Monterey
Peninsula
On the Road in California:
17-Mile Drive's Historic
Jaunt to Pebble Beach
MONTEREY, CA -- The road to Monterey leads through Salinas, home of
America's salad bowl, where the harvest of "green gold"
-- iceberg lettuce and broccoli -- made the area prosper after
World War I.
The road to Monterey winds through the garlic patches of Gilroy, through
the strawberry and artichoke fields of Watsonville and Castroville.
Rest assured. When the road to Monterey brings you in sight of the rolling mist, the cooling fog coming off Monterey Bay, you know that one of the most hallowed golf grounds in the world is just minutes away.
In 1996 when the Pentagon asked me to conclude a long career in the
Air Force Reserve with two years active duty in one of the world's most
scenic golf venues, I couldn't stop giggling for days.
The big decision upon arrival on the Central Coast to begin "serving
my country" was: Do I live on the beach in Monterey or find one
of those neat little cottages in Carmel
to call home?
I did both -- one year in Monterey, one in Carmel.
The rugged, rocky coastline, sandy beaches, scenic cliffs and sunsets of the Pacific Ocean draw tourists from all over the planet to this part of California. If you look closely on many days you can see otters and dolphins at play and even the plumes of gray whales in the distance, traveling a migratory route they have negotiated for centuries.
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Unfortunately, most migrating golfers can't afford to play at the Pebble
Beach Golf Links or stay at The Lodge at Pebble Beach. There are,
however, some things you can do to experience this great golf haven
for (almost) free.
Carmel Beach, at the bottom of Ocean Avenue, is just steps away from
the surf-misty verdant green of Pebble
Beach Golf Links. First glance, as you stroll along the beach, is
hole No. 10, the furthest point from the clubhouse, and shortly after
one can climb the hills near sunset up to Pebble Beach's No. 9 oceanside
hole. Sometimes Pebble Beach logo golf balls will get in your way, walking
through the rough on this revered course.
If you are sensible, respect the land, wait until all the day's players
have passed by, and you don't bring your golf bag with you, this is
something you can do for free.
Another must do is have dinner at The Tap Room at The Lodge. It's casual
dress and after dinner you can go out on the veranda and gaze out over
No. 18, feasting on one of the most striking views in the world. Some
call it "worship".
Even at night you can imagine seeing the ghostly figures of Bing Crosby's
Clambake celebrities and the greats of the game tapping in a short one
for birdie on No. 18, probably the most written about finishing hole
in golf history.
In
the darkness and under the starry sky, you can still see long, faint
shadows because of the light hanging in the huge 80-foot Monterey pine
situated just off the 18th green. Listen, too, as the waves crash in
the distance.
There's sad news about that tree, however. Pitch canker disease has
killed this stately symbol of perhaps one of the most famous holes in
the world The question now is: replace the tree with one of like size
or place a couple of cypress trees at that location? It's a logistical
dilemma facing The Pebble Beach Company. Whatever, it's a sad day.
Pitch canker disease is threatening many trees in the Del
Monte Forest. Two pines on the second hole have already been removed
and contributed to changing the 484-yard par-5 into a par-4 for the
U.S. Open. Cypress trees were planted to replace these dead trees, but
the strategy has been altered for now.
Remember When?
I first saw Pebble
Beach Golf Links in 1976 when I showed up about 9 a.m. without a
tee time and was off down the No. 1 fairway about an hour later. When
I told my dad the green fee was $36, he said: "You're nuts. I'm
not going to pay $36 to play golf." Dad drove the cart that day
and took Super 8 movies of the golf and scenery.
Other old-timers remember the days when they could play Pebble Beach
all day for $5 or even the days when a golf ball cost more than a round
of golf here. Today it will cost you in the $350 neighborhood and tee
times go to those staying at The Lodge.
The good news at Pebble Beach is that a new Tom Fazio designed course
is in the planning stages and ground-breaking could happen in 2002 or
2003. There has been intense enviornmental focus on this project, which
has been talked about for more than 10 years.
An Affordable Option:
Affordable golf? Never fear, there are some Monterey Peninsula golf
courses and some within 30 minutes, that you can experience and still
have enough money left over to be a regular tourist.
One of the best deals is Pacific
Grove Municipal Golf Course where 100,000 rounds of golf are played
each year. It's got a real municipal feel to it (don't expect anyone
to carry your bag from the parking lot) and you will have to get in
line with the hordes of golfers, but the back nine, which has views
of the Pacific, Point Piños Lighthouse, and traverses through
the ice plant and sand dunes, is well worth the $36 price tag. Pacific
Grove residents can buy an annual pass for peanuts.
The course was built in 1932 by Pebble Beach legend Samuel Morse as
a housing development. Morse later sold the course to the city of Pacific
Grove. The front nine starts with two par 3s, crosses the street five
times and even has a huge slanted mirror, enabling golfers to see down
the fairway on a blind tee shot.
