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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Nine down, nine to go.
Pasatiempo Golf Club reopened Dec. 1, 2023, after an extensive restoration of its front-nine greens. The historic Dr. Alister MacKenzie golf course couldn't be in better shape in preparation for its signature tournament, the 77th Western Intercollegiate, which takes place April 15-17, 2024.
To showcase the newly-restored MacKenzie greens, the tournament will flip-flop the nines, so play will finish on that front nine (which will play as the back nine) for the live televised coverage on Golf Channel and Peacock.
Tournament rounds will be broadcast Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday live in prime time on the East Coast (4 p.m.-7 p.m. Pacific/7 p.m.-10 p.m. Eastern Time) with replays airing in multiple time slots all three days.
On April 26, Pasatiempo will close again to restore its back nine greens. It's been an 18-month process requiring patience by club members and visiting golfers who want to play MacKenzie's best publicly-accessible course. Until Pasatiempo reopens again in early December, golfers will be required to play the front nine twice for a full 18-hole round.
Pasatiempo's caretakers believe the project will pay long-term dividends.
“We are accomplishing what we wanted to: being able to recreate the MacKenzie greens, getting them to the standpoint of USGA specs, in better health and playing to his intent, his legacy," said Ken Woods, the club's longtime head golf professional. "We didn’t want to do anything contrary from his original design. We got as close as we could. You are touching history, a holy grail in my opinion. We wanted to get it back to his original intent."
Pasatiempo Golf Club's greens restoration: Initial observations
The first eight-month closure allowed Pasatiempo superintendent Justin Mandon and his maintenance staff to dial in conditions of the entire front nine - not just the greens. When I played it last week, the entire routing was in the best shape I've ever seen it across more than six rounds. More than 40 inches of rain this winter have fostered green fairways and lush rough.
"Once we are back in 2025, we are going to look at Monday maintenance days, so it will be pure for a long time," Woods said.
Six of the seven 2024 reviews on GolfPass are 5 stars, with the lone 3-star review citing a pace-of-play issue. "The course itself was in great shape," wrote golfer 'Drpower69'. "The greens were hard and fast and the bunkers were raked and groomed and very consistent."
Mandon and architect Jim Urbina are using laser grades of the green complexes, opening day photos from 1929 and on-site evaluation of the original subgrades to determine what green shapes should emerge. Regular players and members will notice softened slopes on the front nine and more pinnable areas, especially on the 3rd, 5th and 8th greens. Their undulations had become too severe after decades of golfers splashing sand out of the surrounding bunkers.
With less slope and the slower green speeds I experienced last week, could Pasatiempo end up playing easier than before? Don't count on it.
"Once we hit summer and we are rolling and using irrigation water, they are going to firm up and gain speed," Woods said. "They will pick up more break. For the members who think they are not as menacing, they will show their teeth again."
The restoration of the three-tiered 16th green will be one to watch following the full restoration. I saw a PGA professional hit a putt from the middle tier that ended up off the front of the green. Currently, no holes can be cut on the bottom tier. It's too small, too tilted. The reshaping should revive the opportunity for a flag in that difficult location, bringing the imposing barranca more in play or, heaven forbid, an errant approach shot that stays on an upper shelf.
Scouting the 2024 Western Intercollegiate
For some perspective on why the Western Intercollegiate remains one of college golf's signature tournaments, look no further than The Masters. Seventeen tournament alumni are in the field vying for a green jacket. Past participants have racked up 566 PGA Tour wins, including 52 majors.
As a par 70 of 6,615 yards, Pasatiempo will be the shortest course most college teams see all year but still one of the toughest. Playing a West Coast MacKenzie the day after the pros take on an East Coast MacKenzie - Augusta National - just adds to the tournament's appeal.
San Jose State will host no. 7 Washington, no. 8 Arizona, no. 18 Texas, no. 23 Cal, no. 25 Oregon, BYU, Stanford, Chattanooga, Hawaii, Oregon, Pepperdine, San Diego State, UC-Irvine and UNLV. (Rankings provided by Scoreboard.clippd.com).
All 96 players are gunning for the 'Blue Jacket', awarded to the lowest individual score. In 2023, Pepperdine's Derek Hitchner won with a 7-under 203 tournament total. He became Pepperdine's fourth Western Intercollegiate individual champion, and third straight, following Dylan Menante (2022) and Joe Highsmith (2021).
“The better players who launch high and bring it in soft, they are going to have better putting surfaces (for making putts). They should be successful around the course," Woods said. "You can only get them (the new greens) going so fast. They will have an easier time.”
A tournament scoring record could be in jeopardy if conditions stay ripe. Tune in to find out.
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