I booked my round at Pebble...Am I crazy paying $$$ for one round?

[Golfaway]

I will have to play there one day in my life. There and in Augusta, and don't ask how will I enter Augusta, I still don't know :D
Money comes and goes, but the experience and the nostalgia lasts forever. There were moments when I decided against paying for some stuff that I regretted afterward. $500 or even $1000, if you have the money and can afford it, don't hesitate. It's the experience of a life time.

[MMouse]

I think that the $$ is a minor detail. Anyone with a great love for the game could understand the justification in paying to play anyone of these courses. I've already set goals to play a few, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews being two of them.

[Naterater]

Now I kinda feel guilty for playing it over 30 times having never payed a dime to play!

[golfbarefoot]

Is there anything golf related that isn't pricey?

To play Pebble Beach is a great lifetime experience and it's tough to put a dollar amount to it.

My brother, father and a close friend are making our Scotland trip which includes St Andrews, Carnoustie and Prestwick. It's pricey but lifes too short and us golf nuts have to experience these god given treasures at least once.

Forget about the cash, enjoy it.

[pinhigh27]

This.

umm...what? That's like saying anyone can buy a house, just get a huge mortgage and live for the moment. How about being able to afford the round.

Anyway. To the OP, if you can afford it, you gotta do it. It's on my list of courses to play.

[BirdIsTheWord]

Haven't made it to pebble yet. But I will. I play expensive, I play cheap. Now with the economy it's a great time to get deals on big ticket items, including golf. That's a friggin Great deal. I'd trade one round at pebble for 5-$100 rounds or 10-$50 rounds in a heartbeat. And I'm from New England like you, think of how much you already saved on golf this crappy weather season. Put it towards pebble.

[Phil-Mick#1]

Haven't made it to pebble yet. But I will. I play expensive, I play cheap. Now with the economy it's a great time to get deals on big ticket items, including golf. That's a friggin Great deal. I'd trade one round at pebble for 5-$100 rounds or 10-$50 rounds in a heartbeat. And I'm from New England like you, think of how much you already saved on golf this crappy weather season. Put it towards pebble.

Yeah, I can afford it and have decided to play SpyGlass too. I played St. Andrews in 2002 and this has always been on my to play list! I will post pics when I get back. Should I take a caddie?

[Chas]

Clambake, very droll.

hmmm, I suppose all of that applies to me as well, especially since my wife keeps insisting that I play the "round of a lifetime", Spyglass included. I don't feel quite ready for the experience, skill-wise.

Don't be giving the forum mods ideas. Maybe they'll create some sort of icon to stigmatise forum members who wilfully refuse to play Pebble despite having the chance.

[2bGood]

Is it worth skipping 4 rounds for this one round? (it not hard to spend $100 per round at regular nice courses) My answer would be HELL YES.

[Clambake]

Yeah, I can afford it and have decided to play SpyGlass too. I played St. Andrews in 2002 and this has always been on my to play list.

Glad you decided to play Pebble (you won't be disappointed!) and playing Spyglass too will make a perfect complement to your visit. They are very different courses, but each fantastic in their own ways.

When I played a couple weeks ago, I didn't take a caddy at Spyglass but did at Pebble. Although I'm sure a caddy would have been fun at Spyglass, I didn't have too much trouble determining where to hit the ball there or read the greens, so a caddy wouldn't have helped my score that much. Spyglass is cart-path only, so you'll still get to walk it a bit if you take a cart. At Pebble, I'm really glad I took a caddy more for the experience than anything else. The feeling of strolling along those storied fairways without lugging clubs really added to the whole amazing feeling. My caddy was named Eddy, and he was great. He's been at Pebble a long time, and had the exact personality I was hoping for - a little older (probably mid-fifties), slightly cantankerous but in a good way, willing to share stories about the course, etc. He carried double bags for myself and a friend, and helped a lot with club selection, did an amazing job finding errant shots (one by me, several with my friend), giving reads on the greens, etc. Since you're already paying significant coin, the extra money for the caddy won't add that much (in percentage at least) to the overall cost. That stroll down the 18th fairway, walking alongside Eddy, was truly amazing. As the Mastercard commercials say......"Priceless!".

[Clambake]

Now I kinda feel guilty for playing it over 30 times having never payed a dime to play!

I hate you. We've never met, and I have no idea what you're like, but I truly and deeply hate you!

[Chas]

So Clambake, how would you personally compare Pebble (and Spyglass) with Torrey Pines South, in terms of:
1) degree of difficulty
2) general aesthetics.

The difference in historical signifance is clear enough, though TP is catching up a bit.

