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

[jcard71]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

I don't say it to make myself "feel better".  You are reading something into our statements which isn't there.  I say it, and I'm sure that others feel similarly, because it's a ridiculous price to pay for a single round of golf anywhere.  It's almost 4 times the highest green fee I've ever paid in my life.  There is nothing about playing golf at Pebble that I can't get on dozens of just as well designed and maintained but more reasonably priced golf courses. "

Ridiculous is based on each individuals interpretation... To say it's "ridiculous" shows how self centered your comments are. I mean one can say it's ridiculous to pay $1,000 for a cross bow, but if he or she is into archery and can afford it, it's not ridiculous to them.  And your other comment cracks me up to, that there is nothing about playing golf at Pebble that you can't get at dozens of other courses...again the other courses don't have the history, multiple US opens and lay out that Pebble has.

[DevilDog21]

Originally Posted by mdl

Cool.  Have a great trip!  Despite what I said above I could totally see a 7 couple trip to Monterrey involving a round at Pebble sounds totally fun.  Where you guys playing in my neighborhood (LA)?

And my brother lives in China and I keep trying to get him to come back more so we can golf more together too!

No golf in LA, had to surrender that debate to the wife and agree to good family and friends time. My friends wife is from LA, and they both went to USC so we'll just hang out and experience LA for a few days.

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by DevilDog21

No golf in LA, had to surrender that debate to the wife and agree to good family and friends time. My friends wife is from LA, and they both went to USC so we'll just hang out and experience LA for a few days.

No way i'd give in to that. I'd play a round, wether she liked it or not (and she knows that, so she would never bother to try and stop me). Its not like she cant bear to be away from you for 5 hours....

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by bogdan101

Predictably most people who did not play there (me included) say it's not worth it, and just as predictably people who played there ( including you) say it is worth it. It would be a lot more interesting to hear from someone who played there and admit it was a mistake to pay so much for a round of golf.

Notice that none of us who played there said it wasn't worth it? Thats because its an amazing course like nothing you have ever played. Exquisite. Just because you can't afford it, doesn't mean you need to try to convince others that your opinion is right. I've never met anyone on the course at Pebble who seemed upset in any way, even over bad scores. Its just an amazing place.

As well as that I played there twice, and will be playing at least 2 rounds there this winter when im at my families beach house in florida.

[Fourputt]

First I'll apologize if I stepped on any toes.  That wasn't my intent, but this is something that for whatever reason, I have strong feelings about.  I probably wouldn't go out of my way to play Pebble Beach even if the price was half what it is.  It's just not something that's high on my list of priorities.

Originally Posted by jcard71

Ridiculous is based on each individuals interpretation... To say it's "ridiculous" shows how self centered your comments are. I mean one can say it's ridiculous to pay $1,000 for a cross bow, but if he or she is into archery and can afford it, it's not ridiculous to them.  And your other comment cracks me up to, that there is nothing about playing golf at Pebble that you can't get at dozens of other courses...again the other courses don't have the history, multiple US opens and lay out that Pebble has.

And how does that make the GOLF any different????  This is my issue with it.  I don't get emotional about golf.  I got emotional in a historical sense when I visited Washington DC, walked the Mall from one end to the other and back, took a driving tour of Gettysburg and touched the ground where so many Americans great and small walked, lived and died.  Visiting pre-Roman Etruscan tombs in Tuscany, or a 12th century monastery on Lake Maggiore - the Old Course probably wasn't even a sheep pasture yet. That's history.  Pebble is golf history and that's cool and certainly interesting, but in my mind it takes a back seat historically.

And yes, I've spent more on other things.  My wife and took a 2 week dive trip to the Philippines a few years ago and the plane fare alone would have paid for about 6 rounds at Pebble.  3 weeks in Italy, buying Murano crystal wine glasses in Venice and praying that they'd survive being shipped home to Colorado (they did and then made here to the Bahamas too).  My dozen or more dive trips to the Caribbean and Mexico each cost more than a round at Pebble, but they were at least week long trips too, not a 5 hour round of golf.  I spent a couple grand on my boats when I was a whitewater kayaker, and my current photo gear is worth more than $5000.  Maybe it sounded a bit strong, but to ME it's crazy to spend $500 for 5 hours of golf when I can make that much money work longer in other pursuits... and still play plenty of golf on a lot of very nice, if less historical, golf courses.

Again, apologies to any who felt offended by my comments, but they apparently just come from having very different priorities, and from basically being accused of sacrilege for not revering Pebble Beach as it seems I'm supposed to.

[DevilDog21]

Now a course that's NOT worth the money....Blue Monster! Played it a couple years ago and not anything close to being worth $325. I honestly felt slightly robbed after.

[Goat Green]

Life is short.

And you can't take it with you.

A close friend of mine was set to retire at 65, but then the recession hit and he was advised to wait another 2 years before retiring.

He was dead in 2 years from cancer.

My advice is if you want to play Pebble Beach badly enough, you should find a way. And if you don't... don't.

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by jamo

Priorities. You probably spent at least $500 on the camera. Some people would rather have spent that on a round at Pebble and taken some iPhone pictures.

Those people probably spent 500$ on a new iPhone. Bad example.

Also, a camera can be used more than once, whereas a round of golf cannot.

[Clambake]

We've totally strayed from the original question here which was if playing Pebble was worth the money to you or not.     It appears to most it isn't based on the poll result, but to some it is.    Fair enough, as we all have our own life's priorities on where our disposable income goes.     I've heard people say they wouldn't pay $50 to play it which seems kind of odd if you really love golf, but that's their perspective and it is neither right nor wrong.      I had a business dinner last night with a guy into high end stereo gear, and he thinks I'm crazy for spending any money on golf while I can't fathom spending $5000 on a 10W tube amplifier (per channel) like he has done.     This shouldn't be a judgmental discussion, but instead just an expression of why you feel one way or another without backlash.

