Troon has been selected to manage Aetna Springs Golf Course in Napa’s Pope Valley in Northern California. The Aetna Springs Golf Course is a 9-hole golf course reputed to be the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi as the original course opened in 1893.
In 2007, golf course architect Tom Doak meticulously renovated and rejuvenated the century-old E.F. Mutton design. The 3,052-yard layout consists of one par-five, two par-threes, and six par-fours, adding up to a par of 35.
The property hasn’t been used as a resort between the 1970s and 2014 when the new owners, developers Robert Radovan and Bill Criswell restored the property (65-room resort) to its historic luster.
The place also has an interesting story that I don’t know how much it is true or an urban legend. The story is about Dominican friars who were tortured to death by rival Franciscans in the early 1500s. The Spanish Franciscans were notorious for their cruel treatment of local Indians, the Dominicans often hid the natives to protect them. Some golfers said they saw the shadows of these monks dressed in white robes on the fairways.
