Bosques Altozano, June 2008

Below is the course layout.   I walked the first 5 holes,  then over to holes number 10 and 11.   They are hoping to have 9 holes open sometime this summer.   A few of the holes were ready to play,  although the grass could use a little more maturation time.  I am excited about how the layout is coming along,  I think it will be a fun,  fair course,  unlike some other,  more acclaimed courses in the area.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come on along as we walk through some of the holes.   Keep in mind,  these photos were taken  3 weeks ago in May,  the driest time of the year here in Morelia.   It has been raining fairly steady  for the last 3-4 days,   so things are looking much greener up here already.

Hole # 1,  Par 4,  390 yards from the blue tees.

You will want to aim your drive towards the large tree in the middle of the fairway.   It is fairly open and forgiving,  which is good seeing as it is Hole Numero Uno!

This photo below shows the landing area for your drive.   You would play a high iron over the stream,  into a small green surrounded by bunkers.

 Hole # 2,  Par 5,  533 yards from the blue tees.

This hole is straight up hill,   making it very challenging to go for the green in two.   Below is looking back at the tee area.

Assuming a straight long drive,  below is the view of your second shot will look like,   bunkers are strategically placed on both sides of the fairway.

Behind the second green,  looking back to drive's landing area. (below).   In the distance is Jesus del Monte.   This hole is up pretty high,  and I can see it getting pretty windy up here at times.

Hole # 3,   Par 4,  466 yards from the blue tees.

What goes up,  must come down.  Having hiked up number 2,  now it is straight downhill with the wind at your back.   At an altitude of well over 7000 ft.,  hackers like me should have fun letting it all hang out on this drive.   Aim for the lake,  with a fade,  and you could easily reach 300 yards off the tee.  The building just past the lake will be the provisional clubhouse.   The Altozano towers can be seen in the distance.

Your second shot (below) is also straight downhill.  The fairway on this hole was still a ways from having mature grass ready for play.

Hole # 4,   Par 4,  380 yards from the blue tees.

We have crossed under the perimeter road,  and are entering the flatter,  more wooded section of the course.   This is a short dog-leg left,  slightly downhill. 

If you are still with me,  reading this,  you must be a golfer.   Below is the 4th green.   We are coming into the area where 4-5 holes are very close to one another.   You are either finishing up on 18, or moving onto holes number 5 & 6.  (see course layout above)

  Hole # 18,   Par 5,  571 yards from the blue tees.

As you walk off the 4th green,  you come into the HUB of the Bosques Altozano course.   The photo below shows the 18th green,  you would be hitting your 3rd shot over the pond.    This would also be a great vantage point for watching a tournament,  as you can enjoy watching play on 4 or 5 different holes from here,  as well as being in a nice shaded grove of eucalyptus trees.

 Hole # 10,   Par 4,  443 yards from the blues

Holes 10 and 11 will probably be included in the first 9 holes to open this summer.   Here we are looking over the recently topdressed green at No. 10.   It is a dogleg left.

Hole # 11,   Par 4,  427 yards from the blues

Tees at 11,  a slight dogleg right.   That's my tour for now,  can't wait to try out my neighborhood course in a few weeks,  come on down,  you won't be disappointed !!

 

Bosque Altozano, update

As promised from my previous post, here are some photos of two of what look to be challenging holes here. The first is a long dog-leg left, where you need to drive over the pond. I think this will be a par 5 hole. Photo taken 3/2008

This hole below is very scenic, appears to be a long par 4. Keep in mind that these photos were taken during the driest time of the year here. The first good rainstorm took place last Sunday. They will have 9 holes ready to play this year. What month? Let's just say I have heard conflicting reports.

Altozano's Master Plan. where they stand.

Above is the master plan for the Altozano project. I took this off of their website, and I have amplified the numbers and put some of the communities in English. Their website is a little frustrating to navigate, regardless of the language. http://www.altozano.com.mx/. Anyway, you can click on the above map, enlarge it, so that the names and numbers are legible. I am going to clarify the specific areas in this and future posts with photos to show their present state of development.



1. Bosque Monarca...see previous posts for photos. I have been told that 9 holes will be open for play this spring. I hope to get there soon to take some updated photos of the golf course construction. In December, there were only a handfull of holes ready for play.












2 . Punta Altozano (anyone else have the tendency to say/type Altazona?) I have insider info on this, as one of my in-laws built a nice 3 BR home here. There are modern townhomes, aimed at both first time home buyers, young families, as well as retirees.











Punto Altozano is the most populated area of the development as of now. It is very close to the entrance to Bosque Monarca, the golf course.




3. Paraiso Altozano. This is just to the right as you head down the hill from the Tec de Monterry traffic circle. At present, there are 2-3 buildings in this gated community. The appear to be well built, large residences.

Fore, score.....maybe 7 years

To be fair, these photos were taken last Summer & Fall 2007, so the construction has come along. When finished, this will be a very nice 18 hole golf course, quite a bit different from the Tres Marias course. Tres Marias is similar to a Southwest USA canyon course. This will be more of a wooded , tight shots, very scenic golf course with two man-made ponds and a small stream running through it. I used to hike out here, and there were always signs of coyote, fox, deer, etc.

"Bosques Monarca Country Club" was due to have its inauguration last November, but seems to be on Mexican time :))

Now, before you go and make your tee times, the photos above are of the 4-5 holes that have grass, most of the course is in the state of the photos below. The drainage and water pipes have been put in place, but the fairways and greens have yet to be seeded. I do not forsee this course being open until 2009, hopefully they will prove me wrong.

Golf Course photos - Taken April 8th, 2007

Click on images to enlarge, the Punta Monarca community can be seen to the left. Morelia is in the distance.

Here in this photo, you can appreciate the beauty of the area. The Moorish Group is designing this course. It is aimed to being more "golfer friendly" so that the average duffer can enjoy his/her round time and time again.

I expect the developers are working their best to have the course laid out and seeded, before the seasonal rains come.

Bosques Monarca

The second major player in la Nueva Morelia is Francisco Medina, a local entrpreneur with auto dealerships throughout Mexico. He is the principal owner of all the land up here near Jesus del Monte that will become Montaña Monarca. The company GICSA is the contractor behind the Paseo de Morelia mall. They are a large contractor out of Mexico City, it is rumored that Carlos Slim is behind GICSA. Paseo Morelia will be the largest mall in the GICSA system, and one of the largest in Latin America.

As stated earlier, Enrique Ramirez has his pet golf course, not to be outdone, Francisco "Paco" Medina is now constructing his up here. Below are the photos of what will become Bosques Montana CC. Keep in mind, 3-4 months ago, I was walking through these woods, they were just starting to move dirt around.

The photo at the right was taken from the highest point in the perimeter road that runs around the golf course. The brick structure in the middle (click on photo to enlarge it) is Los Corporales Salon de Fiesta. The white tower for the tech would be just outside of this photo to the left. The author´s home is in the distance in line with Los Corporales at the far tree line.

This photo was taken from the same spot, just moving left. The Tec Tower can be seen, and behind that in the distance, is the new construction for Paseo Morelia. You are looking north. The foreground sandy areas are where the golf course is.

Same vantage point, just moved the camera to the left, Golf holes in foreground, the white buildings in the distance are in the gated community of Punta Monarca. I really believe that Bosques Monarca will be the neighborhood to live in Morelia. Much more naturally scenic than Tres Marias.

Here is part of the perimeter road around the golf course. After hiking through these woods over the years, my only hope is that they will zone this community for at least 1 acre lots.