shim6
 
headr shim6
shim
 
 
 
 
 
gary linn
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
shim shim shim
  articles banner  
    shim
 

Foxtail GC – A Bold New Look by Gary Linn

Golf Today Magazine
Year 16, Number 11, July 2003

by Bob Weisgerber

Foxtail Golf Club, in Rohnert Park, offers 36 holes of golf that shows the touch of a highly regarded architect, Gary Linn. Consisting of the South Course and the North Course, and occupying land that was formerly home to Mountain Shadows, Foxtail is a new ball game altogether.

Gary Linn was profiled with his partner, Don Knott, in a previous Golf Today Magazine article (February 2002, “People in the Game: A Day in the Architect’s Office”). At that time Gary was engaged in the planning for Foxtail. Routing plans and topographical maps were unrolled and being scrutinized. Linn holds a BA in Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University. Before joining with Don Knott and their player-partner Mark Brooks, Gary Linn was Vice President for Design with the Robert Trent Jones II group.

The Foxtail assignment for architect Gary Linn was clear. Design a new track the community can be proud of, a course that will draw golfers who want to test the new layout for themselves. That’s just what four of us from Golf Today Magazine did recently when we took on just-completed North course. It was fun – even after getting lost twice when we followed the cart paths instead of the directional signs. Makes a guy feel funny to pump one out from the tee only to have a foursome pull up behind and ask where you came from! Can’t win ‘em all.

And don’t think you’ll ease into the round on the North Course. Nope. Hole #1 is real beauty and a good test. You stand on the tee and the hole speaks to you. It says, “OK, avoid this stunning bunker so you can set up your next shot. Then do it all over again on the second shot.” Lots of aesthetic bunkers and lots of course strategy, just the way a good hole should be. Gary likes to “show off” the sand, and you see his bunkers for sure.

Hole #1 is a par five that reaches 563 yards from the black tees and 533 yards from the blue tees. If you don’t feel like getting black and blue you might elect to use the white tees at 500 yards. Or the gold tees are at 469 yards. No matter what tee you use, the hole is both fair and challenging.

After you make the turn you’ll encounter two more beauties at #10 and #11.

At last you arrive at #18, not with a sigh of relief but a sigh of appreciation. It’s another fine hole to remember at Foxtail North.
Tom Isaak, the CEO of CourseCo, who developed and operates the two Foxtail courses, spoke highly of Gary Linn’s work, calling him the “ultimate professional.” He described Linn as more than an engineer but “a guy with legitimate artistic ability.” Check it out for yourself.

The North course at Foxtail measures 6851 yards from the black tees, 6394 yards from the blue tees, 5846 yards from the whites, down to 5261 from the gold tees. Par is 72; slope ratings were not yet available.

From the four sets of tees, the South course, a Par 71, measures 6492, 6224, 5830, and 5343 yards. Respectively, the ratings and slope are 71.0/124, 69.8/121, 67.7/119, and 70.7/120.
The courses are located at 100 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, with convenient access to Highway 101. John Theilade is the General Manager and Director of Golf. Phone 707-584-7766. The web site is:
www.playfoxtail.com

If the name CourseCo seems familiar to you, it’s no surprise. In addition to being the operators of Foxtail, Rohnert Park, they also operate Crystal Springs in Burlingame; Napa at Kennedy Park, Napa; Riverside, Fresno; Los Lagos, San Jose; Lawrence Links, Antelope; Mather, Sacramento; Eureka GC, Eureka; Deep Cliff, Cupertino; Rancho Del Pueblo, San Jose; and the Metropolitan Golf Links, Oakland.

 
     
     
 
 
 

Copyright © 2000-2008
Knott & Linn Golf Design Group, LLC
All Rights Reserved


Photography Courtesy of John & Jeannine Henebry

This website created by
JustImagineDesign.com