Poppy Club – Spring 2016

Welcome to the Spring edition of the Hills and Ridge Golf Club Newsletter.

As you may have heard, we recently received some exciting news. In February, the USGA announced that Hills will be the host site for the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. Yes, one of your home courses is going to host a national championship!

Here at Hills, we’re also excited about our new expanded menu at Porter’s in the Forest. We began serving full dinners starting March 23. We also recently became the No.1 rated restaurant in Pebble Beach so please plan a meal or two around your next visit to the Monterey Peninsula. Over at Ridge, meanwhile, The Grill continues to host a number of special culinary events that will delight you and leave you truly satisfied.

In closing, I would like to enthusiastically congratulate Marcus Synegal and Lupe Orazco on their recent achievements.

Lupe, who has been on our team at Poppy Hills for 19 years, just graduated from Rutgers with a degree in turf management. He is the first in his family to earn a college degree and is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met.

Marcus just earned his Class A membership with the PGA. He was part of the team that reopened Hills and is exceeding everyone’s expectations by efficiently and professionally administrating more than 300 outings per year. Well done gentlemen!

The spring golf season is in full swing here on the Monterey Peninsula and Poppy Hills is great shape.

The much needed winter rains have helped thirsty fairways and greens grow denser. This new density makes the greens more receptive and an overall better playing experience for our members and guests.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the members for their contributions to course care. Your efforts in raking bunkers, repairing ball marks and adhering to the cart policy have made Poppy Hills a great experience for all who play here. All 150,000 members should be very proud of each other and your course.

We realize that the cart policy at Poppy Hills may be unpopular with some of our members. This policy is in place for a number of reasons. The primary reason for the cart restriction is to keep the golf course in premier condition for nearly 50,000 rounds.

The other equally important reason is water. We have a very limited and costly supply of water on the Monterey Peninsula so conservation is vital to our golf operation. Increased cart traffic on fairways will lead to a greater demand for water and we simply do not have enough water.

Our water conservation efforts go all the way to the grass selection in our fairways. All areas except the putting surfaces were planted with perennial ryegrass and fine fescue. The fine fescue is very drought tolerant which allows us to provide excellent conditions while using less water.

The high drought tolerance is a benefit to fine fescue—the species has a low tolerance for traffic. We realize this may be unpleasant for some of our members but it is a necessary practice to provide great playing conditions for 50,000 annual golfers and to conserve water.

Play well and Play more!

If you haven’t been to Porter’s in the Forest yet, or are planning your next visit, now is a great time to see us.

This spring, we’re cranking things up in the kitchen.

For starters, earlier this month we began serving full dinners. For you, that means mouth-watering filet mignon, juicy rib-eye steaks and a wide range of fresh, locally-caught sustainable seafood.

Another exciting addition to Porter’s in the Forest is the arrival of chef de cuisine Daniel Furey, who comes to us from the acclaimed Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer in St. Helena wine country. We’re thrilled that he’s bringing his skills to our tables and are positive that your taste buds will agree.

As usual, we’re also always taking advantage of the micro-seasons that bless our local agriculture. Two of our local purveyors, Serendipity Farms and Mariquita Farm, are now delivering spring ingredients such as asparagus, morel mushrooms and ramps, which are often referred to as wild leeks.

Other highlights in the kitchen include the continuation of our on-site fermentation, which among other delicacies has resulted in homemade sauerkraut, delectable prosciutto and even black garlic.

To me, it’s all about giving our guests–both the golfer and non-golfer–the best dining experience possible.

Keep up on everything that’s trending at Porter’s in the Forest by following us on Facebook – Porter’s in the Forest

Gotta Have Cocktail

While there’s a slew to choose from behind the Porter’s in the Forest bar, don’t miss the Afternoon Blues. It’s the perfect drink to unwind with whether you’ve finished a round of golf or are just hanging out with friends out on the deck.

2 ounces Ketel Citroen ¾ ounce Cedilla Blueberry Liqueur ¾ ounce lemon juice ¾ ounce honey syrup 1 cocktail spoon of homemade blueberry puree

Porter's in the Forest Nabs Award

The accolades for Porter’s in the Forest keep rolling in.

In the May issue of Golf Digest and on GolfDigest.com, Porter’s is named as an Editor’s Choice Award for Best Golf Pubs 2016. The award is part of a first-ever program for Golf Digest that represents the Best Things in Golf with an emphasis on lifestyle properties, products and services.

Among those who’ll be playing a key role in the spring expansion of Porter’s in the Forest is food and beverage director Joe Valencia.

The 54-year-old Valencia, who’s been at Porter’s since September, has a background that’s as diverse as chef Johnny De Vivo’s menu.

A United States Golf Association championship
is on its way to Poppy Hills.

ACES