Played Pebble Beach on Friday

[metaswinger]

I played Pebble Beach on Friday and it really lived up to the billing.  I was at a conference just down the road at Asilomar and thought I’d bring my clubs and walk on.  It worked – 6:50am check-in, 1^st on the wait list, tee-off at 8:20am – back at conference for 2:00pm presentations.

 A couple of quick take-aways:

- I’ve played courses that were littered with traps but still did not induce the fear of the judicious use of bunkers here.

- Don’t play here without a caddy.  I got into significant troubles that could have been avoided.

- Don’t play with three visiting club pros in the middle of their third day of a serious gambling match.  (The very reason I had the opportunity to play was that the fourth dropped out due to bad feelings…).

- I learned what a “barranca” is (it’s a deep, hidden gully that crosses the fairway)

- I learned what a “barranca” is not (a deep, hidden gully that crosses the fairway but is filled with sand – that’s a sand trap!)

- Pebble Beach might simply be the most beautiful place on earth.

Since it was my first time, I had wanted a caddy but one was not available so I walked and carried.  I was a nervous at first.  I grew up in NorCal and Pebble always held mythical sway with me.  I watched the group in front go off and felt a little better when I saw their tee shots.  Unfortunately, the three in my group all had consistent 300 yd smacks.  They spent the first 10 minutes prior to the first tee going over some fairly complex waging.  I sensed a bit of money was on the line.  All were perfectly nice guys but every hole for them was serious.  Multiple times they called in their caddy for adjudication. 

Notes on a couple of the memorable holes:

Hole 6 (#2 hncp) 505 yd par 5:  My tee shot was careful and straight at about 270 and in the middle of the fairway.  I am then looking up to a cliff with a flag pin on top of it – 100 yards above me.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  I could certainly hit my 3 wood 235 but not an additional 100 yards up.  I had literally no idea what was at the top of the cliff or where to land.  So I pulled my 7 iron out and tried to lay up to the bottom of the cliff but hit it too hard and then had a third shot literally on the side of the cliff.  It didn’t go well.

Hole 14 (#1 hncp) 576 yd par 5:  The wind picked up a bit on the back 9 and we had a decent headwind here.  I had a great tee shot and 3 wood and found myself 111 yds from the green.  The view from this point is terrifying.  The green is small and 85% of it is protected in front by a sandtrap that builds itself up 12’(?) like the mouth of Moby Dick.  The only portion of the green that is visible is about 8’ of it to the left of Moby’s mouth.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  Well, fear got to me and I flubbed the pitch.  I went from being in terrific position for a par on the #1 hncp hole to getting a double bogey (or at least that is what I wrote down).

Hole 18 (#3 hncp) 543 yd par 5: Hands down the most beautiful hole in golf.  The tee box is at the water and right below us were sea lions basking.  The fairway an impossibly narrow, long arc that requires geometry.  Again, I had two great shots that put me in good position only to see the bunkers and panic.  I need to work on my short game.

Anyway, an all around epic day and I thought I’d share.

Edited October 20, 2015 by iacas
removed extra returns

[Mr. Desmond]

Thanks!
Sounds intimidating.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Mr. Desmond

[bkuehn1952]

 

I played Pebble Beach on Friday and it really lived up to the billing.  I need to work on my short game... Anyway, an all around epic day and I thought I’d share.

 

 

Terrific!  I have had the experience, too, and your narrative brings back a lot of memories.  Thanks.

[davechen]

Sounds awesome!  Got any pics?

[Golfingdad]

Sounds awesome!  Got any pics?

Yeah, my hope as well. :)

[colin007]

omg that sounds incredible.  i really like hole 8 - seems like a twin of hole 6 except the second shot is down instead of up, right?

[rkim291968]

 

Notes on a couple of the memorable holes:

Hole 6 (#2 hncp) 505 yd par 5:  My tee shot was careful and straight at about 270 and in the middle of the fairway.  I am then looking up to a cliff with a flag pin on top of it – 100 yards above me.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  I could certainly hit my 3 wood 235 but not an additional 100 yards up.  I had literally no idea what was at the top of the cliff or where to land.  So I pulled my 7 iron out and tried to lay up to the bottom of the cliff but hit it too hard and then had a third shot literally on the side of the cliff.  It didn’t go well.

My shot stopped 1 yard short of the cliff.   With everyone's agreement and to my wife's relief (or disappointment?), I dropped the ball 3 yards behind where it is for my next shot. 

 

I am glad it made your day!    The only time we played the course, it rained most of the round.  That added to our memory but wasn't fun at the time.   The view is nice but if you haven't, you should play Spy Glass, Spanish Bay and compare the views.   Frankly, I have seen equally beautiful courses but it is The Pebble Beach!   The aura is definitely there.

 

Edited October 20, 2015 by rkim291968

[Golfingdad]

omg that sounds incredible.  i really like hole 8 - seems like a twin of hole 6 except the second shot is down instead of up, right?

