Love Hate Relationship-Part 2

     Yesterday I talked to you about Bayonet and Blackhorse.  I mentioned DeLaveaga located in the hills above Santa Cruz.  As was true with Bayonet/Blackhorse.  I truly hated the course and vowed that I would never play it again.  When you go on vacation in Santa Cruz which is a Pacific Ocean Seaside resort located about 50 miles north of Monterey, your affordable  golf options are limited.  You can play Pasatiempo which is a classic Alistair MacKenzie design and is expensive to play, or you can play DeLaveaga which is a municipal course and is much more affordable. The choice is a no brainer when you are on a budget.   
     DeLaveaga is a challenge.  the one thing that you better be good at is uphill, downhill and sidehill lies. there are very few places on the course that afford a level lie.  The fairways are demanding with steep barrancas surrounding most of the fairways. If that was not enough, there are mature pines and cypress trees that make shotmaking a must.  There is a lot of strategy involved when you play this course and patience is a must.
    You must know the course in order to place the ball in the correct position.  Driver off the tee is not always the best choice. It truly is a thinking man's course.  I didn't take it seriously the first few times that I played it and I hated it because of my attitude. I am sorry with that opinion Tim (The head pro at DeLaveaga) but that was just how it was. A few month ago I played the course with a friend and decided it wasn't going to beat me. I decided to take the smart approach and think about strategy. Instead of the normal 105 or 102, I cut ten strokes off my score and shot a 92.  It wasn't because I palayed any better, it was because I played the course smarter. I actually enjoyed my round.
     I plan to go back to the course and do a complete evaluation of the course with pictures and comments.  I have to talk to Tim about that one and I will do so soon.  My greatest success on this trip was on the #10 hole, which is a par 5.  There is a very small landing area because you have to carry a huge barranca on the left side of the fairway with out of bounds on the right.  I hit a huge drive into a great position and then took the barranca out of play.  I was so excited about my second shot being safe and in position for a possible par that I wound up getting too excited and double bogeyed the hole. I was still satisfied that I didn't take a higher number and was really excite that I finished the hole instead of evoking equitable stroke control.

1.      The views from the course are wonderful and the holes are very picturesque. It is a great place to play but by all means buy a course guide.  FOLLOW IT!!!!