TROON SELECTED TO MANAGE BAYONET AND BLACK HORSE IN SEASIDE, CALIFORNIA By Brian Weis

TROON SELECTED TO MANAGE BAYONET AND BLACK HORSE IN SEASIDE, CALIFORNIA

By Brian Weis

Troon, the leader in providing golf and club-related leisure and hospitality services, is pleased to announce it has been selected to manage Bayonet and Black Horse, a 36-hole facility on the Monterey Peninsula in Seaside, California. Troon Golf, the resort and daily-fee management division of Troon, will oversee golf operations, food & beverage, golf course agronomy, and sales and marketing for the two championship courses.

Bayonet and Black Horse have a rich history in a region known for outstanding and scenic golf. Built on the now former Fort Ord Military Base (closed in 1993), Bayonet was designed by General Robert B. McClure in 1954 and is named after the 7th Infantry "Light Fighter" Division, the first (and last) major unit to occupy Fort Ord. Known for its narrow playing corridors lined with oak and cypress trees, and steep, penal bunkering, Bayonet has long been considered the most difficult test of golf on the Monterey Peninsula. The par-72, 7,104-yard course has retained its famous bite even after a 2008 renovation by architect Gene Bates, who improved the course's playability and strategic options.

Following the success of the Bayonet Course, Fort Ord added Black Horse in 1964. Named in honor of the 11th Calvary Regiment, which was stationed across the Bay at the Presidio of Monterey from 1919-1940, Black Horse was designed by General Edwin Carnes, the Commanding General of Fort Ord from April 1963 until June of 1965. With captivating views of the Monterey Bay, Black Horse's 7,024 yard, par 72 layout has rolling, fescue-framed fairways, bunkers with distinctive, serrated edges and contoured greens.

"Bayonet and Black Horse, and the former military base they were built on, have an incredible history in the Bay Area," said Dr. Kiran Patel of SKDG Capital, the new ownership group of Bayonet and Black Horse. "We are thrilled to be partnering with Troon, the premier management organization in the golf industry, to enhance and improve the golf experience at these two iconic golf courses, while concurrently developing a new hotel on the property."

In addition to golf, Bayonet and Black Horse also includes a beautiful clubhouse with a golf shop, meeting facilities, and the Bayonet Grill, a casual restaurant with indoor and patio seating featuring views of the Monterey Bay.

"The opportunity to manage a tremendous property such as Bayonet and Black Horse is very exciting," said Darrell Morgan, Vice President Operations, Troon. "Our Troon management team will now look to further elevate the property in the areas of agronomy, club operations, marketing and food and beverage operations. We are confident that our management practices and dedication to outstanding service will make an already exceptional property even better."

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Revised: 12/23/2021 - Article Viewed 2,677 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.