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| The sixth green |
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| The view from along the fourth hole. Keep an eye on the tree on the cliff in the distance. It'll serve as an orientation point for the next several shots (the same tree is in the photo above) |
Ok, I admit it. I was a bit cynical, a bit skeptical. I've played some very nice courses. Beautiful resort courses in Florida and fine private clubs at home in Vero Beach. I've played mountain courses in Georgia and North Carolina and a couple of courses in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. And, as you know, I've played Spyglass and Spanish Bay in the past few days. My first visit to Ireland in '07 I got to play Lahinch and Royal County Down - both founded in the 1890s with the guiding hand of Old Tom Morris. Both these courses are routinely ranked in the top twenty courses in the world, and when I knocked it around RCD, Golf Digest had just declared it the best course in the world outside of America. So, how much better could Pebble really be? It generally swaps around the honor of the number one course in the world with Pine Valley and Augusta National, but really, can there be a demonstrable, perceivable difference? I guess you know where this is leading, Huh?
Every hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links is memorable and distinctive. The first three holes play away from the clubhouse, allowing you to warm up - to test your game gently - and to just tease you with brief, limited views of the Pacific. At number four, you play along a cove with full view of the ocean and an anticipatory glimpse of the holes to come.
Courses are chosen for high ranking for a number of reasons. Beauty, history, location all play a part. Most important perhaps is the course's challenge to the golfer. Do you have to hit a variety of shots? Do you have to hit every club in the bag? Do you have to fade and draw the ball, shaping it around hazards and curving your shot to stay on the fairway? Do some approach shots demand you hit a high, soft shot; do others have you chipping it in low? Frankly, well beyond my ability to play. But you certainly feel those challenges here.
Daniel spoke for us all when he spoke of being jittery - we've seen this course before, so many times before, as we've watched the Bob Hope, the AT & T, the US Open. We were going to play the hole where Watson chipped in to beat Nicklaus, the hole where Phil carded an 11 and Daly a 14. The par three seventeenth, where Ernie Els carded four bogeys in as many days to put himself out of contention for the Open title. And eighteen, where the fairway curves right next to the Pacific. Lord, just please let us make solid contact - may the drives fly straight and true, and can we please receive mercy on these devilish greens. Our prayers were answered in fair, not complete measure. We just plain had a great time, enjoying one another's company, celebrating the good shots and commiserating with the bad.
Happy birthday Larry! Great to spend time with you Daniel. Say hey to Bessie and Ellie.
And thanks so much Craig and Eryn - for an experience I'll never forget and will forever cherish. I'm so proud of you both
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| Tee # one - ready to go! |
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| Craig on #4 - first view of the Pacific from the cliffs - remember the small tree way in the distance |
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| # 4, the cove and sailboat in the background |
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| # 5 Tee box |
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| Walking up the sixth fairway |
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| Our caddie keeps sentinel as we hit up towards the 6th green |
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| The seventh hole - a downhill par three (same tree frames the hole) |
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| Looking at the eighth green from the cliff - the most famous second shot in golf |
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| Behind us, the cliff from whence we came. |
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| Saturday night - the view from our room in the Intercontinental Hotel on Nob Hill |
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| Golden Gate Bridge in the background (taken from the Top of the Mark rooftop lounge) |
