Marcus Pointe Golf Course
Script error: No such module "AfC submission catcheck". Overview Located in the middle of Pensacola, FL, MPGC is a 6,650 yard semi-public course designed by Mobile, Alabama golf architect Earl Stone.[1] The course has five sets of tees, with players encouraged to play from the tees that will allow them to have approach shots be their second shot on par fours. The club allows walkers, offers both gas and electric carts, has clothing & equipment sales, a restaurant, clothes lockers and showers. The course is normally open 364 days per year, closed Christmas Day.
HISTORY MPGC was developed by local realty developers Jim Marks and Neal Nash as part of a large lot golf subdivision of several hundred homes. The course opened in November 1990 and was operated by the developers until Dec. 31, 2114. In its first decade the course hosted multiple developmental tour events (Hogan, Web.com, etc.) After course income dropped during the recession of 2008, the course was offered up for sale, and in 2015 the course was purchased by Hiram Cook, the owner of nearby Stonebrook GC and Tanglewood GC, both in neighboring Santa Rosa County, FL.[2]
Overview MPGC is unique in several respects. The course is laid out in a subdivision, but the fairways are sufficiently wide so slicers and hookers don’t have to worry. The layout has all the homes are on a golfer’s left, reducing risks for big time slicers. However, the architect designed the course so that nearly every hole is increasingly more difficult than the previous hole. And that is true from number one to eighteen.
The course allows walking, and has a pro shop with clothing for men and women, shoes and clubs, as well as a restaurant.
The front nine is designed as a flat, less challenging warmup, while the back nine has significant elevations, side sloping fairways and one green that has a side slope of about 30 degrees. There are no over the water holes, but many challenging holes, with most featuring a green guarded by one or more front bunkers. Several holes on both nines do have nearby water collection areas or nearby streams of water which aren’t intended to be part of play.
NOTE When reading the hole descriptions, recognize that now (2021) the two nines are currently reversed. When a new owner and new management arrived in 2015, they decided to reverse the nines, in order to maximize food sales. The original layout allowed a smooth flow from the nine green to the ten tee box. Now players leaving the “nine” green must pass by the restaurant. All the regulars hope the course will be restored to its original layout, but current management hasn’t announced a plan for that, as of Oct. 2021.
The Architect Earl Stone (born 1926 died 2016 at age 90) was a near professional level golfer (aka a "scratch golfer"). His early career involved golf course irrigation sales and installation, then course maintenance and when he became a course architect, he used all of his golf and professional skills to create his course designs.[3]
References[edit]
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