Flawless Course Conditions at TPC Danzante Bay
Poll any group of traveling golfers you like. The number one thing vacationing players want on their golf holiday is a beautifully groomed golf course.
There are two reasons for this expectation. Country club golfers demand velvety smooth greens, close-mown tees and unblemished fairways because that’s what they’re used to. Unattached golfers who may not have access to a well-kept layout look forward to playing one when they travel. A top-class facility like TPC Danzante Bay delivers on every promise and fulfills every player’s expectations.
Owned, operated and licensed by the PGA Tour, the Tournament Players Club network is comprised of 30 premier private, resort and daily-fee golf properties designed by some of the game’s most elite architects. In addition to hosting Tour-sponsored golf tournaments, the TPC’s provide recreational golfers with the unique opportunity to test their skills on a world-class layout. Clubs in the TPC network are known for their outstanding conditioning. TPC Danzante Bay is no exception.
According to head pro Danny Garcia, who joined the club eight years ago during the construction phase, “TPC Danzante Bay is in perfect condition and looking better than ever. We are very excited to invite golf enthusiasts to experience this superlative layout for themselves.”
TPC Danzante Bay: A Maintenance-Friendly Course
It takes a few years for a new course to settle into its surroundings. Opened in 2017, TPC Danzante Bay, thanks to Loreto’s ideal climate and the diligence of the club’s maintenance crew, is now fully mature. The golf course doesn’t look “built” or “designed.” As is true with most Rees Jones creations, the layout’s subtly crafted holes look as if they were extruded by the landscape, not piled on top of the terrain. This is just as true for holes that climb into the mountains as it is for holes carved into the desert and woven into the dunes.
“Most of the world’s most popular golf courses that have stood the test of time were built slowly,” Jones explained. “This golf course was done in stages, and it took us close to five years to establish the final routing at TPC Danzante Bay.” He added that “golf holes aren’t really designed and built from a plan – you feel them in the land. This land was so good it told us what to do.” The end result of Jones’ patient approach is a maintenance-friendly design built to enhance what nature had to offer.
Garcia noted that TPC Danzante Bay is surfaced from tee-to-green in paspalum, the most eco-friendly warm season turfgrass yet developed. Paspalum, which requires a fraction of the pesticides, insecticides and fertilizer used by normal grasses, is salt tolerant and can be irrigated with brackish or recycled water. Because water conservation is a key issue in the Baja desert, the club, as per Jones’ directive, limits formal turfed areas to the minimum amount necessary for enjoyable golf. Moreover, open expanses of desert have been planted with native vegetation to blend the course into its surroundings.
Paspalum: The Ideal Turfgrass for Loreto’s Climate
Developed in the 1990s, paspalum develops a thick, emerald green canopy. Stiff-leafed and waxy, the grass blades perch a golf ball like an egg. Growth is rapid. Divots fill in quickly. Paspalum is very durable and has exceptional wear tolerance. It’s quickly become the go-to grass for golf courses in the world’s tropical and subtropical regions.
According to Garcia, “We have Sea Spray Paspalum on the fairways and roughs and SeaDwarf Seashore Paspalum on our greens. Both of these newer strains of paspalum work very well with recycled water, especially in combination with our warm, sunny weather. In particular, SeaDwarf is great for greens because it tolerates lower mowing heights.”
Garcia went on to explain that the club’s paspalum fairways can get very dense and lush, which most golfers like because it forms a cushion beneath the ball. However, the rough has to be carefully monitored. “If the rough gets too high or uneven, it can be extremely difficult to hit out of if the ball nestles down,” he said. The club’s maintenance crew does a good job of mowing the rough to a reasonable height. One caveat: paspalum is sticky. As TPC Danzante Bay regulars know, approach shots that land short of the green tend to stop quickly.
Golfers don’t often talk about aesthetics, but a well-manicured course with stellar ocean and mountain views can work its magic on even the most blinkered, score-conscious players.
TPC Danzante Bay has evolved into what it set out to be: a magnificent field of play maintained in harmony with nature.
