Pebble Beach

The burden of greatness lies in living up to the expectations thrust upon you. Comedians talk about being funny all the time to please fans, while singers are never allowed to miss a note. Immortality comes not from meeting standards, but exceeding them. So then what are the expectations of perhaps the most famous golf course in North America, venerable Pebble Beach on the Monterey peninsula in northern California?

The credits are many. Host of the 2010 U.S. Open, annual home of the February AT&T National Pro Am stop on the PGA Tour, top of the “Bucket List” for every dedicated golfer-- Pebble Beach is the Mecca of golf courses. So are the challenges of every one’s imagination on the perfect course. Add the fact that a greens fee at the most famous public course in America is a healthy $475 U.S. to play Samuel F.B. Morse’s links course on the cliffs above the Pacific.

It’s a tall assignment. But from the first hole through to the legendary 18th stretching alongside Monterey Bay, Pebble Beach lives up to its reputation. Not easy for a course carved out of the rugged coastline in 1919 by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant when the sport and the equipment were very different. Pebble Beach Golf Links must host the everyday player as well as Tiger Woods. Yet, everyone seems to leave the property with the timeless gift only Pebble can bestow on a golfer.

That’s not to say Pebble Beach is a museum unchanged since the days when Bing Crosby hosted his annual “clambake” each February. As head pro Chuck Dunbar told us, “This is a living course that adapts as the years goes by-- but always retains its essential character as a test of golf.” As recently as 1999, this meant having Jack Nicklaus restore Morse’s original No. 5 par-three that was never executed in the building of the course 85 years ago.

A recent outing saw new trees planted beside the course, new flanging on the sand traps and some stretching of the length which is still listed as 6828 on the card. All to meet the challenge of the Open next year. Four greens and 16 bunkers have been rebuilt, altered or installed, 11 tees have benefited from enhancements, six holes have seen the addition or adjustment of trees (including Cypress) and the total length of the course has been extended to 7,012 yards for the pros who invade next June 14-20.

And when the United States Golf Association talks about challenge, they mean the most exacting test of golf. Brutal rough. Billiard-table greens. “The USGA says it doesn’t seek to punish golfers with its rough and setup,” says Dunbar. “They say instead that they are seeking to identify the best golfers with the setup for the Open. That’s not always easy for us, of course, We have to be a fair test for the celebrities who play the AT&T National Pro-Am and the golfing public. So we have to find a middle ground.”

Where to start in cataloguing Pebble Beach’s glories? Start with its greens, the
compact surfaces that exact a toll on even the slightest wayward shot. Approaching from too far or from the wrong angle-- or short-siding yourself in the bunker-- has vexed golfers from Bobby Jones through Arnold Palmer to today’s stars. These beauties are as elusive as the wind. Once planted on the putting surface, there is the added test of reading the lightning surfaces with their almost mystical breaks and grains. Take a caddie to read your putts; it’s worth the cost in frayed nerves alone.

For the holes, nothing quite matches the thrill as you emerge from the trees bracketing No. 4 tee box to see the signature lone cypress on the horizon cresting the point beside No. 6 green. Or the bracing challenge of playing holes 6 through 10 with the Pacific crashing at your side and the sea breeze buffeting your shots. The diabolically short par three No. 7 is a nautical challenge at 106 yards, gauging the wind ripping off the waves to land on a tight, two-tiered green.

After the brute par-five No. 14 and insidious dogleg on No. 16, players emerge once more from the inland holes to face perhaps the most memorable finishing hole in golf. The 543-yard eighteenth hole hugs the curve of the bay like a stave to a barrel. The two lonesome trees in the middle of the fairway can sour even a good drive as players find themselves either fading or drawing around them on the second shot to keep par in sight. Then there is the mighty tree standing sentinel to the right side of the green, forcing players to confront the sea wall and disaster.

