So my dream trip has finally come to an end! I can't begin to say enough about how amazing it was. If you are a golfer (of any level), you have to do everything you can to make this trip happen! I am by no means a wealthy person and this trip has put me in debt for the foreseeable future, but, being able to experience it with my father and brother was priceless. As most of you know, we started out our trip at TPC Harding Park. The staff was exceptional, I booked through the TPC MasterCard that you see commercials for during the golf tournaments on the weekends. Booking with this card saved us more then $50 per person on golf. Plus, you get 20% off purchases in the pro shop and 30% off your bill at he grill room. The card was well worth it. This course turned out to be the longest course of the week (yardage) and after the long flight it took a toll on my dad and his buddy. The course however was in fantastic condition. The rough was thick and the greens were slower then expected. The back 9 of the course had some very nice views. After our round we hopped back in the car and headed south to San Jose.
On Sunday no golf was planned, it was off to the Eagles vs. 49Ers game... Not much to talk about there.... At least the stadium was very nice and the 49ers fans couldn't have been nicer. After the game we found ourselves in an Italian bar/restaurant called Original Joe's. This place was great! The food was awesome and the drinks were flowing! Also, the staff was exceptional.... Our waitresses Shannon and Katie were great. I highly recommend this place if you're ever in the San Jose area.
Monday it was on to Monterey and Pacific Grove Golf Links. The front 9 was nothing to write home about with the exception of the amount of deer on the course. Had to be at least 3-4 on ever hole if not more. The you make the turn and the back 9 has some of the most amazing views. It was as if you were in a whole different place. The ocean lined holes were beautiful, but the wind made them quite challenging. After our round we stayed and had a couple drinks and a bite to eat in the club house. The food was so-so and the service was ok. If we had known any better we would have left and drove to cannery row to eat there. After dinner we made our way to Pebble Beach Resort for check in.
Once at Pebble Beach Resort we got our rooms, which were way too nice for 4 city boys from philly, our luggage situated and headed down to "The Bench" which runs along the 18th. We sat by the fire pits and enjoyed a beverage or two. Then made a quick stop into the tap room for another beverage or two. Then it was off to bed . The next morning we had a 8:20 tee time at Spanish Bay. What a gorgeous and challenging course.... I thought it to be the most challenging of the week. The views on this course were awesome, like nothing I had ever seen before. It was more of a "target" golf course which really doesn't mesh well with my "grip it and rip it" mentality!! To say that I struggled at Spanish Bay would be and under statement. After golf we made our way to cannery row and had a late lunch at he Cannery Row Brew Pub. The food was fantastic, I had a short rib grilled cheese sandwich that was out of this world. Then it was back to the resort where I went to the beach club and sat in the hot tub for a while and the rest of our group made their way back to "The Bench". I joined them a couple hours later . Once they decided to call it quits I wondered inside and sat at the bar and watched the end of the A's vs Royals game, what a crazy game. The next day it was onto Spy Glass! Spy Glass was both picturesque and challenging and different points. My only complaint about spy glass was, there were workers on the fairways on numerous wholes who weren't too considerate of golfers. But that was just a small issue in my mind. After golf it was back to Spanish Bay for some Bag Pipes and a nice Italian Dinner at Peppoli. The whole experience was awesome! Food was great and the Piper was a neat touch. Then it was back to our rooms and some sleep to prepare for pebble at 8:50 the following morning. I was like a kid on Christmas eve. The next morning we got up early and packed our things because we had to check out immediately following our round... Now, here are where my complaints begin! The night prior I had gone to the front desk and asked if we could move our check out back from noon until 2:00 because of our tee time. This would give us time to get back to the room and allow us to get cleaned up before we left. That request was met with a pretty abrupt, NO! I wasn't happy to say the least, especially considering the rest of the trip had gone so smoothly. But anyway, it was time to tee it up on #1 at Pebble... I got off to a great start (for me) with a bogey, par, par, bogey, par on the first 5 holes. Then we get to 6 and I hit a pop-up off the tee then try and rip my second shot up over the hill, where I hit my first slice of the day and SPLASH! As I finally make my way up toward the green we are greeted by a ranger telling us that we had to pick up the pace. Now, before this hole we had been waiting on the group in front of us on every shot. So, we finish out the whole on 6 only to have the same ranger again tell us "C'mon fellas, gotta keep it moving". Now I'm getting pissed.... not only did I just put one in the drink but now I got this jackass trying to push us along at a rapid pace. So needless to say I didn't get to enjoy #7 .... I didn't take my time and judge distance like I should have and hit a PW over the hole into the water...... NEEDLESS TO SAY, NOW I'M FURIOUS! The tee box at #8 was no different, same ranger breathing down our neck to tee off. We do, and I finally hit a good shot right to the edge of the fairway, perfect position for my second shot! Only to find when I get to my ball that the group in front of us was still looking for their balls. So we were now standing waiting again. My round was pretty much over at this point. I was so mad that they charge you what they do and the have the audacity to rush you through like they did. I didn't get to enjoy 3 of the nicest wholes in all of golf. All in all the course every bit of what I expected, very beautiful and very challenging.
As I stated in the beginning.... If you get a chance, it's a must do trip. If I had it to do all over again, there are a few changes I would make, but for the most part..... It was something I will cherish for the rest of my life.