Jack Neville, who co-designed Pebble Beach in 1918, layed out the back
nine in 1960. From the back tees, this par-70 course is just 5,732 yards,
but it can be challenging in the wind shooting toward tiny greens.
Not So Affordable Golf:
One of the great drives in the world is along the ocean from Monterey
into Pacific Grove and beyond the gates of Pebble Beach. As you exit
Pacific
Grove, the world-famous Monarch butterfly sanctuary on Ocean View
Boulevard and pass Pacific
Grove Municipal Golf Course and Point Piños Lighthouse, the
waves are crashing and you are nearing the great golf courses of Pebble
Beach.
As Ocean View turns into Sunset Boulevard you soon see Spanish
Bay, the beach and The
Links at Spanish Bay, as the road turns back inland and you head
toward the Pacific Grove Gate of 17-Mile Drive. The Inn at Spanish Bay
is world-class and includes a kilt-wearing bagpiper, who appears each
night at sunset.
Bargain golf is not found on this route and tourists have to pay $7.75
just for the drive.
The
Scottish links Spanish Bay course -- a Robert Trent Jones, Tom Watson
and former USGA president Sandy Tatum design -- is on property of an
old sand quarry. At one time it was the most profitable business The
Pebble Beach Company owned. The 6,820-yard course is tough and authentic
Scottish links. Even the weather is cool, damp and windy on most days.
Back on 17-Mile Drive head inland through the Del Monte Forest and your
next stop is Spyglass
Hill. Inspired by the novel Treasure Island, this could be the toughest
course on the Monterey Peninsula. The first five holes give you views
of the Pacific before the Robert Trent Jones Sr. course heads back inland
and it becomes a traditional gem winding through the thick Monterey
pines.
Poppy
Hills, owned by the Northern California Golf Association is the
next on your tour. In 1991, the PGA Tour replaced the Cypress Point
Club on the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with this course.
Since it has five par-5 holes everyone has expected Tiger Woods to tear
it up during the tournament. It hasn't happened. Poppy
Hills is tough and demanding.
Most will never get close to ultra-exclusive Cypress Point Club, but
you can see the clubhouse and a few holes from 17-Mile Drive. Famed
golf architect Allister
MacKenzie designed this legendary course along with Pasatiempo
in nearby Santa Cruz and then tackled a project named Augusta National.
Back In Monterey:
The other golf course on The Pebble Beach Company's roster is Del
Monte Golf Club located in the heart of Monterey. It's the oldest
course west of the Mississippi River, having been unveiled in 1897.
When Ken Venturi fired the course-record 62 in 1954 he asked the pro
not to post or publicize his score. Why? At the time he was a soldier
at nearby Fort Ord and didn't want his commanding officer to know he
had been on the golf course that day instead of at work.
Affectionately called "Old Del Monte", this is the most affordable
of the Pebble
Beach courses. Take advantage of their twilight rates, which allows
you to finish in the cool of Monterey's sunset.
The Hidden Gems of Seaside:
Speaking of Fort Ord, just a few miles north of Old Del Monte, you will
find Bayonet and Black Horse. Bayonet was built in 1953 for the personnel
of this once bustling 25,000-acre U.S. Army military base. The base
is closed, but there's still a Department of Defense presence located
here.
The two 18-hole Monterey Peninsula golf courses were deeded to the City
of Seaside and it's now an upscale $70 daily-fee facility with a resort
hotel in construction. There have been many AT&T Pebble Beach National
Pro-Am participants to practice here the week before the tournament.
These are tough, exacting layouts, and 30 of 36 holes have views of
the Pacific, even though it is a mile inland.
The Bayonet Course was designed by General Robert McClure, a left-hander
with a slice. So the layout has many right-to-left bending holes. Bayonet,
site of PGA Tour qualifying-school tourneys, is a par-72, 6,982-yarder.
Black Horse, par-72, 6,936, was designed by Fort Ord personnel in 1963.
It is only slightly shorter and also very demanding.
It's Warmer in Carmel Valley
The flag may be bending to the ground at Pebble
Beach Golf Links and only a couple of miles inland, in Carmel
Valley it might be calm and 75 degrees.
This is where you will find the 36 holes of Rancho
Cañada's East and West Courses. These are the most affordable
courses in the Carmel
Valley with beautiful, challenging holes -- some holes traverse
the Carmel River.
At Carmel
Valley Ranch you can find solitude only minutes from the trendy
shops of Carmel-By-The-Sea. This 6,234-yard Pete Dye-designed course's
front nine meanders along the Carmel River before heading into a hilly
and heavily wooded back nine. At the highest point the view is awesome.
Carmel Valley Ranch's Oaks Restaurant is a winner.
The Golf Club at Quail Lodge at Quail Lodge Resort is a flat 6,516 yards
track designed by Robert Muir Graves with 10 lakes dotted along the
valley floor. Quail Lodge, built on a former dairy farm of Charles Lindbergh's
brother-in-law. It includes 100 rooms and a great place to dine at Quail
Lodge's Covey restaurant.
Monterey is a must on any avid golfer's list of vacations.
