Is Pebble Beach Worth $495 (or $550 in 2019)?

[p1n9183]

A friend of mine played the course. He doesn´t regret it but he closed his eyes while paying.

For me it´s a NO WAY. This year i travelled to Europe for 1 month, all the trip, including everything except for the clothes i bougth, cost me 750 Dollars. It´s a no brainer to me, you can do better with that amount of money.    

[Buckeyebowman]

On 12/8/2019 at 9:57 AM, Sandy Divot said:

That looks like what Coore & Crenshaw did at Pinehurst. That really looks good! That being said, the trip from the East Coast, car rental, the stay at the lodge, caddie would all add up to more than I pay to play all year. I'd love to play it, but unless I won some sort of contest, it will never happen. I live within driving distance from Pinehurst, but I'll probably never play there, again. I did play there in the early 80s, and two nights, including breakfast and dinner, three rounds cost about $140.

A couple years ago a buddy of mine was talking about us making the trip to Pebble. I got on the computer and had a look. I told him that he'd better start with about 5 grand in his pocket! 

When we played Spyglass, the AT&T Invitational had been cancelled that year due to heavy rain! On many holes there were 6 to 8 maintenance men working! I asked one guy what was going on. He said, "These folks don't like it when their tournament gets cancelled! We're looking for drain tile. I told 'em why the course flooded. When they put the watering system in, they ran a big trencher right down the middle of the fairway, cut all the drain tile, and they're all fulla dirt now!"

All those guys cost money. Also, how many of you realize that the "shoreline" on the 18th at Pebble is pretty much artificial?! As are many of the "rocks" out from the shore that help break up the waves rolling in. They have to do this to keep the 18th from eroding away! Come February, just look at it closely!

[Double Mocha Man]

9 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

A couple years ago a buddy of mine was talking about us making the trip to Pebble. I got on the computer and had a look. I told him that he'd better start with about 5 grand in his pocket! 

When we played Spyglass, the AT&T Invitational had been cancelled that year due to heavy rain! On many holes there were 6 to 8 maintenance men working! I asked one guy what was going on. He said, "These folks don't like it when their tournament gets cancelled! We're looking for drain tile. I told 'em why the course flooded. When they put the watering system in, they ran a big trencher right down the middle of the fairway, cut all the drain tile, and they're all fulla dirt now!"

All those guys cost money. Also, how many of you realize that the "shoreline" on the 18th at Pebble is pretty much artificial?! As are many of the "rocks" out from the shore that help break up the waves rolling in. They have to do this to keep the 18th from eroding away! Come February, just look at it closely!

... and that rock wall along the sand trap for the last 150 yards, is totally artificial... and holding up the turf on that side.  And the iconic big tree not far from the green was replaced about 10 years ago with another mature one.  It took a few days to bring it in on a flatbed... across some of the course, laying sheets of plywood ahead of the truck so the fairway wasn't rutted.  Quite the story of how they did that.  

Golf California: Pebble Beach Golf Links, tree, California

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Since Pebble Beach Golf Links opened in 1917, the 18th green, one of the greatest finishing holes in all of golf, was protected by...

 

[Herkimer]

As much as I would love to play there, spending that much money for a round of golf anywhere isn't worth it.  Besides, I know someone who played there and he told me that it was very very slow going.  I hate slow play and I hate waiting for groups ahead of me to move along.  So, for me, it's definitely not worth it.  

[GolfLug]

This is one place I would not complain about a 5+ hour round. Selfishly, I would prefer it...😊

[Bucki1968]

I played Pebble Beach years ago when I was in the PGA. Obviously I didn't pay the regular green fee but it was still expensive (1990). It was a probably about a 5 hour round with two gentlemen who decided they wanted to play the back tees (I was with a friend who was also in the PGA and we didn't want to play all the way back) who couldn't have shot 100 from the front tees. Even with that, we waited on every single tee for 18 holes. Believe it or not, the course wasn't in very good shape (November). Was it a great round of golf....no. Was it a great golf course...yes. All that being said, I wouldn't pay anywhere near 500 bucks to play it. 

[NM Golf]

12 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

When we played Spyglass, the AT&T Invitational had been cancelled that year due to heavy rain! On many holes there were 6 to 8 maintenance men working! I asked one guy what was going on. He said, "These folks don't like it when their tournament gets cancelled! We're looking for drain tile. I told 'em why the course flooded. When they put the watering system in, they ran a big trencher right down the middle of the fairway, cut all the drain tile, and they're all fulla dirt now!"

And no doubt they appreciated you chiming in, I am sure they were just walking around aimlessly until you showed up. 

7 hours ago, Herkimer said:

As much as I would love to play there, spending that much money for a round of golf anywhere isn't worth it.  Besides, I know someone who played there and he told me that it was very very slow going.  I hate slow play and I hate waiting for groups ahead of me to move along.  So, for me, it's definitely not worth it.  

