Update January 22, 2025
When the NCGA renovated Poppy Hills Golf Course in 2013, one of the primary purposes of the project was water conservation.
The result was that, upon re-opening in 2014, Poppy Hills had cut water consumption by reducing the area of irrigated turf from 82 to 62 acres. At the same time, 12 acres of natural areas were added, which also cut water usage.
As one would guess, the NCGA is again focusing on water conservation during the current renovation of its other member course Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore.
Recently, architect Jay Blasi stopped by to chat about water conservation and sustainability at Poppy Ridge.
"We are trying to be sustainable. It's a big property out here on the open California landscape,' said Blasi, whose previous work includes U.S. Open venue Chambers Bay in Washington and the recently renovated Golden Gate Park Golf Course in San Francisco. "We're trying to minimize the footage of turf by only using turf where it's needed."
As Blasi noted, it's also about the turf being selected. Earlier, Blasi explained that the new 18-hole course will feature three different types of grasses.
The tees, fairways and green surrounds areas will all be Santa Ana Bermuda grass, which is sod that has been installed.
On the greens complexes themselves, those will be seeded with a new variety of Bentgrass.
The third and final type of grass will be a hydro-seeded Fescue mix. That grass will be featured in the out-of-play areas.
"We think the Bermuda will love this climate," Blasi explained. "The Bermuda loves the heat and requires less water."
The Poppy Ridge plans include the creation of a new 18-hole course, a nine-hole composite course with a few new holes (which is now open) and various improvements to its practice areas including the driving range, which are also again open for members and public use.
The renovation project of the 18-hole course is anticipated to be completed in mid-2025.
The Poppy Ridge project was initiated when it became mandatory to replace the course’s aging irrigation system, which was installed upon its original opening.
Update January 3, 2025
As you're probably aware by now, Poppy Ridge Golf Course, owned and operated by the Northern California Golf Association, is currently undergoing a renovation that is expected to be completed in mid-2025.
Turns out, we're not the only ones who are excited about what is on its way.
In a recent article on Golf.com titled "9 New (and Newly Renovated) Public Courses We Can’t Wait to Play in 2025", writer Josh Sens said of the Poppy Ridge project: "Like its sibling, Poppy Hills, in Monterey, Poppy Ridge belongs to the Northern California Golf Association and has long been one of the Bay Area’s better daily-fee values. But in its original configuration, the 27-hole facility had awkward stretches, marked by steep elevation changes and long hikes between holes. Enter the architect Jay Blasi. In what amounts to a new build, Blasi created a championship 18-hole routing, using choice land from each of the three existing nines. The result is a compelling, walker-friendly course, stitched through rolling, vineyard-fringed terrain, about an hour east of San Francisco. Call it a good value, vastly improved."
In another article on the website GolfPass, writer TimGavrich mentions Poppy Ridge as a new course the public will be able to play in 2025, stating: "Although 27 holes of golf have existed on this site since the 1990s, architect Jay Blasi has taken 18 of them and built an entirely new routing that will serve as a home course for members of the Northern California Golf Association."
And if you weren't aware of what is happening at Poppy Ridge?
In March 2024, the NCGA officially announced a renovation of the site to include the creation of a new 18-hole Championship course, a nine-hole course, and improvements to its practice areas. Both the nine-hole course and new practice areas are open now.
The 18-hole course, which is being designed by local architect Jay Blasi, will open sometime in mid-2025.
The project was initiated when it became mandatory to replace the course’s aging irrigation system, which was installed upon Poppy Ridge’s original opening in 1996. The original Poppy Ridge site consisted of three separate Nine-hole segments—the Chardonnay, Merlot and Zinfandel layouts.
“Upon extensive review of the property, we saw the opportunity to deliver a new 18-hole Championship course for our valued members and players of all abilities,” NCGA CEO Joe Huston explained at the groundbreaking. “Additionally, we saw the opportunity to further incorporate a 9-hole course that supports our mission to ensure that golf is welcoming for people of all ages and skill levels.”
To learn more about the Poppy Ridge renovation and to get the latest updates, please visit our Poppy Ridge Renovation blog.
Update December 5, 2024
Every golf course has hazards, and so too will the new 18-hole NCGA member course at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore.
So what is happening in regards to bunkers on what will be the new 18-hole course?
Recently, architect Jay Blasi stopped by to provide an update.
As Blasi explained, the bunkers are being lined with capillary concrete, which will not only help with drainage, but also protect the bunkers from burrowing animals such as squirrels and gophers.
The capillary concrete is basically a gravely-type mix that lays across the bottom of each bunker.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into making a hazard,” Blasi said. “Nowadays, when you build a bunker there are a lot of different liners. This particular liner is what we deemed best for this property.”
Blasi's previous work includes U.S. Open venue Chambers Bay in Washington and the recently renovated Golden Gate Park Golf Course in San Francisco.
The Poppy Ridge plan includes the creation of a new 18-hole course, a new nine-hole course and various improvements to the practice areas including the driving range. The new practice areas and driving range are open, along with a nine-hole course. The renovation project is anticipated to be completed in mid-2025.
The Poppy Ridge project was initiated when it became mandatory to replace the course’s aging irrigation system, which was installed upon its original opening.
As for the turf, the new 18-hole course will feature three different types of grasses.
The tees, fairways and green surrounds will all be Santa Ana Bermuda grass. The greens complexes have been seeded with a new variety of Bentgrass and a hydro-seeded Fescue mix is featured in the out-of-play areas.
