Despite the challenges, Poppy Ridge had a lot going for it. The course is in a great area for year-round golf and the NCGA has more than 220,000 members, which meant they had more financial latitude than most Allied Golf Associations to undertake a major renovation. A nationwide casting call for an architect led to them hiring Jay Blasi, who is based in nearby Los Gatos. A decade of working in the office of Robert Trent Jones Jr. saw Blasi play a key role in the routing and construction of Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington, which hosted the 2015 U.S. Open along with three other USGA championships and two more coming soon. Blasi also undertook major renovations at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, site of the 2023 U.S. Senior Open. Recent work under his own shingle includes major overhauls of Lakeside Country Club in Houston, Santa Ana Country Club in Southern California, Golden Gate Park Golf Course in San Francisco, and he is currently renovating Burl Oaks Golf Club west of Minneapolis.

By temperament and experience, Blasi was not shy about rethinking the best way to optimize the property. He wanted to make the 18-hole championship course more playable for all skill levels and more walkable while fitting the land as much as possible. In the original design, the total walk for a player using the 6,500-yard tees came to 10,150 yards (5.77 miles) with all the transitions, assuming they were hitting the ball relatively straight. The course joined together flattish holes via steep transitions that motivated most people to take a cart. Blasi’s strategy was to incorporate more of the transitional ground into the golf holes, giving players a better sense of the terrain and making the holes fit more naturally.

The new walk from the 6,500-yard tees is 8,150 yards (4.63 miles) – a 20% reduction that shortens the walk by more than a mile. The rerouting also provided interesting – occasionally dramatic – terrain for the ground game, infinity-edge greens and improved views. The par-72 course also got stretched at both ends. The championship tees were extended almost 300 yards to 7,345 (par 70), while the forward tee distance shrank by over 1,000 yards to 4,225. USGA research shows that forward tee yardage in this range is a much better fit for shorter hitters.

Beyond the various golf-related improvements, a major goal of the Poppy Ridge rebuild was sustainability and maintenance efficiency. In addition to working with their own experts, including superintendent Jeff Mason, the NCGA consulted with USGA agronomists to think through things like grassing options, construction methods, and post-renovation management strategies that would set the course up for long-term success.

To start with, there’s simply less irrigated turf to manage. The area of fine turf (greens, tees, fairways and rough) went from 84 acres down to 68 acres. Fairway area increased from about 30 acres with an average width of 33 yards in the landing areas to 52 acres with an average width of 55 yards in landing areas. Traditional rough – i.e., irrigated and regularly mown – was eliminated in favor of a fine fescue blend that extends from the bermudagrass fairways to the margins of the course. This area can be mown and irrigated as needed, but will not require the same inputs as traditional rough, nor will it be as punishing as a typical “naturalized area.” There is also much less sand to rake now. The bunker area decreased from 140,500 square feet of sand down to 75,000 square feet – almost a 50% reduction. However, the placement of the bunkers is such that less sand still translates to more impact on strategy.

Converting the maintained turf to grasses that are better adapted to the Mediterranean climate at Poppy Ridge will also improve playing conditions and decrease water use once the course matures. The cool-season grassing plan that existed prior to the renovation was adequate for winter play, but was very difficult to manage through the hot and dry summer months when temperatures commonly reach 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit. With the renovation, fairways, tees and green surrounds were sodded with ‘Santa Ana’ bermudagrass and the “roughs” are now a blend of fine fescues. The greens, every one of which was moved and rebuilt, got marginally smaller and were regrassed from a mix of bentgrass and Poa annua to ‘Prestige’ bentgrass (a mix of the varieties ‘Pure Distinction’ and ‘Pure Select’). Besides the predominantly warm-season grassing scheme, Poppy Ridge also got an entirely new irrigation system. The two-wire system contains 1,800 heads for greatly improved control and coverage, and HDPE piping that is much more durable and less prone to leaks than the old PVC pipes. The 18-hole course is expected to use about 30% less water once the new grasses mature.

The renovation of Poppy Ridge has been an ambitious undertaking and there is every reason to believe it will be a boon to NCGA members and all golfers that come to play. Along with the enhanced playability and enjoyment it will provide, there is the considerable matter of a more economically viable and environmentally sustainable operation. That’s what happens when you invest wisely in a facility-wide upgrade.

Bradley S. Klein is a veteran golf journalist whose book, “Discovering Donald Ross,” won the USGA International Book Award in 2001. He also has extensive experience helping golf courses plan and execute renovation projects.