Poppy Ridge Golf Course near Livermore, California, will reopen on 31 May following a 13-month renovation by Jay Blasi.

The public facility is owned and operated by the Northern California Golf Association (NCGA), which also operates Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach. Previously, Poppy Ridge operated as a 27-hole municipal course made up of the Merlot, Chardonnay and Zinfandel nines.

“The new 18-hole golf course has been reimagined,” said Blasi. “It is completely different from the old concept, so it’s a new and thrilling experience for all. I would suspect that first-timers are taken by the beauty of the site and the surrounding vistas, and that they appreciate how the golf course fits the landscape. For regulars who played Poppy Ridge many times before the project, I would hope that they appreciate the newfound walkability, playability and variety of the layout.”

Blasi’s new routing shortens distances between greens and tees, and allows for smoother transitions across the varying landscapes. “If you normally play the course around 6,500 yards, the walk will now be about 2,000 yards shorter with around 400 feet less overall elevation change than what it used to be,” said Blasi.

Many bunkers are now located on hillsides and serve as transitions from one landscape to another.  Blasi has designed them to match the shot being played, with a lower lip if a middle or long iron is needed and a higher lip for greenside hazards where wedges are used.

Greens that are meant to be hit with a short iron are generally smaller and offer more movement, while greens that will likely receive a longer approach shot are bigger and have surrounding slopes that feed the ball towards the putting surface.

“Given the windy nature of the site and the dramatic elevation changes, the fairways are quite wide,” said Blasi. Most range between 40 to 60 yards, with some areas as wide as 100 yards. “Keeping them wide allows the everyday player to get around, but at the same time, there is lots of contour that the best players will need to assess and attack strategically.”

Fairways, green surrounds and tees feature Santa Ana bermuda, while greens are Prestige bentgrass.

Blasi has also overseen a renovation of the practice facility and short-game area. That work includes creating a 1.25-acre practice area, a chipping green with two bunkers, a 17,000-square-foot putting green and numerous practice targets.

Poppy Ridge also has a new nine-hole short course called The Ridge 9, which comprises a combination of modified holes from the former Merlot and Chardonnay nines and completely new holes.