Description

The Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Courses Appincludes a GPS enabled yardage guide, 3D flyovers, live scoring andmuch more!

Overlooking the pristine sanctuary of Monterey Bay and the rockypromontory of Point Pinos, Bayonet Black Horse has delightedvisiting golfers for more than 50 years. Located on the siteformerly occupied by Fort Ord, both courses are steeped in golf andmilitary history, each having played host to the game's greats —from Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to Ben Crenshaw and JohnnyMiller — as well as several U.S. Presidents and foreigndignitaries. The conception of a golf facility at Fort Ordoriginated in 1954 when General Bob McClure, as commanding officerof the base, appropriated the government-owned property. To fulfillhis ambition to design a golf course, McClure enlisted theassistance of a civilian friend, a Peninsula golf professionalnamed Robert "Boots" Widener. McClure then went about laying outthe 18 holes that would become Bayonet Golf Course, in honor of the7th Infantry Light Fighter Division (nicknamed the "BayonetDivision"). He also recruited input from a soldier stationed atFord Ord — future Golf Hall of Fame member Ken Venturi. By allaccounts, McClure was a "left-handed" golfer with an all-too-commonfade. The General managed to effectively reduce his handicap with alittle creative architectural design of Bayonet: Holes 11 through15 — widely known as "Combat Corner" — include a series of threesharp doglegs to the left, ideal for the General's predictable shottrajectory. The evolution of the golf facility to 36 holes began in1964 when McClure learned that the sweeping acreage along the southside of his prized Bayonet course was being considered for amilitary housing development. Responding quickly — and without anyspecific plans for another golf course — McClure and golf coursesuperintendent Merle Russill took a ride around the still emptyproperty in the General's Jeep. McClure's orders to Russill were tocome up with a golf course design ... fast. In less than two hours,the two came up with the design elements for an additionalnine-hole course. The next year, while Black Horse was under way,McClure retired and his position was filled by General EdwinCarnes, who continued to work with Russill as well as McClure (whowas still living on the Peninsula). When it was decided to add ninemore holes to create a complete 18-hole layout, Russill designedthe nine extra holes. In 1967, Bayonet had its companion course:Black Horse, named in honor of the 11th Calvary Regiment that wasthen stationed nearby at The Presidio of Monterey. Although thegolf courses are notorious for the thick stands of cypress, oaksand pines that crowd the fairways, originally there were not manytrees on either layout. Russill, the golf course super­intendent atboth Bayonet and Black Horse from 1955 to 1979, is recognized forone of the most significant developments in the golf courses'maturation, planting an estimated 5,000 trees on the propertyduring his tenure. In the past decade, both Bayonet and Black Horsesaw minor renovations under the guidance of the PGA TOUR, but morerecently, a multi-million-dollar renovation was completed in 2008by renowned golf course architect Gene Bates. This opens a newchapter in the facility's long and storied history. While hallmarkslike "Combat Corner" (holes 11 through 15 on Bayonet) remain, novelchallenges such as the newly-created par-3 15th on Black Horse andits soul-stirring view of the Pacific are sure to impress. Thanksto this combination of deference to the past, stunning location andinnovative agronomic changes, Bayonet Black Horse is poised tocontinue its proud legacy as one of the Monterey Peninsula's iconicgolf courses.