On 6 there is a bit of a safety net in that you don't have to cross a hazard - especially if your drive is to the left.  The hole doesn't dogleg that much.  On 8, you have no choice whatsoever on that second shot.   There is no part of the fairway that doesn't leave you with a >160 yard shot over almost entirely hazard. 

[metaswinger]

Sounds awesome!  Got any pics?

I only have a few.  Was trying to play...

Here is Hole 6 bu the pic is deceiving.  When your at the bottom of the cliff it looks a whole lot bigger.

Sounds awesome!  Got any pics?

Here is 18

Sea lions from the tee box.  Then the narrow fairway.

[bm85]

Wow. Stunning course, and interesting read. Thanks!

[colin007]

On 18, you can bail out to the right, correct?

[RayG]

On 18, you can bail out to the right, correct?

Not so much any more, they put those traps in that are right in a slicers wheelhouse from 180-220 (first one) away from the center of that teeing area. That tree (used to be more of them) is 260 on the right center so there is precious little room on the right to "bail out". I aimed for the tree since there was very little chance of actually hitting it where I aim. D'OH... didn't quite work out the way I hoped. Had to bend a 3 wood around it.

[robertford]

Ha..Ha.. Very interesting.

[MSchott]

So cool! It's great to hear how you played 18. Most of us will never get this chance. Thanks for letting us live it vicariously through you.

[JKolya]

On 10/20/2015, 12:24:19, metaswinger said:

-

Hole 6 (#2 hncp) 505 yd par 5:  My tee shot was careful and straight at about 270 and in the middle of the fairway.  I am then looking up to a cliff with a flag pin on top of it – 100 yards above me.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  I could certainly hit my 3 wood 235 but not an additional 100 yards up.  I had literally no idea what was at the top of the cliff or where to land.  So I pulled my 7 iron out and tried to lay up to the bottom of the cliff but hit it too hard and then had a third shot literally on the side of the cliff.  It didn’t go well.

Hole 14 (#1 hncp) 576 yd par 5:  The wind picked up a bit on the back 9 and we had a decent headwind here.  I had a great tee shot and 3 wood and found myself 111 yds from the green.  The view from this point is terrifying.  The green is small and 85% of it is protected in front by a sandtrap that builds itself up 12’(?) like the mouth of Moby Dick.  The only portion of the green that is visible is about 8’ of it to the left of Moby’s mouth.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  Well, fear got to me and I flubbed the pitch.  I went from being in terrific position for a par on the #1 hncp hole to getting a double bogey (or at least that is what I wrote down).

 

6 has always been my favorite. Most people talk about 8 (which is amazing, too),  10, and 11. The usual bail out spot for amateurs is to the left of the fairway bunkers. Personally, I do not understand intentionally avoiding the second shot when it's a once in a lifetime round. Ever since the tree was knocked over that shot is a lot more 'blind' than it used to be.  The tree at least provided some reference. 

My groom's cake at my wedding was a replica of 8 - amazing hole. 

I am trying to think of what hole is "not a barracana?" 2 and 16 have the Gulley across the fairway, but they are bunkers. 

[jgreen85]

I played Pebble last April. It's almost too much to take in. 

[Marty2019]

Great thread.    I love to read of regular people's experiences playing famous courses.    I watch pros play these courses, but I always wonder, how would a regular civilian do?  

[Coronagolfman]

I've been trying to gear up my game and my bank account to make another trip back to Pebble - last time I was there to play golf was with my late father in the early 90's - we shared a room at the Lodge and as luck would have it it was in the wing of the Lodge that looks out on the 18th green from behind (I think it was called the Sloat wing).  When we got up that morning we grabbed our coffee and walked back up the 18th fairway out to the 17th green watching and listening to the otters in the bay (that's the one nice thing about a golf course that doesn't have any way to start on the back nine - nobody hits #18 until around 10AM!)

Have played Pebble 3 times - was a single digit index back then and best I could do was 81 so hovering now on the low end of double digits (10-12) figure I need to work a bit more on consistency off the tee before taking on the demands of PB (or Spyglass for that matter).  We paid about $165 a round at PB while staying at the Lodge back then (Lodge was about $200 a night) - caddies were about $40 a bag plus tip and I would heartily agree with posters that say a caddie is a must.  Of course those prices from the 90's sound like a cruel joke now - most recent offer I saw from the Lodge was $2300 for two nights lodging including a round at Pebble and a round at Spyglass or Spanish Bay and that was in the middle of winter when the weather can be very daunting.

I have heard that there is something called a "Duke's Club Membership" one can buy which is offered by the old Del Monte Golf Course which offers significant discounts at Spyglass and Spanish Bay courses and even gets you on a mailing list for some specials at the Lodge which might provide a slightly less expensive chance to play Pebble - wondering if anybody else out there has such a membership and if it provides all of the benefits it advertises.

Looking forward to maybe one more chance to play at Pebble as there really is nothing else like it in the golf world I have ever seen.

 

 

Edited December 28, 2015 by Coronagolfman