The Polo Report
By Steve Crowder

California polo may be in the best climate in the world, but it has the worst attitude, not altitude in the world. We have perfect winter and summer weather, there is no place else like it. You cannot go anywhere, like the Desert, in the winter in North America and experience the temperate climate and beautiful landscape.   The desert is warm with chilly evenings “sometimes” and you can go skiing (an hour or two drive away) or go to the beach.  You can stay there and play golf on one of 100 golf courses or just lay by the pool and tan. You can play Polo in one of the most scenic and temperate polo destinations in the world … Empire Polo Club. The problem is no one seems to want to get along, wherever you are in this state.  Whether you are up north at Cierra Pampa and Santa Rosa they cannot be peaceful. To the south it is Santa Barbara, which is the worst.  It is the best place in the world from July to Oct. and they have to be a pain in the A**. Indio, CA,  the winter capital of Polo at one time was Eldorado and is history.  Empire is growing and it may be the most spectacular place in Polo. These two clubs are neighbors. They border each other.

IT IS TIME TO USE COMMON SENSE IN THE GOLDEN STATE WHICH HAS VERY LITTLE GOLD ANYMORE !!!!!

It is time to wake up and smell the roses and not just at Empire, because they have a million of them, but across the State. Polo is not Nancy’s sport, our Queen Pelosi, and yes few are as rich as her, but we do have people with money to play the sport of polo, so lets kick back and do it!

All in favor let us know:This is my idea and we all have one but look at it and then send me your comments.

MY RECIPE :

For northern California –  Why do they not just sit down and feed each other there shots. If each area including Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Menlo and Modesto could come up with at least 2 teams they could compete at each others club every weekend.  Each club could have featured games and start some getting some press coverage of it all. They have a huge population and Polo is a cheap very fun day out for families and groups. Look at San Diego Polo with crowds of 1500 to 3000 per week mainly due to 1 Lady on the computer … Lindsay Chronert. The cost would be equal as everyone will travel. Some of the clubs will create interest as friends follow and there will be parties, new friends and associations made. That’s all it takes.

SANTA BARBARA NOT THE DISASTER IT LOOKS LIKE . WHY?

BOB PUETZ the new General Manger of SBPC. Two things he knows … Polo and people, especially Polo People.  This is a # 1 ingredient in Polo … who is the Master? Jimmy Newman. Why he knows Polo Patrons and they know he does.

Santa Brabara has too many things to not be the greatest place in the world to play July through Sept. every year. The average temperature is 74 degrees with cool evenings, warm days and it is hot about 3 times a Summer where it is over 90 which may last 3 hours and that has not happened for 2 years until Oct.  England gets 20 teams and it never stops raining, not that is so bad, but here the rain does not happen in season . Another thing that few understand … there are some prime fields here in the region that are not at the club.  Tom barrack has 2 at Piocho Ranch that are very good.  Andy Busch has 1 huge field which is also playing very good.  Zacara has a field playing very well. As for players, it looks bad by executives, but playing very well include ERG, who has 2 fields and they will be top flight soon.  The Club has 3 plus Michael Rothbard’s field, which  is a very good field. Pat Nesbitt has a very good field on a unreal setting.  It you add it up that totals 12 fields and 18 chukkars a week minimum. You could have 36 games a week. So I think that will take care of all the Polo needed to support 20 teams that will need 20 games a week + practice (which at most is 10 more games) and many will be round robins. This leaves room to make an absolute fantastic season in Santa Barbara. You could have an 8-goal league to take care of locals and visitors as well, who may move up and enjoy seeing if not playing the high goal. There is no down side for the community, including rental places, feed stores, hay dealers, local markets, horse shoers and vets. There is no down side!  The Club will look better, have a lot more business and have all the featured games and main games on Sunday. The fields will be 90% better with 20 teams in high goal and that is a bit hopeful, but say they did.  With ten 8-goal teams you are talking a minimum of 750 more people here and that is a low estimate.  They all have to eat, shower and sleep. Take that number times 20 and that would be drastic to do it,  but still adds up to 15 grand a day or 100 grand a week to the community … most likely this will be 10 times that much a week. Take that times 7 to 8 weeks and that is a few local salaries for the year. So tell me why they can not sit down and make it happen? I know Bob Puetz can put it together just give him a chance to do it.

Traveling East as in San Diego They have some internal fighting, but their biggest problem is local govt. So I am guessing they need Junior John Goodman or a quorum to lay out the cash for a facility and they have one that would work. Jenny Craig has a big property that would be suitable that is for sale. It  has lots of flat land and water, but it has politics in the road.  If enough people cared, it could be done. I imagine it would be a property that could be quite profitable in the future. If not, find a place that will work!  There are more young well-to-do people in the San Diego area,  probably more than anywhere else other than Austin, TX or Silicon Valley.   Why not make it polo? They already have the best fan base in California and maybe the fan-friendliest Club in the country.

THEN WE GO TO THE DESERT … BUT THAT IS A STORY ON ITS OWN.  THIS IS THE MECCA OF NORTH AMERICAN POLO AND WE JUST DO NOT KNOW IT “” YET”” Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

see ya and yes I know there are a lot of ideas out there, so lets share them. There is no reason we cannot have the best POLO in the world right here.