The original Poppy Ridge site, which opened in 1996, consisted of three separate Nine-hole segments—the Chardonnay, Merlot, and Zinfandel layouts.
In 2014, the NCGA performed a full renovation of Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach to rave reviews.
Update October 23, 2024
If you've been to Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore recently, you probably noticed that grass is starting to come in at what will be the new 18-hole NCGA member course.
The new 18-hole course will feature three different types of grasses.
The tees, fairways and greens-surrounding areas will all be Santa Ana Bermuda grass, which is sod that has been installed.
"We think the Bermuda will love this climate," architect Jay Blasi explained. "The Bermuda loves the heat and requires less water."
On the greens complexes themselves, those will be seeded with a new variety of Bentgrass.
The third and final type of grass will be a hydro-seeded Fescue mix. That grass will be featured in the out-of-play areas.
The Poppy Ridge plans include the creation of a new 18-hole course, a new nine-hole course and various improvements to its practice areas including the driving range, which is again open for members and public use. The renovation project is anticipated to be completed in mid-2025.
Blasi's previous work includes U.S. Open venue Chambers Bay in Washington and the recently renovated Golden Gate Park Golf Course in San Francisco.
As per the overall design, Blasi has noted that the new 18-hole course will be for players of all abilities.
“Because this is the home course of NCGA members, we want to ensure the course is fun and enjoyable for all players,” Blasi said. “At the same time, we want to make the course thought-provoking and challenging for the skilled players.”
The Poppy Ridge project was initiated when it became mandatory to replace the course’s aging irrigation system, which was installed upon its original opening.
The original Poppy Ridge site, which opened in 1996, consisted of three separate Nine-hole segments—the Chardonnay, Merlot, and Zinfandel layouts.
In 2014, the NCGA performed a full renovation of Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach to rave reviews.
Update: August 1, 2024
Sections of what will be the new 18-hole course at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore wine country are beginning to take shape.
Recently, architect Jay Blasi, who is overseeing the project, stopped by to talk about some of the renovation progress.
“We’re just getting the train rolling. Golf construction is very much like a train. There’s the different parts, and they all have to go in sequence,” said Blasi, whose work includes 2015 U.S. Open venue Chambers Bay in Washington. “Right now we’re at a phase of the project where basically all of the different elements of the project are occurring at once. At the very front of the train we’ve got some preliminary earthworks going on, and at the back of the train we’ve got some grass seeding going on.”
Plans include the creation of a new 18-hole course, a new nine-hole course and various improvements to its practice areas including the driving range, which has already re-opened for members and public use. The renovation project, which will also make the two courses more walkable, is anticipated to be completed in mid-2025.
The original Poppy Ridge site, which opened in 1996, consisted of three separate Nine-hole segments—the Chardonnay, Merlot, and Zinfandel layouts.
“Because this is the home course of NCGA members, we want to ensure the course is fun and enjoyable for all players,” Blasi said. “At the same time, we want to make the course thought-provoking and challenging for the skilled players.”
The Poppy Ridge project was initiated when it became mandatory to replace the course’s aging irrigation system, which was installed upon its original opening.
“Upon extensive review of the property, we saw an inherent opportunity to deliver a new 18-hole Championship course for our valued members and players of all abilities,” NCGA CEO Joe Huston said. “Additionally, the possibility existed to further incorporate a 9-hole course that fully supports our mission to ensure that golf is welcoming for people of all ages and skill levels.”
As per sustainability, Blasi noted the new courses will feature new turfgrass that will require less water and be designed to require less day-to-day maintenance.
Throughout the project, there will always be nine holes open for play for both NCGA members and the public. The Poppy Ridge site is also still hosting casual group outings, charity outings, weddings and other special events.
In 2014, the NCGA performed a full renovation of Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach to rave reviews.
March 7, 2024
Ten years after renovating Poppy Hills Golf Course, the NCGA is focusing on making improvements to its unique Bay Area golf property—the 27-hole Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore wine country.
Plans for what will be the new Poppy Ridge include the creation of an 18-hole Championship course, a Composite Nine-hole course, and selected improvements to its practice areas. Local Golf Course Architect Jay Blasi will oversee the design of the new 18-hole course and practice areas.
The project, expected to be completed in mid-2025, was initiated when it became mandatory to replace the course’s aging irrigation system, which was installed upon Poppy Ridge’s original opening in 1996.
“Upon extensive review of the property, we saw the opportunity to deliver a new 18-hole Championship course for our valued members and players of all abilities,” NCGA CEO Joe Huston said. “Additionally, we saw the opportunity to further incorporate a 9-hole course that supports our mission to ensure that golf is welcoming for people of all ages and skill levels.”
The original Poppy Ridge site consisted of three separate Nine-hole segments—the Chardonnay, Merlot and Zinfandel layouts. The architectural design for the two new components will make the overall layout more walkable, however, carts will continue to be available.
Throughout the project, there will be nine holes always open for play for both NCGA members and the public. The Poppy Ridge site will also still be able to host casual group outings, charity outings, weddings, and other special events.
In 2014, the NCGA re-opened a fully renovated Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach to rave reviews.
When the NCGA originally opened Poppy Hills in 1986, it became the first Allied Golf Association to own and operate its own golf course. Poppy Ridge was later added in 1996.
To follow along with the progress and browse FAQs, please visit our Course Renovations page.