By Mark Pazdur, Publisher
Sonoma County, California: You may want to be careful whom you choose for your playing partners at this Jack Nicklaus Signature walking course in the heart of the picturesque Sonoma wine country. In fact, you might be well advised to ask their wine preference before you ask about their handicap.
Why? Because the tradition here is “whoever loses the round provides the wine.”
Both a wine country retreat and a private club, Mayacama is set on 675 secluded acres amidst rolling hills and some of the world’s most renowned vineyards. It has just introduced Lodging Membership living with an emphasis on luxury and service.
Not surprisingly, wine is as important as golf at this club. “We have more wine lockers than golf lockers in the clubhouse,” says the club’s managing partner, Jonathan Wilhelm.
In fact, each member has a wine locker in the clubhouse’s wine cave. The lockers store about 40 bottles each. The club started with 400 lockers and had to add 100 more last year because of demand.
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“Mayacama embraces everything that is special about the area—from the club’s vintner program to the individual wine lockers to the wine cellar just off the 18th green.” —Jack Nicklaus |
Vintner Members’ Club Serves Up the Very Best
Members here take their wine seriously. The club invited area vintner’s (only those with a wine rating of 92 or better) to join their Vintner Members’ Club.
Thirty vintners have joined this special membership category where part of their obligation is to provide a barrel of wine a year to the club at cost. That works out to about 300 bottles, which the club uses for special releases to the membership. Each vintner must also do an event for the membership about every two years, ensuring the membership a monthly winery event.
This program allows members to secure some of the most sought after wine in the country.
“We get one of the largest allocations from Harlan Estate, one of the finest cabernet producers in the country,” says Jonathan. “Bill Harlan’s cabernet consistently scores a rating in the high 90s.”
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A Secluded Sanctuary—Off The Beaten Path
The club is named after the Mayacama Mountains that separate Napa from Sonoma. Tucked back in the rolling hills, surrounded by vineyards, this is a quiet, secluded place even though it is just five minutes off Highway 101, north of Santa Rosa, and a one-hour drive north of San Francisco.
Once you reach the guard gate at Mayacama, there’s a peaceful two-mile drive to the clubhouse through thick forest edged hillsides that give way to stretches of open meadow. The idyllic woods and fields make a safe haven for local wildlife. “You almost can’t go down a fairway and not see a family of deer or wild turkeys,” says Jonathan.
Though the world seems miles away once inside the gates, it’s just a few minutes drive to fine dining and shopping in the neighboring town of Healdsburg, home to a jazz festival, numerous wine tasting, and art galleries.
“Healdsburg is a special town,” says Jonathan. “The town square has an abundance of restaurants, shops, and boutique hotels. The famous Cyrus restaurant is located there and hotels can run you up to $1,000 per night on weekends.”
The location also boasts a welcoming climate. “Ten months of the year we have perfect golf weather,” says charter member Paul Balatti. “Yesterday [the day after Thanksgiving] was sunny, no wind, and 75 degrees.”
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“I believe if you want to do it right, you must live there. The developer must take a personal interest in the community for it to reach its full potential.” —Jonathan Wilhelm |
A True Family Run Business
Mayacama was founded and is being developed by the Wilhelm family. The chairman, David Wilhelm, got his start in St. Louis and has carved out an impressive career over three decades in the real estate business. He’s perhaps best known for developing two very successful and prominent Colorado golf clubs: The Roaring Fork Club near Aspen and Cordillera outside Vail.
Balatti, a successful business owner in Santa Rosa, California, says of David, “We were paired together at a golf tournament and I was immediately impressed with his character. I knew the property here and I believed in David’s vision for the club.”
David’s three sons (Patrick, Nicholas, and Jonathan) followed their dad’s footsteps into the real estate business. The oldest, Jonathan, is the managing partner of the community and makes his home there.
“I believe if you want to do it right, you must live here,” says Jonathan. “The developer must take a personal interest in the community for it to reach its full potential.”
How Charlie Brown Fits Into The PictureCharles M. Schulz, the legendary creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, originally owned the 3,500-acre parcel of land into which the club fits. 900 acres on the western side of the Schulz property was turned into a regional park, guaranteeing no development. The Wilhelm family bought and carved out 675 acres for Mayacama.
David and Jonathan first visited the site in 1999. With their success at The Roaring Fork Club fresh in mind, they were eager to create another winning club. But they questioned whether they knew the California market well enough.
Jonathan remembers asking his dad, “Are we nuts to take this on?” In the end, it just felt “right.” They knew this region was a growing destination market and that there was an extremely large affluent population only an hour away in San Francisco.
Nicklaus and Wilhelm Back Together Again
“The lay of the land made it simple to visualize the routing,” says Jonathan. And as for choosing Nicklaus to design it, “Dad had worked with Jack at The Roaring Fork Club and they have a good working relationship with one another. Dad is strong-willed and so is Jack. But more importantly, we knew Jack would make it a great member experience.”
“David and I have been friends for a long time, and I have always enjoyed working with him,” says Nicklaus. “We have done a handful of very nice courses together—Roaring Fork and Mayacama among them. He is willing to do the necessary things that make a quality golf course happen. From my standpoint, that provides me the tools to go and do what I need to create that desired golf experience.”
