just got back from pebble beach pro-am

The pilgrimage was well-worth it, especially gettting away from -20 wind chills of midwest.
Really enjoyed walking the three courses. This is one PGA event where the courses are the star, not the players.

 

At least you had the choice of who to follow while you were down there. Those of us that were watching on TV had to see a constant showing of Chris Berman, Larry the Cable Guy and of course, Bill Murray.

 

Speaking of...did you follow any group in particular chef?

 

No, particular players or celebs don't excite me. I enjoy golf for the game itself and equally appreciate all PGA players, not just the Tigers and Phils. Thus, I could be on any hole of any course and be content with the product offered.

 

Good attitude. I hope to walk those courses someday. It is fun to find a celeb (not Murray) or pro who enjoys interacting with the gallery, especially early in the event, but in the end it's about the course and the game.

 

Andy is spot on. The courses. The game. The skills.

Isn't Monterey Peninsula special? I played it last year. Lucky.

 

I agree. Monterey area is one of the best there is.

If I were rich enough, it would be an ideal place to retire.

Any place Clint Eastwood loves, is fine with me.

 

Spyglass and and MP get left in the dust by Pebble Beach, at least in terms of TV coverage and the average fan's perception of the entire Monterey golfing area. That was kinda my mindest going in.
To my surprise, the Monterey Penisula course turned me on more than Pebble. Holes No. 9-13 that border the ocean were an eye-opener, both in terms of beauty and proximity to the water. At Pebble, you're above the water. At MP, you're right on it, verified by a distinct ocean-smelling breeze not found at Pebble.
I even appreciated being able to simply cross the street, take my shoes off and cool my hot feet off in the cool Pacific water. And, MP had less of a corporate feel than Pebble, giving it more of an oasis effect.

 

With Cypress lost forever, MP Shore has stepped in for that feel and aesthetic if not outright guttural awesomeness. And overall, the inland holes are stronger than Pebble's inland. It's a great partner to the stunning headland strand at Pebble.

Had you been on-site before? How about that incline on Pebble #6? That wall of grass simply doesn't come across on the tube. And you could give me a bucket of endless balls and a mid-iron and I could hit approaches on #8 forever.

You nailed it on Spyglass just kinda skirting by simply because it's not seen by the masses. That sucker is a bitch and it is gorgeous.

Breeze -- -- brought this whole thing up in another thread just a bit back, the what-else effect of the peninsula. Pacific Grove. The revamped Poppy. Blackhorse and Bayonet. It's almost understandable why no one really talks about Spanish Bay.

 

Had not been on site other than a touristy visit years ago, where a person is allowed to stroll along PB No. 18.
Indeed, No. 8 is better played than viewing as a fan because of the sight line.
Sorry, I missed out on Cypress. Weren't they dropped from the rotation because of "strict" membership criteria?
Bottom line - the AT&T Pro-Am is probably the least serious tournament on the PGA circuit, but it sure is find to hang out at.

 

Yes, Cypress chose to not have the tour dictate its membership policies. And at some point, many memberships kick big events out; it's just hard on the furniture.

#8 is a classic example of why so much golf broadcasting is so mindlessly blonde. (I was blonde once, I can say that.) Day after day they talk about Jack saying it's the best par-4 approach in the world, and all the commentators talk about how great it is, how pucker-inducing it is, but unless you put a camera up at the end of the fairway, looking across the chasm to that tiny green down below, it's all just so many empty words. (And just a lousy hole from the tee.)

The Phoenix Open might disagree, but the Clambake certainly is, to me, one of the most compelling, because of the courses.

(Next time you get such a wild hair out this way, ring me up!)

 

I've been to a few events when I was getting my kid exposed to golf. Saw Arnie and Jack at Riv for the Sr. US Open, Tiger there when Faldo won etc. I just can't take being at a course I want to play and not being able to. Just watching made me text my brother to arrange an October Pebble trip. Being there would have been torture.
I would love to see the pros tear up Cypress until they get to 16 with the wind even slightly up. They think 17 at Sawgrass is a challenge? 35% of the cards would have black numbers there.
LACC is one of those clubs that has always refused the USGA but now relented. That will be fun to watch, but not in person. I'd have to sneak under the ropes to play #8.