And yes, I share the hate :)

[Clambake]

So Clambake, how would you personally compare Pebble (and Spyglass) with Torrey Pines South, in terms of:

I'd love to say "based on my extensive experience", but since I've only played PB and SG once my sample is a bit limited. But here's how I'd compare them:

Difficulty : SG is the hardest of the 3, followed by TP and then Pebble. At SG, the first 5 holes play near the ocean and are links-style, and then the course turns uphill into the forest. The trees are a bit tight and plentiful, so errant shots are penalized more than at Torrey. The rough at Torrey was more difficult, however, with that #@$% kikuya. Pebble was much more open and forgiving off the tee, but got tougher near the green. I would expect, however, that Pebble's difficulty is mostly dependent on the weather (like the British Open courses) and if they're setting up the rough for the Open. Since it is more open, Pebble is more exposed to the wind and I can see how that could turn a docile course into a real monster; I was lucky and played it in the most benign and pleasant conditions one could ever hope for. SG has the best greens of the bunch, and probably some of the best anywhere. They weren't easy but did seem fair, with no real flaws seen - beautifully maintained, consistent roll. Wonderful to putt on. PB's greens were better than I expected from a condition perspective, but they're tough. The first problem is they're quite small, a lot smaller than SG. They don't look tricky from a distance as they don't have a lot of different tiers or saddles or anything, but they are visually deceptive and hard to read. I'd characterize TP's greens as being sort of similar to SG, but without the conditioning. I think TP's are actually pretty good considering it's a municipal course with quite a bit of play (and a City of San Diego maintenance budget), but part of the thing that makes TPs greens are working the little bumps and bounces. Aesthetics : This is kind of a "which do you prefer, blondes, redheads, or brunettes?" question. All three are beautiful coursed in gorgeous settings, so I'll have to be a bit more verbose in my descriptions so you can decide: Spyglass : SG is the most sensuous course I've ever played by far. The visuals are stunning, with a combination of ocean holes, forests, etc., but I really felt "aware" of the course in other ways. I know this sounds a bit silly, but it was really a combination of the sights, sounds, smells, and feel. You get this wonderful aroma of the sea air mixed in with the smell of pine trees. Sea lions barking a mile away would still be lightly echoing through the trees, mixed with birds chirping. The sound of a crisply shot driver would have this great "thwack" reverberating through the forest. Deer were roaming the course, seemingly oblivious to the danger but somehow suddenly bounding into the forest just before an errant shot. The fairways were beautifully manicured and had a wonderfully soft feel underfoot. The only thing at SG that I found aesthetically weak was #13 where there are some pretty average homes alongside the fairway, as well as the first half of #14; other than those it is a pretty pure golf course. Pebble : PB has a beautiful ruggedness to it, and a great flow to the holes - each hole really seems to fit well with the one you just played and the one you'll play next. The holes along the cliffs are truly stunning, but even when you get away from the water the presence of the ocean is always right there in the corner of your eye. It doesn't have the forest elements of SG so the sounds and smells are largely just the ocean. A lot of the tees are located close to the prior green, so to me that detracted slightly from the aesthetics, whereas at SG the holes seemed completely detached from each other visually (but not in theme). Unlike SG where there were the homes on or near the course were pretty unobtrusive, at PB you are reminded that the course is the front yard for a lot of very very wealthy people. It can detract from the aesthetics a bit, but I also enjoy it a bit, so for me they were kind of a wash aesthetically. Torrey : To me, TP is a bit of a blend of both SG and PB, just not as dramatic as either. The ocean is more detached at TP, even when you're near it like on #4 or staring down on it at #3; it feels more like distant scenery than a contributing part of the course. I love that TP has a mix of trees, adjacent scrub areas, etc. and think it gives the course a great feel and variety but still a common theme. There aren't homes at TP as you know, but I find the Scripps-Green, Salk, and Sheraton buildings sort of lower the aesthetics of the holes near them, and I also think the undeveloped land around the glider port detracts quite a bit on #11 and 12; these holes should be more attractive than they are (to me). Overall, I feel that SG has to be considered one of the finest courses anywhere, and PB is right up there as well. TP just isn't quite up to either in terms of aesthetics, but for our local muni I feel really lucky to be able to play it.

[apex53]

As I recently posted (and Chas was kind enough to post the link to the thread) I just returned from a trip to Pebble and it was fantastic. But to the OP, let me get this straight.... You're on a paid business trip. Airfare covered. Lodging covered. Meals covered. And you're wondering if you should pay the extra bucks to play Pebble while there? Are you crazy???

LOL!!! Funny stuff.

Yes, by all means do it... it's a lot of money for a round of golf but it's freaking Pebble Beach... I surprised my dad with a trip to Pebble a couple of years ago and he's still talking about it... the experience and the memories that we have are worth every penny and then some

[Chas]

Clambake,

Thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts down so vividly, I'm sure I'm not the only one here who appreciates your keen eye and way with words. You have made me more interested in playing SG than I was before, out of ignorance largely; I will certainly include it when I head up there with clubs in tow. The lack of kikuya would be a benefit for the visitor in comparison, not to mention the quality of the greens - at TP they can be very challenging as you know. Certainly the canyons, shrubs and peculiar pines add a lot of drama to TP but you're right that the cliffs and ocean are a rather remote presence on the whole. At Pebble, I was very impressed just driving along the shoreline and getting out ever so often to take it all in, and even from a distance one gets a bit of the feeling of tree-lined fairways at SG that you describe. To actually play them - what a thrill!

How could anyone here not indulge themselves, after reading such a compelling description? Not me ........

[cmvash]

umm...what? That's like saying anyone can buy a house, just get a huge mortgage and live for the moment. How about being able to afford the round.

Wow did you really compare a price for a round of golf to a 30 year mortgage? $500 dollars isn't even remotely in the realm of the price of a home. The level of idiocy on the internet amazes me.

[Knockglock]

Now I kinda feel guilty for playing it over 30 times having never payed a dime to play!

How have you been able to play for free?