Golf Living Summer 2006
© Dale Leatherman 2006
Viewed from Hall’s Ridge high above the Hacienda, the Santa Lucia Preserve stretches farther than the eye can see in any direction–fields and hills and forested valleys unbroken by roads, utility lines or fences. It is almost impossible to grasp the vastness of the place: 20,000 acres…31 square miles…a wilderness half again as large as Manhattan.
Even more stunning than its size is the fact that the Preserve remains unspoiled. Off to the west is the Pacific coastline—Carmel by the Sea, Pebble Beach, resorts, restaurants, shopping centers, neighborhoods and busy streets. But on this peaceful ridge the only sounds are birdsong, the creak of saddle leather, and perhaps quiet conversation among riding companions. Which trail to take? There are 100 miles of paths lacing through groves of oak and redwood, and across fields carpeted in wildflowers.
While most of California’s coastal ranches were developed decades ago, the Preserve land looks as pristine as it must have in 1770, when the vaqueros of Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola rode from the coast up into these hills.
Modern vaqueros ride the hills yet today, a tradition the Preserve encourages. “It’s like heaven on earth,” says Sarah Yee, who flies in from Denver with her husband to spend time with her Arabian mare and filly while their home is being built. “Saddling up and going out, having that beautiful backdrop and knowing I can ride for miles and never cover the same ground—it’s the most spectacular place I can imagine having the horses.”
You have to look hard to see any houses, and that’s the way it will stay. More than 18,000 acres will remain untouched, and development is capped at 300 homes. Most are wooded sites, some as large as 45 acres, priced from $1 million to $3 million. Building materials and colors must blend into the surrounding foliage.
“The exceptional quality of life on the Santa Lucia Preserve comes from the beauty of its natural setting,” says developer Tom Gray. “Our objective was to ensure that the beauty of this landscape would be perpetuated for generations. Miraculously, the Preserve today is virtually as planned.”
During the Roaring 20s, the Santa Lucia Preserve was Rancho San Carlos, a “gentleman’s ranch” owned by wealthy playboy George Gordon Moore. There are plenty of reminders of that era. Moore’s 37-room Spanish Colonial Hacienda is now a private inn for Preserve members, families and guests. The horseshoe-shaped polo stable, beautifully restored, borders a modern swimming pool complex. The hay barn is now a gathering place with a dance floor and antique bar.
Designed to harmonize with the older buildings are new, state-of-the-art facilities, including a swim center, sports center, equestrian center and golf club. The Preserve’s Tom Fazio course is the sort of gem that is only possible when space and cost are no object. “As a setting for a golf course it’s as good as it gets,” says Fazio. “It’s as if you’re going on a grand hike and happen to have a golf club in your hand.”
The layout unfolds naturally, without artifice, using hills and valleys to create a shot-making gauntlet. Almost all holes are downhill, presenting one visual treat after another, with the gnarled limbs of ancient oaks pointing the way or framing greens against a backdrop of distant rises. Streams, wetlands and rock outcroppings come into play, but the bunkering is subdued. Because membership is limited, traffic is light, unless you count the wildlife. Coyote, deer, wild boar and wild birds abound, along with mountain lions that sometimes leave tracks in the bunkers.
It is nine miles from the gated entrance to the heart of the ranch, but the Preserve seems light years from the real world. The enveloping sense of space and peace is stunning–and very welcome to members seeking refuge from the pressures of everyday life.
Contact me to discuss second rights or a rewrite. daleatherman@cs.com