fountains mask most of latter back nine After first few holes, a golfer can't help but notice scorecard is colored yellow, starting on hole #5 thru #8. As one marks their score and proceeds to #5, they are greeted with a majestic view of one of prettiest holes a golfer can be bestowed with! Just in few moments it takes to travel in cart from holes #4 to #5, you are perched some 75 feet above carpet-like fairway which looks as if it was cut into rugged sandstone canyon and grass poured by a helicopter with "liquid seed." The golfer is truly presented with next golf challenge, a par 5, 512-yard downhill and narrow hole with reachable sand traps, utilizing natural features of canyon it was placed in. No more signs of man, just a poster sign indicating you are entering an environmentally sensitive area and entry to these domains are prohibited (oh, yes, this is where I first linked-up with Wayne, my amiable Quasi Guide and Course Ambassador who stood on meticulous-contoured green some aloofness away and graciously escorted me later throughout back nine). Also, these holes are a reptile sanctuary, so hit your ball straight, or forever lose it, and remember why there is yellow coloring on your scorecard
|