And if the golf gets too be too daunting, there is always the splendor of the beaches below to soothe the weary golfer. Sea lions, seals and every manner of bird frolicking in the sand make golfing into a naturalist’s dream. A camera is the fourteenth club in every golfer’s bag the first time he or she makes it to play Pebble Beach.

As mentioned, the greens fee is formidable but that doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm of golfers who make their way from around the world to play this gem. Perhaps the best way to experience Pebble Beach-- or the other magnificent courses on the peninsula (Spyglass, Spanish Bay, Cypress and Del Monte)-- is to stay at either the Lodge at Pebble Beach or the Inn At Spanish Bay. Run by the same company that owns the course, these hotels are the ultimate in luxurious comfort for the traveller come to golf nirvana.

The hotels run frequent shuttles back and forth between Pebble Beach, Spyglass and Spanish Bay. They offer a range of excellent restaurants that feature local produce and the wines of California. There is a selection of shops featuring the latest golf fashions. And, of course, they can pamper golfers and non-golfers alike with spa treatments, yoga sessions and tennis. The Lodge and the Inn will be happy to coordinate your golf and other needs with packages designed for everyone.

A word of warning about weather. Autumn and early winter are often the sunniest months to play Pebble Beach. Summertime sees a lot of fog and cooler temperatures on the peninsula-- even as the land is baking just a few miles inland.

For more about golfing Pebble Beach or staying at either the Lodge or the Inn At Spanish Bay, contact the course at http://pebblebeach.com or phone 1-(800) 654-9300.

Iron Mountain/ GreyWalls Michigan Golf

Iron Mountain, Michigan, is best known for its mines, its locally produced sports and entertainment heroes (Steve Mariucci, Tom Izzo, Diana Ross), its Italian heritage and for the simple life of the Upper Peninsula of the state. Oh-- Henry Ford was born here, too. The town of 7000 would hardly be described as a magnet for the golf crowd. Which is too bad because there are some fine courses that are well worth the trip.

Cut from the north-country forests just south of Lake Superior, TimberStone at Pine Mountain Resort is a challenging course that consistently ranks in the Top 100 public-play courses in America by Golf Digest. In fact ti’s one of just 24 courses in the nation to receive the five-star rating from the magazine.

Starting from the foot of the ski resort, the layout plays 6937 from the tips but can accommodate even the beginner with a great golf experience. It’s imperative to keep the ball in play on almost every hole, but the fairways are wide and responsive to a good shot.

Our favourite part of the course was probably the combination of holes No. 5 and 6 that skirt a large pond and are framed by woods full of deer and other wildlife. No. 5 is a par 5 that features the pond running along the left side of the fairway. To the right is a falloff into brush and trees. A good drive of 260 yards or more brings the green into play on the second shot. But there is no forgiveness in front for short shots. If unsure, best to lay up and approach the left-to-right sloping green with a wedge.

No. 6-- the No. 1 stroke hole-- requires a carry of 250 yards from the tips over water to reach the fairway. From there, the green is sunken into a slope, guarded by hills on both sides. Par here is worth bragging about.

If you like steep downhill par threes, then No. 17 will tickle you. From the tee box you can see for miles, but the drop required is 215 yards from the tips. There is a large trap guarding the green’s right side and woods surround the two-tiered putting surface. Depending on pin placement you could be hitting anywhere between a high iron to a hybrid to measure your shot properly.

If you can find the time, TimberStone at Pine Mountain is well worth the trip. Rates are very reasonable for a course rated on par with Whistling Straits and Pebble Beach-- $69 US low season/ $100 high season. Plus, Joe Rizzo and his staff will treat you well. The course is about two hours north of Green Bay, Wisc., and an hour from the Marquette Mich. International airport. You can get more details on travel packages by calling 906.776.0111 or emailing joe@pinemountainresort.com.

To the east in Marquette is GreyWalls, a beast of a course cut from the northern shield rock and scrub. The grey walls of the title refer to the omnipresent sheets of Northern Shield stone that guard greens, pop up in fairways and line most of the front nine. The back nine is more tree-lined and features rolling fairways and tricky changes in elevation.

