Robert Gautney: Tehachapi's Horse Thief CC like a hidden gem
| Thursday, Jan 12 2012 05:25 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Jan 12 2012 05:28 PM
Horse Thief Country Club and Golf Course in Tehachapi is technically a Country Club. But General Manager David De Polo and head golf professional Tim Cobb, PGA, would like to remind the folks in and around Bakersfield and Kern County that the course and restaurant are open to the public.
"We are a country club and we have a men's club and a women's club with all of the activities, but the public is invited to play the course and frequent the restaurant," says De Polo, who came to the area from New Mexico. "We have a unique setting here, with beautiful views of the mountains, a challenging golf course and our restaurant (The 19th Hole Bar and Grill) is one of the best kept secrets around, with chef Edgar Rodriguez."
De Polo says that the ownership has reverted back to the Oak Tree Affiliates and with the soon-to-be completed project of bringing reclaimed water from the nearby California Correctional Institution to the golf course, they will be able to save some money on water and that will filter into the maintenance of the course. The pipeline is scheduled to be completed in late April or early May.
"We have some things on the horizon that we would like to be able to do to the course and once we start receiving that water, we can start to implement those," says Cobb, who came to the club in June of last year after graduating from the San Diego School of Golf Academy.
"This course used to be ranked in the top-25 in California a while back and we are striving to get it back to that plateau," says Cobb.
The course plays to 6,719 yards from the blue tees with a slope of 130 and a rating of 71.9 on the par-72 course including its signature hole -- the 145-yard par-3 No.7 that plays downhill from an elevated tee.
"The course is open for play and is in pretty good shape for the winter; obviously, the grass is dormant but we hope to have it lush and green come this summer," says Cobb. "But we just want everyone to come out and play and remember that there is another golf option here in Kern County."
Cobb and De Polo say they are working on implementing some specials, but as of right now they are offering a mid-week special for two seniors (55 and over).
De Polo says that there is a happy hour from 3-5 p.m. daily, a nice finish to a picturesque round of golf in the late morning/early afternoon. You can secure a tee time or a reservation in the restaurant by calling Horse Thief at 823-8571.
Humana Challenge field growing
The field for the first Humana Challenge has added some nice names to the playing list for the Jan. 19-22 PGA Tour event in La Quinta.
The Humana Challenge (formally the Bob Hope Classic), will take place on three area courses in La Quinta -- The La Quinta CC and both the Palmer Private and Nicklaus Private courses at PGA West.
Recently added to the field include Matt Kuchar, David Love III, Trevor Immelman, Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman. Defending champion Jhonattan Vegas will be back, as will 2010 winner Bill Haas and six other former champions.
The week will begin with pro-am tournaments on Monday and Wednesday and you can get a weekly pass or a daily badge in advance at humanachallenge.com or by calling (888) 672-4673 or at all Albertson's in the Coachella Valley. A daily ticket is $25.
Chip Shots
Good to see that Tiger Woods will be playing in the "Clambake" in Monterey this year. I know it has been known as the AT&T for many years, but I still like to refer to it as the "Crosby." My guess is that attendance will spike with the announcement of Woods in the field.
Tee to Green is looking for good feature stories for the column. If you know of any such stories, please send the information my way to rgautney@bak.rr.com so that I can bring it to the loyal readers of the column.
Tee to Green appears weekly at Bakersfield.com/sports. You can reach Gautney at rgautney@bak.rr.com.
