Poppy Ridge Golf Club member Tom Carter knew it was eventually coming, so he waited. And waited. And waited.
Until his patience paid off.
When the day came that players could make a tee time for the Opening Day on the all-new 18-hole course at Poppy Ridge, Carter, a former NCGA Board member, was the first in line.
On May 31, under sunny skies and with architect Jay Blasi and Poppy Ridge officials including GM Brett Armstrong and head pro Mike Copp eagerly watching, Carter became the first player to tee off on Opening Day of the new course. The nearby Danville resident would lace his tee shot into the fairway with Blasi exclaiming, “There she be!”
Carter’s group included Dave Brown, Bill Alvarez and Steve Young (no, not the 49ers Hall of Fame quarterback). On the 16th hole, they’d even crack out some bubbly—a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
“It’s fun and everything flows beautifully,” said Carter, who was a regular of the original Poppy Ridge. “There’s less bunkering which makes a lot more fun for us amateurs. It’s been a blast.”
After the Carter group headed out onto the course, Blasi stayed at the first tee to personally greet each of the ensuing foursomes to arrive, handing out custom Poppy Ridge bag tags commemorating the historic occasion.
“It's really exciting. We worked really long and hard for years to make this day possible,” Blasi said. “Now we’re getting to hand it off to the public and see the smiles on their faces. It’s exciting. I fell in love with the landscape here. It’s like a postcard of California wine country.”
Among the highlights on the course during Public Opening Day was an eagle on the par-5 13th hole by JK Kang of San Jose.
“It’s phenomenal and easy to walk,” said NCGA member Terry Wilson, a regular at Poppy Ridge since 1999. “The layout of the course is awesome. It’s beautiful.”