And what an experience it is! “This is beautiful golf course country,” expressed Balatti. It is a visually pleasing course, uncluttered with golf carts or yardage markers. Designed for walking (there are exemptions for older players and those with special needs), members see very few houses as they play through stands of live oak, madrone and mansanita.
Honoring The Tradition Of The SportNicklaus cites the course’s unspoiled landscape as the central factor in what he terms a “modern classic.”
“I will never forget the day we opened Mayacama,” says Nicklaus. “We held a press conference on the practice tee and everyone gathered beneath a tent. I had my back to the range, which was framed on every side by beautiful trees that made for a nice backdrop. Just as I was commenting on the nature and abundant wildlife, the media and guests look over my shoulder and pointed. As if on cue, a flock of turkeys strolled across the practice range.”
In the midst of this natural beauty, the Wilhelms wanted to create a golf experience that honored the traditions of the sport. To deliver that experience they hired a staff of professional caddies. In season, they have 70 to 100 caddies on staff, all wearing the traditional white jumpsuit.
“It was a necessary amenity for our membership,” says Jonathan of the caddies. He also explains why they decided to make this a walking course: “Dad and Jim Costello [a founding member here] were playing the just-opened Bandon Dunes. They enjoyed the walking experience because it brought back the traditions of the game.”
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“Ten months of the year we have perfect golf weather. Yesterday [the day after Thanksgiving] was sunny, no wind, and 75 degrees.” —Paul Balatti, Charter Member and +1 handicap |
Balatti, a +1 handicap who has been playing for 20 years, says of the course, “You can’t fall asleep out here. It tests you.”
He should know. Balatti played in the 2004 U.S. Senior Open and says, “Our club championship is run just as professionally as any USGA event. Ted Antonopoulos, our director of golf, is the ultimate golf professional. He is a traditionalist.”
The experts agree with what’s been done here. Golf Digest selected Mayacama as one of its Top 100 (No. 66) and Golfweek rated it No. 6 for Best Residential Courses in the United States.
A Clubhouse With The “Wow” FactorMayacama’s 40,000 square-foot clubhouse, designed by the well-respected firm of Marsh and Associates to resemble a Tuscan country estate, opened in 2003. Framed by live oak and madrone, it blends into the hillside overlooking the 1st and 18th holes, appearing to have been set in place for centuries.
Inside, the exposed timber, rustic trusses and hand-troweled plaster walls do nothing to dissuade you of that impression.
The clubhouse includes a spa with five treatment rooms and a masseuse on staff every day. In the center of the men’s locker room sits a fireplace that is open on all sides. “The locker room definitely has the ‘wow’ factor,” says Jonathan.
Members and guests enjoy formal and informal dining. But though the meals are elegant in the formal dining area, it has a relaxed French bistro ambience that lends a casual air.
As might be expected, the menu takes advantage of Sonoma County’s best: Artisan cheeses and olive oils, fresh organic fruits and vegetables, locally raised lamb, beef and poultry, plus fresh herbs from the Club’s own courtyard gardens.
And whether for a wine tasting or a cold beverage, the bar is a favorite meeting place and the social center of the clubhouse. The kind of place and people you enjoy returning to. “Our membership is welcoming. Just good people,” says Balatti. A Gathering Place For Families
It’s not all golf and wine at Mayacama. They opened the Swim and Tennis Club in 2005. The club includes two tennis courts, a heated pool, a snack bar, an outdoor barbecue, a gym, and a kids’ center. As a new dad, Jonathan appreciates the importance of children’s amenities at the club. It’s one of the many reasons he likes living here and thinks others will find the same gratification.
Members Have 70 Nights Per Year
For those who want to enjoy all the benefits of life in the wine country, without all the responsibility that goes along with owning a second home, Mayacama has introduced the Private Lodging Memberships. They took their inspiration from a place all golfers know.
“We consider Augusta National the ultimate lodging club,” says Jonathan. “Members at Augusta stay on property in the Butler Cabin. We envision offering the same type of amenity.”
Lodging Members enjoy an exceptionally high quality of living in the wine country with the luxury of having everything done prior to their stay. The club is now offering Lodging Memberships in Mayacama which allows for 70 nights a year in a flexible reservation program. And these are equity memberships, meaning you share in the appreciation.
The Mediterranean-style, luxury Villas and Casitas feature daily maid service and nightly turndown service, a 24-hour concierge, and a fully-stocked kitchen. Each three-bedroom Villa and one-bedroom Casita features natural stone tiles, a large soaking tub, dual rain shower heads, and an outdoor shower. With about 2,700 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space, the fully-furnished Lodging Membership start in the mid $600,000s.
A Healthy, Growing Community
“Mayacama really is a gift to its members and Sonoma County,” says Balatti. The Wilhelms would agree and are pleased with their decision to test their success in the California market.
“We have a great deal of satisfaction,” says Jonathan. “We have 450 members and the club is healthy and growing. I am proud we have created a world-class community with great people in the heart of the wine country.”
For additional information you may phone (707) 569-2950 or please visit mayacama.com.