Like TimberStone, GreyWalls has been widely recognized. GolfWeek named it the No. 2 course you can play in Michigan, and it was included in the Top Ten Best New Course listings of all the major golf publications when it debuted in 2005. While it plays a deceptive 6828 from the tips, the true story lies in its 144 slope rating.

Not for the faint of heart, it pays to have someone along who’s played the course before to explain the lines of sight and the best approaches to many of the greens designed by Mike DeVries. On the day we played we were lucky to be joined by New York Jets kicker Jay Feely, a member of the club and a scratch golfer. He was kind enough to steer us through the multiple challenges of GreyWalls.. The No. 1 stroke hole is the par-4 12th that plays a daunting 491 from the tips. It takes two mighty whacks to get there in two-- and if the wind is in your face, forget it. Two of the par threes involve forced carries of over 180 yards to greens cut out of the rock face. Miss the shot into the steep rock cut and it can rebound halfway back to the tee box. Perhaps the only disappointment was the par-five No. 18 that begins promisingly with a long tee shot into a stony chute but then finishes with an enormous, featureless green with no bunkering or hazards.

Bring plenty of balls and a creative imagination for GreyWalls. This one should include a sign that says “The Holes Are Played By Experts. Do Not Repeat At your Home Course”. GreyWalls can be reached via the Marquette airport with service from Detroit, Minneapolis and Green Bay. Canadians can drive over from Sault Ste,. Marie, Ont., a drive of a couple of hours. Rates range from $90 in low season to $125 in high season. For more call 1- 866.678.7171.

The Wilderness Club

It’s a tough time to launch a recreational real-estate development based on a golf course. But if there’s any justice from the golfing side, the Wilderness Club, located just outside Eureka, Montana, will make it.

A 7000--yard-plus beauty from the tips, this Nick Faldo design weaves through two hundred acres of pine and lakes in the Tobacco Valley, just south of the Canadian border. Conceived as the centrepiece of a planned community, the course features changes in elevation, challenging fairways and enough wild grasses to snare any wayward shot. Faldo designed the course and, like its architect, the challenge to golfers is demanding, irascible and ultimately rewarding for golfers of any ability.

Indicative of how varied and challenging the holes are, the club promotes the long, downhill No. 9 and the short par-4 No. 10 as its signature holes. And while they’re both worthy-- the approach at No. 9 across a valley with water on the right is heart-pounding-- we found the series of three dogleg left par 4s on the course to be even more exciting.

In particular, the monster No. 16 (it stretches 456 yards from the tips) will leave a bruise on anyone who fails to hit two perfect approach shots. From an elevated tee box, players must draw the ball around a statuesque pine tree that guards the left side of the fairway. But pounding the ball to the right can bring sand traps and wild grasses into play. The approach is to an elevated green with a steep falloff in front and high rough to the right of the green. Once on, the pin position can be guarded by a dramatic swale in the green.

Likewise, the 450-yard No. 15 that precedes it requires a similar ball flight off the drive to a narrow neck in the fairway. From there the narrow green is protected by pine forest and more aggressive rough. The green is raked from back to front and guarded by sand traps.

On the front nine, hole No. 4 is a shorter par 4 at 400 yards. But the tee shot must thread a chute that is guarded on the left by a bunker and pine forest and, on the right, by a slope that kicks balls into the pine trees or-- oh no!-- the rough and wild grasses. The hole then gently curves left to a dramatically two-tiered green that is protected by a steep hill at the front that repels short shots.

Of the par threes, No. 7 is a 200-yard beast that requires a forced carry to the elevated green that is protected on the right by trees and a waste area that captures shots short and right. When the pin is in the back right par is a real accomplishment.

In all, The Wilderness Club is a tremendous test that will test your game and your nerve. The views from the top of the property of Lake Koocanusa and the surrounding valley are stunning. For more information on golf or the properties consult thewildernessclub.com.