Not sure why anyone would pay $500 and then want to run around the course in 2.5 hours. Its the one place I would want to have the chance to stop and take some pictures and take in the sights.

My father has played there and said it was great. It's all relative whether or not you think its worth $500. Among american courses its royalty and one of the only one of those types of courses us regular folk can play. I think it's worth it, I will get there one day I hope, it's on my to do list once I retire. 

But then again, I know a lot of people that want to or have gone to Scotland and play the Old Course. I have no desire what so ever to do that. Dreary, rainy, cold, not to mention the cost to get there and stay there is far more expensive than Pebble. Again relative, concerning taste you cannot argue.

[pganapathy]

I voted NO, because I don't really feel any course should cost you so much to play.  However, that being said, as a course on one's 'Bucket List', it might be worth paying to play once in a lifetime.  But it definitely isn't a course one could play multiple times paying that much money.  I suppose it makes it worse for me coming from a country where the most expensive courses probably wouldn't cross 200 dollars and most are under a 100 dollars.  I suppose if you golfed in a country like Korea or Japan, where very few, possibly none, of the courses cost less than a 100 dollars, it might change your view point.

[billchao]

12 hours ago, NM Golf said:

And no doubt they appreciated you chiming in, I am sure they were just walking around aimlessly until you showed up. 

I think you misread his post. It's all in quotes, so I read it as that was the answer the maintenance people gave him.

[iacas]

10 hours ago, billchao said:

I think you misread his post. It's all in quotes, so I read it as that was the answer the maintenance people gave him.

Yeah, the whole thing is in quotation marks, @NM Golf.

Of course, it's an off-topic irrelevant personal story, but that's a @Buckeyebowman trait if there ever was one. So maybe you skimmed it and misread it slightly because of that.

[DaveP043]

23 hours ago, NM Golf said:

My father has played there and said it was great. It's all relative whether or not you think its worth $500. Among american courses its royalty and one of the only one of those types of courses us regular folk can play. I think it's worth it, I will get there one day I hope, it's on my to do list once I retire. 

But then again, I know a lot of people that want to or have gone to Scotland and play the Old Course. I have no desire what so ever to do that. Dreary, rainy, cold, not to mention the cost to get there and stay there is far more expensive than Pebble. Again relative, concerning taste you cannot argue.

I've been lucky enough to play at Whistling Straits, and at Pinehurst #2, and their prices are similar to Pebble Beach.  In each case, I was glad to have had the experience, but I'm unlikely to ever play them again (at full price).  Maybe its the distance from me, but I'm not all that interested in going to Pebble Beach, although its in the same general category as #2 as far as its golf history goes.  But value is up to the individual, I understand those who would happily pay the price, and those who wouldn't.

This image of Scotland as dreary, rainy, cold, and expensive is a bit off, in my experience.  The price to pay the Old Course can be around half that of Pebble, there are lots of great courses nearby at even lower prices, lodging can be had relatively inexpensively, and the weather I've experienced has been much more sunny than rainy.  Of course, its pretty convenient from the East Coast of the US as compared to the West.  Again, personal tastes, and personal opinions of value will vary.

[NM Golf]

5 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

I've been lucky enough to play at Whistling Straits, and at Pinehurst #2, and their prices are similar to Pebble Beach.  In each case, I was glad to have had the experience, but I'm unlikely to ever play them again (at full price).  Maybe its the distance from me, but I'm not all that interested in going to Pebble Beach, although its in the same general category as #2 as far as its golf history goes.  But value is up to the individual, I understand those who would happily pay the price, and those who wouldn't.

This image of Scotland as dreary, rainy, cold, and expensive is a bit off, in my experience.  The price to pay the Old Course can be around half that of Pebble, there are lots of great courses nearby at even lower prices, lodging can be had relatively inexpensively, and the weather I've experienced has been much more sunny than rainy.  Of course, its pretty convenient from the East Coast of the US as compared to the West.  Again, personal tastes, and personal opinions of value will vary.

I had the opportunity to play Pinehurst no. 2 for free which was pretty incredible. I even made birdie on the par 3 15th hole, which if you do so with a caddie you get a little gold coin that says 2 on 2. 

The memorabilia in the clubhouse at Pinehurst was impressive as well. Like I said I played for free, but I would have paid to play it once.

[iacas]

<sarcasm>Why does it say "2 on 2" when you birdied 15?</sarcasm> - Obviously the second "2" means Pinehurst #2. 😄

[Wally Fairway]

25 minutes ago, iacas said:

<sarcasm>Why does it say "2 on 2" when you birdied 15?</sarcasm> - Obviously the second "2" means Pinehurst #2. 😄

I'm going to take a wild guess and say it is because you birdied a par three (ergo a 2 with a circle) on Pinehurst course #2

[iacas]

19 minutes ago, Wally Fairway said:

I'm going to take a wild guess and say it is because you birdied a par three (ergo a 2 with a circle) on Pinehurst course #2

Highlight all of my text, man. 🙂