Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
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In 1994, when Carter Morrish first set eyes on a 900-acre chunk of the Sierra Foothills that is now the Saddle Creek Golf Resort, he was, in his own words, blown away. "What a fantastic property," he remembers. "Roy Bechtol, my co-designer, and I could easily have built four or five courses all as good as each other. Really, the only problem we had was deciding which routing was the best." The final decision appears to be the right one as the 6,826-yard, par-72 layout was ranked seventh on Golf Digest's list of best new public courses in 1997 and, in March this year, was named the ninth best public-access course in California by Golfweek - one place higher than the Links at Spanish Bay and four above Torrey Pines South. "To be honest, if it were nearer to San Francisco or Los Angeles, I think it would have attracted more attention and been ranked even higher than it is now," Morrish said. After working alongside his father, Jay, for 15 years, Morrish now does a lot of work in central Mexico after setting up a design firm with Gary Stoddard and Rafael Alarcon, Lorena Ochoa's coach. He was at Saddle Creek in May, however, following the resort's decision to re-hire him for an additional nine holes, construction of which will begin as soon as the club's membership outgrows the present 18. It had been a few years since he had seen the course, but Morrish liked what he saw. "I was tickled pink to see how well it had turned out," he said. "It was even better than I expected." Two hours east of the Bay Area and roughly six hours north of L.A. in Copperopolis, Saddle Creek is one of the few courses that genuinely appeals to golfers of every level. "It's as hard or as easy as you want to make it," said general manager Bill Troyanoski. In September, Danville's Gundy Jones made it look too easy when a three-round total of 198 (-16) won him the Northern California Open Championship. But a course rating of 73 and a slope of 137 suggest it's not the soft touch Jones made it out to be. "There isn't a single weak hole," said Troyanoski, who estimates 27,000 rounds are played there each year. "No hole runs parallel to another so you have a pleasant sense of isolation on every hole, and there are some magnificent views of the foothills. It's always in superb condition, too." Superintendent Scott Dickson, who came to Saddle Creek from Del Paso in Sacramento two years ago, is flattered by the compliment but rejects claims that the course is in as good a shape as it could be following a year of testing weather conditions. "We had a lot of rain in spring and 100-degree heat in July. That wasn't a good combination for our turf," he said. "Don't get me wrong; everyone I speak to says how good the course looks and how well the greens are rolling, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to this place and I'm not entirely satisfied - yet. I still feel we're in recovery mode, but I think we'll have it close to perfection in December." Whatever state it's in, there's no denying the quality of Saddle Creek's design, which blends nicely into the residential community. "Although there are houses here, you certainly don't feel like you're playing one of those choked-up Arizona or Florida courses where even the slightest push or pull ends up in someone's landscaped back yard," said Steve Sharp, who stays in one of the resort's 17 guest bungalows during his frequent visits. "The houses are set well away from the course. They really don't bother me at all. In fact, nothing bothers me when I'm at Saddle Creek." n For more information or to make reservations, call (800) 611-7722, or visit www.saddlecreek.com. |
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