By Nick Lozito
We all have what we would call our favorite golf course, and for various reasons. Maybe it was that 5-iron shot on a par-4 that ended up dropping in for an eagle, or that it featured scenery fit for a Hollywood script. It also may have been who was alongside you, riding in the cart.
But what about some of the other parts of the round that you remember or enjoyed? Was there anything else about that particular course or facility that got your juices going or created a buzz?
Recently, it got us to wonder: What are some of the best, or most interesting, driving ranges in the NCGA region?
After some back-and-forth discussions, some searching and some coffee, we came up with some of the ranges/practice facilities that caught our attention.
In this issue, we present the first half of those ranges/practice facilities that we think you’d enjoy should the occasion arise.
TPC Harding Park—Finding That Secret Sauce
TPC Harding Park is remembered for hosting the first major following the COVID-19-19 outbreak.
The 2020 PGA Championship, a fanless spectacle on Lake Merced in San Francisco, culminated with Collin Morikawa driving the short par-4 16th hole for an eagle on Sunday en route to a two-shot victory, his first major title. It cemented the revival of a once-overlooked city golf course.
The event’s legacy can be found in improvements to the Harding Park driving range, one of only two public driving ranges in the city along with Presidio. Funding from PGA of America, which operates the PGA Championship, has improved what Harding Park General Manager Tom Smith called “a lasagna of drainage” under the facility and regraded a range surface once “full of moguls and mounds” while adding shot-tracking technology for local golfers.
“People are trying to find the secret sauce,” Smith explains about the benefits of the Toptracer Range app that feeds shot data into a golfer’s phone. Smith said Toptracer was chosen because he felt it didn’t intrude on the range’s tranquil setting, tucked between the final stretch of holes at Harding Park.
“It gave golfers an added layer that they could choose how they engaged the range.”
Smith uses the app’s data to understand peak hours of activity for food and beverage sales. “It helps from an operator's standpoint,” he said, “to make business decisions around your range.”
The improvements came just a few years after a 2017 storm destroyed fencing that held protective netting down the right side of the practice facility. The rebuild waited until following the 2020 PGA Championship, as the three-acre plot would be used during the tournament week for a massive merchandise tent (players practice on the Fleming 9 during tournaments). The pandemic postponed the event from May to August, and even in August, fans were still not allowed to attend. So, no use for a merchandise tent. The range plot was instead used for perhaps the most spacious locker room in golf history to allow for social distancing.
The event came at a pivotal time as the quarantine-friendly game ushered in a new wave of amateurs. The tournament now serves as a time capsule to when sports reached new levels of innovation just to safely host an event. Today, that innovation is now benefiting local golfers.
Laguna Seca Golf Ranch—Meeting All Needs
Brian Jun didn’t own a collared shirt and had to borrow a set of clubs when he got a tee time at Monterey Peninsula Country Club as a wedding gift last year. The Carmel High School standout hadn’t played golf in a few decades, but it didn’t take long to rekindle his passion. An eagle helped.
“It brought the spark back,” Jun, 37, said. “How could you not like golf? You’re out in this beautiful place getting exercise. It brought back my competitive nature.”
After six months practicing on the natural grass driving range at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, a public facility off Highway 68 in Monterey, Jun passed the PGA’s grueling, 36-hole Player Ability Test in March. He began giving golf lessons and was hired as the new golf operations manager at Laguna Seca.
“You take it for granted,” Jun said of growing up in the golf haven of Monterey County, where as a top-ranked junior he would play Pebble Beach with his high school teammates three times per week.
Jun left the game to follow in his father’s footsteps as an entrepreneur. He moved to Orange County and didn’t touch a club for years. “I was a little bitter toward the game. I knew what could have been.
“I didn’t get near a golf course.”
Now back on the competitive grind, Jun often plays a round before each shift. He enjoys the diversity at Laguna Seca and making friends with members and professionals, young and old. “I didn’t come from the golf corporate world,” said Jun, whose parents immigrated to California from South Korea. His father washed dishes to gain a footing.
Jun believes that work-ethic mixed along with skills he learned in the corporate world will help him in his operations role at Laguna Seca. “Golf is evolving. Laguna is very forward-thinking.”
“This place has everything I need,” he said of a practice facility that sits on a plateau inside of a rock quarry, with a panoramic view of the hillsides.
“I feel Laguna Seca was always overlooked. It’s easy to get overshadowed by Pebble or the courses out there. What makes Laguna Seca a great track is it’s not a flat course. The greens aren’t as easy as people think. They’re putting a lot more than two putts per hole. It’s a very diverse track for a golfer trying to improve their skills.
“This is a test.”
Bayonet/Black Horse GC
The 66,000-square-foot facility in Seaside provides seven-day bentgrass tees with target greens surrounded with bunkers. The range is open until 4:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. on Monday and Thursday). There are two short-game areas and a 10,000-square-foot putting green.
bayonetblackhorse.com/practice_facility/
San Jose Muni
The venerable golf course features 60 range stations with Toptracer technology. The short-game greens include two bunkers. The range is open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. (9-30 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday).
playsanjosemuni.com/driving-range
Mariners Point Golf Center
The Foster City facility includes a 9-hole course, a range with 64 stalls (grass tees are sometimes closed) and a short-game facility with bunkers. The range is open until 10 p.m. (9 p.m. Sundays).