Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/456364
The Green Hills are Alive t he reborn Poppy Hills is more than a golf course, it's a template. In remaking its signature proper ty, the Nor thern California Golf Association (NCGA) wanted to offer to the public a different vision of the spor t, one that is more more natural, more fun, more inclusive and faster to get around. That meant less severe greens and no rough framing the fair- ways; long, thick grass is hard for seniors and kids to play out of, and it leads to one the spor t's scourges, the slow, tedious search for missing balls. With par ticipation rates trending downward, golf needs to become more welcoming, and a slightly more user- friendly playing field is a great place to star t. The new Poppy is also more environmentally sensitive and more sustainable, with the removal of a cheesy man-made pond on the fifth hole and, most crucially, expanded use of native turf that has significantly reduced the course's water consumption. This century, water will replace oil as the planet's most precious liquid, and if golf courses don't learn to adapt they will surely disappear. Poppy is showing the way. "People love to discuss courses in feminine terms," says Bob Jones, who first built the course in 1986 and oversaw all of the renovations, "so I suppose Poppy Hills is now not only a stunning beauty but she has brains and a great personality, too." Po p py H i l l s G o l f C o u r s e G e t s a B e a u t i f u l M a ke ove r B Y A L A N S H I P N U C K C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 129