To me, it was absolutely worth it to spend the money and play Pebble, and I'm trying to figure out how to make time in my hectic work schedule to go do it again this summer    I like to play nicer courses and don't really hesitate to pay $100 or more for a decent course, so I realize I'm coming at this from perspective where I'm more willing to splurge on golf than most.      But here's why I think it was totally worth it: it is the only course I've played where I still have a vivid memory of the whole round and experience, almost remembering every shot.      I absolutely loved Spyglass when I played it and thought it was probably the best course I've played - even better than Pebble - but now a couple years afterwards I really don't remember that much detail about the course outside the opening holes.   Same with a lot of other nice courses, where I felt at the time they were worth the money and I had a great time.

But for some reason, my day at Pebble seems imprinted on my memory better than any other place I've been.   I can still picture my opening tee shot on #1, and just missing the subsequent 6 foot birdie putt a touch left.     I can still feel the slight tilt of the fairway under my feet as I hit my fairway wood over the canyon on #6 trying to get there in two.    I still feel the rough grabbing the clubhead as I chipped up close on #7 to tap in for par.     I still feel the cool ocean breeze on my cheek while strolling down the 18th fairway.   I remember the chatter with my caddy Eddie, a delightfully crusty veteran who'd worked there for decades.  For some reason, I can even still remember eating the banana I picked up at the halfway house.     The whole thing round was really a completely sensual experience that has stuck in my mind ever since, and that memory just doesn't seem to fade at all unlike every other course I've played.    I have no idea why....perhaps it is just something a little more magical about that place.      That's why to me it is completely worth spending almost an order of magnitude more to play that one round of golf.     Can't wait to get back there and do it again.

[jamo]

Those people probably spent 500$ on a new iPhone. Bad example.

I could have used any cell phone example. Some iPhones are free, for example. My dumb phone was free, and has a camera. [quote name="LuciusWooding" url="/t/31710/is-pebble-beach-worth-495/150_30#post_752823"]Also, a camera can be used more than once, whereas a round of golf cannot.  [/quote] That's why you take the pictures! :-P

[mdl]

Originally Posted by DevilDog21

No golf in LA, had to surrender that debate to the wife and agree to good family and friends time. My friends wife is from LA, and they both went to USC so we'll just hang out and experience LA for a few days.

Ha.  I don't have enough money to be a huge authority on special trip (ie expensive) courses around LA, but if you can sneak your way into a semi-reasonably priced round, Tierra Rejada, Malibu GC, Rustic Canyon, and both courses at Lost Canyons are fun and not too too expensive.

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding

Those people probably spent 500$ on a new iPhone. Bad example.

Also, a camera can be used more than once, whereas a round of golf cannot.

But that round at pebble will produce memories that last a lifetime, trust me. Of course a camera takes pictures that last forever, but it doesnt show people the smell of the ocean, the sound of waves crashing on the beach, or the sheer joy of just being there. My parents own homes in Florida and california, and i've traveled extensively since I was a child. I've been to places with as much rich history, but never saw a course with so much sheer natural beauty in any part of the world. Im not a huge fan of California, but that place is just absolutely amazing. Im going back this winter just to go play two rounds at pebble.

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by ApocG10

Of course a camera takes pictures that last forever, but it doesnt show people the smell of the ocean, the sound of waves crashing on the beach, or the sheer joy of just being there.

There's an app for that. And it doesn't cost 500$ to make memories that last a lifetime.

[Matt M]

To make a long question short yes its a once in a lifetime chance.

[Double Mocha Man]

Playing Pebble Beach, staying at the Lodge and having a caddie is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.  Do it, spend the bucks.  You will understand why you did it when you are on your deathbed.  You'll have walked the same fairways as Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods... Murray.  And enjoyed the ocean views and sipped of a gin & tonic on the veranda overlooking the 18th hole.

[Double Mocha Man]

17 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Playing Pebble Beach, staying at the Lodge and having a caddie is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.  Do it, spend the bucks.  You will understand why you did it when you are on your deathbed.  You'll have walked the same fairways as Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods... Murray.  And enjoyed the ocean views and sipped of a gin & tonic on the veranda overlooking the 18th hole.

As my 4 year old son once exclaimed, while we were sitting in our Adirondack chairs overlooking the bay and I had just uttered, "Life is good"... he chimed in with, "Papa, go life go."  Thinking I'd read too many Dr. Seuss books to him.

[GolfLug]

58 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Playing Pebble Beach, staying at the Lodge and having a caddie is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.  Do it, spend the bucks.  You will understand why you did it when you are on your deathbed.  You'll have walked the same fairways as Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods... Murray.  And enjoyed the ocean views and sipped of a gin & tonic on the veranda overlooking the 18th hole.

Yes, yes... But $495?? C'mon. 

Lol..jk. I know what you mean. Hope to do it in not so distant future.😊

[billchao]

38 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

Yes, yes... But $495?? C'mon. 

Lol..jk. I know what you mean. Hope to do it in not so distant future.😊

It's $550 now. Plus $45 for cart if you're not staying on property, which you'd probably want to do since you can't book a tee time more than 24 hours in advance if you're not a guest, which I imagine would be a huge letdown if you're making a trip out there to play golf and can't get on.

So realistically it costs a lot more than $550 to play Pebble.