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By
PGA.com news services
02.09.2006
05:55 pm (ET)
PALM DESERT, Calif. -- In late January, the brand-new Classic Club at NorthStar debuted to the golf world as the host venue of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. And with the tournament having concluded, the facility is now open for public play. "We designed The Classic Club to have a unique look for the desert," said Victoria Martz, senior golf course architect and director of environmental services at Palmer Course Design, which created the 7,305-yard layout. "It features a variety of playable hazards that are both beautiful and intimidating. It is a wonderful combination of challenge and fun for Tour professionals and amateurs alike." The course features dramatic elevation changes, cascading waterfalls, rock streams, numerous stone bridges and more than 4,800 mature pine and California pepper trees. According to Martz, the trees were planted to create a forested feel in the desert surrounded by mountain ranges, and water is in play on 13 out of the 18 holes with 30 acres of lakes and water features dotting the course. The shortest hole on the course, the par-3 No. 12, is one of the Classic Club's most visually interesting and challenging holes. Measuring 162 yards from tee to green, players will need accuracy on their side as they aim for a green surrounded by a large lake, waterfalls and a wraparound sand bunker. Tournament officials also were involved in the course's design, which also features par-5 water holes to finish up both nines. The 564-yard 18th hole requires a long approach shot over water to an elevated green. The daily-fee public Classic Club at NorthStar was donated to the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic by the H. N. & Francis C. Berger Foundation, a charitable organization that bills itself as dedicated to "helping people help themselves." The 225-acre course is part of a 600-acre tract that is in the process of building a hotel and condominiums. Copyright 2006 PGA.com. All rights reserved.
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