The folks at StoneTree aren't kidding when they describe this course
as "Marin County's Handcrafted Classic..." It opened in
January of 2001, and does seem destined to acquire quite a reputation.
It's the product of the collaborative efforts of design expert
Sandy Tatum, craftsman Jim Summers, Hall-of-Famer Johnny Miller,
and Architect Fred Bliss.
Your enjoyable experience starts before you even get on the course.
Friendly, helpful staff put you at ease, with none of the pretension
so often found at the better courses. After you've checked out the
beautiful clubhouse, (noting that you will stop in later for a drink
at their great bar...) you stroll over to a very nice warm up area
where you hit into the nets for awhile, then head on over to tee
it up.
For whatever reason, when we played they were starting people from
the Tenth, which is a short par three over a pond. An easy par,
your performance here may lull you into a sense of complacency as
you head up the hill into the back nine, which has some very tough
holes, although a little starting confidence doesn't hurt either.
The greens here are as good if not better than Half Moon Bay, and
as true as can be, which is a good thing, as there are many fast
breaks to contend with. You will find every hole on the course is
different, and that it requires some thoughtful golf. The guy that
always "goes for it" will probably not do so well as the
fairways are fairly narrow. However, if you're accurate and long,
taking some risks can reward you handsomely.
Located at the top of the Bay on Highway 37 (just off 101), one
of the interesting features is the many ponds and marshes that dot
the course. Instead of being protected by a trap, often a green
or landing area will be protected by a small marsh. Never fear,
usually the marshy areas are only a inch or two deep, and you can
often play out if you find yourself in one. This course is very
nicely integrated into its environment, and takes good advantage
of natural features, versus cutting a swath through them.
One of my favorite features of the course is that there are unobtrusive
distance markers everywhere! It seems you are never more than ten
yards to a marker, making it easy for you to guage your shot. (and
just as well, as accuracy is very important here) You will hate
playing courses that aren't well marked, after you've played at
StoneTree, and seen the difference this can make in your game. Also,
if you are too lazy to find that marker ten yards away, there is
always the handy booklet they give you which has distances marked,
and also describes the basic strategies for each hole.
At StoneTree you'll have a lot of fun planning each hole like a
pro, even if the results of your planning aren't so professional...
A round runs around $85 weekday, $115 weekend. Not cheap, but it's
still worth the expense to give this course a try. And, assuming
there's no traffic, it's only about 20 minutes north of the city.
As of this writing, (04/07/01) StoneTree is still sort of an "undiscovered
gem," so do yourself a favour and pay them a visit soon!
