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Located in California’s beautiful Central Coast just 10 minutes from Pismo Beach, golf enthusiasts will find the beautiful Monarch Dunes Golf Resort, part of the Woodlands development. The Woodlands Resort overall development plans include 1,300 homes, a shopping center, a business park, a 500-room full service resort hotel, two 18-hole golf courses and one 12-hole executive course. The entire resort project will be built out over the next 15 years.
Monarch Dunes initial offering called “The Old Course” was completed and open for play in May of 2006. This 18-hole public jewel features varied terrain that goes from level play to rolling hills and offers everything from grassy knolls and eucalyptus trees, to sand dunes that mimic those of nearby Pismo Beach. It opened to rave revues and was recently named the number three public course in the nation by Golf Digest. |
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Construction of “The Challenge” at Monarch Dunes began in February of 2007. Coastal EarthWorks is the general contractor on this project, and they performed all of the basic grading and excavating. United GLI, Inc. was contracted to take the golf course from rough grade to finish grade, all the way to the finish product.
The finish product is a unique 12-hole executive course, designed with the business executive in mind or the individual that just doesn’t have the time or inclination to play a full 18 holes of golf. The job started in February 2007 as a two phase project that called for the construction of 5 holes in 2007 and the remaining seven holes to be completed by March 2008.
United GLI, Inc.’s portion of the project came in at $2.2 million and involves the construction of several lakes, shaping and feature construction and all of the golf course irrigation. The irrigation portion of the job is rather extensive and includes the wet well intake and pump station. According to Tony Cunzio, the main challenge of “The Challenge” is working with the sandy base material in a very wind prone area. It is necessary to have water trucks running almost continuously and on the really windy days, simple tasks such as laying cart path or even gluing pipe can become difficult. Additional challenges include cutting into slopes that must be re-compacted back to the mandated 95%.
“The Challenge” is an add-on to the existing course, and an additional 18 holes is scheduled to be built sometime in the near future. The “Old Course” was designed and built by Damian Pascuzzo who has worked on a broad range of projects from residential to resort developments, to master planning and remodeling existing courses throughout North America and Asia. In 2006, Steve Pate joined with Damian Pascuzzo to form Pascuzzo & Pate Golf Course Design. Steve has played golf on tour on award winning courses all over the world and he brings his vast knowledge to the table, along with Damian Pascuzzo, with the construction of “The Challenge”. As part of the architectural team Russ Mitchell (with RMA Russ D. Mitchell and Associates) provided the irrigation design. Dan Garson provides construction project management and acts as the owners representative on site. |
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(Top Photo) Entrance to the resort community Trilogy in Santa Maria, California.
(Middle Photo Left to Right) Tony Cunzio, Fred Ward, and Sergio Hernandez.
(Right Photo) A sign leading to the Clubhouse at the Monarch Dunes Golf Resort. |
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(Left and Below) A CAT D4G XL
grades and excavates at the Monarch
Dunes Golf Resort.
Tony Cunzio comments on the progress of “The Challenge” course thus far, “This is an engineered site and it is our job to hit all of the control points. Everything is going according to plan, on budget and on schedule. We will be finished by April with a soft opening scheduled sometime by the end of summer. Damian Pascuzzo has done an exceptional job designing “The Challenge” to where it can provide easy or very challenging play. Like “The Old Course”, this executive model is designed with plenty of sand dunes that simulate the Central Coast environment.”
Tony, Cunzio is President of United GLI, Inc., which stands for Golf, Landscape and Irrigation. Tony started his company back in 2001 with a major focus on irrigation. Soon his vision grew to include golf course building, landscape design and construction. In just over six short years, Tony Cunzio and United GLI have amassed a huge resume of prestigious projects including but certainly not limited to: Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles, El Dorado Country Club in Indian Wells, Ashwood Country Club in Applle Valley, CA, Sun City Shadow Hills in Indio and most recently a renovation project on a 27 hole golf course in Las Vegas Nevada known as Spanish Trails. In addition, United GLI is also currently working with the Oakmount Country Club for thei 18 hole course renovation starting October of 2008. United GLI, Inc. has also recently come off of a great success up in Eureka Montana, where they have built a wonderful 18 hole championship course for Nick Faldo.
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Of course, Tony Cunzio has not accomplished everything over the past six years or so by himself. He receives the very capable help and support of approximately 100 other professionals on his staff. For instance, he is joined and complemented by his vice president of golf course construction, Fred Ward and the vice president of irrigation, Sergio Hernandez. He is quick to point out that every success is do to the group effort of everyone of United GLI’s dedicated employees. Together with his professional crew, the company has grown on average of 25% per year over the last six years.
United GLI, Inc. has gone from renting equipment to owning more equipment as they grow and prosper. Their inventory includes dozers, excavators, backhoes, skip loaders, trenchers and plows. Tony Cunzio truly appreciates the beauty and workmanship of each and every course he plays on, as well as builds. Cunzio has over 27 years experience in golf course construction, working worldwide from California to Australia and even in Southeast Asia. He has been fortunate enough to work with some of the very best names in golf course design including Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer, Schmidt-Curley, Pinnacle Design, Nick Faldo and of course Damian Pascuzzo and Steve Pate.
The Challenge at Monarch Dunes is located in Nipomo, California, just north of Santa Maria, California. For more information on the courses at Monarch Dunes, feel free to visit them online at www.monarchdunesgolf.com. Cc |
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