OB Sports Golf & Leisure

l IN THE NEWS OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE x SPRING 2016 x obsports.com GIVEN THE ROYAL TREATMENT D id a hotel that's already a Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five-Dia- mond property really need improv- ing? Hey, as the cliché-meisters say, if you're standing still, you're going to get passed. Clearly, the St. Regis Monarch Beach was not content to rest on its laurels. Most prominent in the $40 million makeover was changing the look, as well as the culture. Follow- ing completion of the renovations in spring 2016, the resort has retained its sophistication, yet has more fully embraced its beachy, coastal re- laxed elegance. Put it another way: the St. Regis Monarch Beach contin- ues to personify high-end luxury, but the old formality is absent. Start with a new arrival experi- ence, featuring panoramic windows in the lobby. Your "hello" moment is of an unobstructed ocean view. You're also greeted with wide plank wood floors and blue and green ac- cents that immediately invoke the coastal theme. Also new is a spa partnership with Miraval, the industry leader in the wellness lifestyle. Eating well cer- tainly is part of a balanced lifestyle and you'll do it in style at AVEO Table + Bar. The "Farm-to-Bar" ap- proach is accompanied by a re- designed space that provides crowd-pleasing vistas of the Pacific. A new poolside cantina, lobby marketplace, and 19th hole restau- rant are guaranteed to please. And a transformed swim area, high- lighted by an infinity-edge Ocean Pool, caps the improvements. south of Newport Beach in Orange County. Not only has the redesign more fully embraced the bluff-top, oceanfront setting, but it's revitalized the region's legacy, as a breeding ground for the handsome Monarch Butterfly. During decades of housing development, the butterflies had vanished. Over the past two years, how- ever, the resort has taken steps to restore Monarch habitats. Among other ac- tions, they've planted milkweed throughout their flower gardens and the lure has proved irresistible. That goes for butterflies and for hotel guests. The "wows" come early and often at the St. Regis Monarch Beach. I thought the old lobby was pretty spiffy, with its patterned, polished marble floor and striking chandeliers. They say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression – yet that's exactly what they've done at the St. Regis, transition- ing from heavy dark browns to an airy, highly nautical motif. With all due re- spect to the lobby, however, my mind had already turned to thoughts of the first tee. S ince Monarch Beach Golf Links earns regular accolades as one of the nation's best courses for cou- ples, my wife, Betsy, accompanied me – and so did her 93-years-young mom, Peggy. This was strictly for research pur- poses. Sometimes when a course is la- beled as a perfect fit for couples, there's a perception that it somehow lacks suffi- cient challenge for low handicappers who swing from the tips. The verdict? The course is a perfect fit for all golfers. I'm happy to report that wife and mother-in-law had a blast from the front Jade tees, soaking up the scenery, appre- ciating the fairway width, and rolling them in on flawlessly smooth, quick greens. For me, Monarch Beach Golf Links was full of revelations. It had been two decades since I had played this 1984 Robert Trent Jones Jr. design. I was wary, because I hadn't listed it as a fa- vorite back then. Ah, the wisdom of age – and the benefit of superb maintenance. I remembered a once soggy, grass-poor track, with bunkers that lacked suffi- cient sand. Today? Everything has changed for the better – and it is re- markable. Drainage refinements and VISIT THE ST. REGIS MONARCH BEACH >>>

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