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.