Golf Digest Names Bayonet One of the '50 Toughest Golf Courses in the U.S. '

Bayonet Black Horse Golf Club, the 36-hole, full-bentgrass facility on the Monterey Peninsula - today announces that the Bayonet Course is ranked No. 35 in Golf Digest's list of the "50 Toughest Golf Courses in the United States ."

The "50 Toughest" list is part of the magazine's 2009-2010 edition of "The World's Greatest Golf." While it focuses on overall difficulty (slope rating, course rating and reputation), the list is also a veritable roll call of America 's greatest golf courses. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island ranks first, and included in the 50 are such famous names as Pine Valley , Winged Foot (West), Whistling Straits (Straits), Bethpage (Black), and TPC Sawgrass (Stadium)

"Bayonet has always had the reputation of being a 'players' course, and this recognition by Golf Digest validates that positioning in the marketplace," says Dick Fitzgerald, project director for Seaside Resort Development, owners and operators of Bayonet Black Horse. "We are honored to be named to the list and mentioned in the same breath as many of this country's most storied golf venues."

Bayonet and Black Horse re-opened in December after a $13 million renovation by Bates Golf Design Group (Gene Bates). Changes to both layouts including dramatic view-shed alterations and hole routings that reveal breathtaking ocean vistas and improve playing options, and wholesale redesign of bunkers, tee boxes and greens. The agronomic enhancements to both courses were just as dramatic and impactful, as the invasive kikuyu and poa annua grasses on the tees, fairways and greens were replaced with Jacklin T1 Bentgrass, a rarity for the region that produces the superior lies and true-rolling putting surfaces.

Bayonet, with its narrow playing corridors and steep, demanding shot values and penal bunkering, has long been considered the most difficult test of golf on the Monterey Peninsula . It was ranked No. 35 in Golf Digest's 2007 edition of " America 's 50 Toughest Golf Courses." The par-72, 7,104-yard course has retained its famous bite after the extensive renovation work, but playability and strategic options have been greatly improved. The uphill, dogleg right, 476-yard, par-4 ninth hole - a brand new two-shotter -- exemplifies the course's brawny nature.

Adds Fitzgerald: "Before the renovation, Bayonet looked tough and played tough. Now, the course is every bit as difficult as it was, but its stunning aesthetics belie a layout that from the back tees, can challenge the best amateur and professional golfers. Gene's classic bunkering, the snow-white sand and deep green hue of the bentgrass combine to create one of the most visually memorable rounds of golf on the Monterey Peninsula ."

Golf Digest's biennial rankings compendium - which also includes America's 100 Greatest Golf, Best In State, 100 Best Outside the U.S. and Planet Golf (top courses in 199 countries) -- is supported by reviews from more than 900 panelists nationwide who played and rated thousands of courses on seven criteria: Shot Values, Resistance to Scoring, Design Variety, Memorability, Aesthetics, Conditioning and Ambience. After panelists filed their evaluations, the magazine averaged the scores of the categories, with Shot Values counting double, and totaled the averages to determine the overall standings.

Getting There: The Monterey Peninsula Airport offers commercial and charter air service, including direct flights to Los Angeles , San Francisco , Denver , Phoenix and Las Vegas . San Jose International Airport and San Francisco International Airport serve the area and are one and two hours north of Bayonet Black Horse, respectively.