Course recommendations to fill out Pebble trip

[youngun87]

Every year my father and I go on a golf trip on Labor day. This year we will be going to the Pebble beach area. Our tee times so far are like this

 

Day 1 Poppy Hills then Spy glass

Day 2 Bayonet then Pebble beach

Day 3 Spanish Bay then Pasatiempo

 

 

 

We are thinking of adding Pacific Grove and taking out either Bayonet or Poppy Hills. Opinions? Does this sound like a good itinerary for 3 days of golf? Any other tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[duffer987]

With that roster, I'd keep Bayonet and Poppy over Pacific Grove.
PG's back 9 is great. Most of it true links turf, with fantastic views, really good fun, always enjoy it; however, the front 9 is just another muni.

6 top notch courses you've got there. You'll have a cracking time. Enjoy

[poppyhillsguy]

[quote name='youngun87' timestamp='1408681036' post='9984883']
Every year my father and I go on a golf trip on Labor day. This year we will be going to the Pebble beach area. Our tee times so far are like this

Day 1 Poppy Hills then Spy glass
Day 2 Bayonet then Pebble beach
Day 3 Spanish Bay then Pasatiempo



We are thinking of adding Pacific Grove and taking out either Bayonet or Poppy Hills. Opinions? Does this sound like a good itinerary for 3 days of golf? Any other tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
[/quote]

DO NOT take out either Poppy or Bayonet for PG. That would be a huge mistake.

[deadsolid...shank]

I actually liked Pacific Grove better than Poppy, but that was before they redid it. Don't switch out for Bayonet, but I might consider Poppy. But the guys who've played it since the makeover will know better.

[youngun87]

What are you all's opinions on Blackhorse? The reason I ask is that my father is a 13 handicap and my friend is a 12. I hear Bayonet is a really tough course. I really want to play Bayonet being a 2 but also would not like to see my Father and friend struggle (they both tend to get a bit frustrated when not playing well). Shouold we even consider it or is Bayonet a much better course?

[duffer987]

[quote name='youngun87' timestamp='1408765781' post='9991695']
What are you all's opinions on Blackhorse? The reason I ask is that my father is a 13 handicap and my friend is a 12. I hear Bayonet is a really tough course. I really want to play Bayonet being a 2 but also would not like to see my Father and friend struggle (they both tend to get a bit frustrated when not playing well). Shouold we even consider it or is Bayonet a much better course?
[/quote]

They won't find Blackhorse any easier than Bayonet. The main difference tee to green is less trees on Blackhorse, but the fairways are no wider and its quite heavily (maybe too artificially so) bunkered. Also the greens aren't any easier either.

12 & 13 indexes are good players. They are not at your level but low double digits is just fine - except in this place obviously
The courses are fairly long from mid tees though, with not a lot of roll. Would it be uncomfortable for them to be on the whites and you further back? That would be one way to mitigate it.

[sharkiesj]

[quote name='duffer987' timestamp='1408767632' post='9991789']
[quote name='youngun87' timestamp='1408765781' post='9991695']
What are you all's opinions on Blackhorse? The reason I ask is that my father is a 13 handicap and my friend is a 12. I hear Bayonet is a really tough course. I really want to play Bayonet being a 2 but also would not like to see my Father and friend struggle (they both tend to get a bit frustrated when not playing well). Shouold we even consider it or is Bayonet a much better course?
[/quote]

They won't find Blackhorse any easier than Bayonet. The main difference tee to green is less trees on Blackhorse, but the fairways are no wider and its quite heavily (maybe too artificially so) bunkered. Also the greens aren't any easier either.

12 & 13 indexes are good players. They are not at your level but low double digits is just fine - except in this place obviously
The courses are fairly long from mid tees though, with not a lot of roll. Would it be uncomfortable for them to be on the whites and you further back? That would be one way to mitigate it.
[/quote]

I disagree about the course description. Bayonet is extremely tight off the tee, esp. the front nine. Tree-lined fairways will punish your wayward drives. There are some more generous fairways, but overall, IMO, Bayonet is much much more demanding off the tee. Blackhorse off the tee is much more forgiving, a lot more open and generous. Where the course's differ the most is the greens. The Bayonet's greens are more straight-forward and traditional. The Blackhorse's greens are absolutely crazy insane to putt if you're not in the proper position. Way more undulation, slope and more 3 putt potential, thus more F-bomb frustration walking off the greens.

I agree with you about the bunkering on the Blackhorse, esp. around the greens, a lot more, but it is fair IMO for as you get closer to the greens on the Blackhorse, the course gets tougher. To me, it's the opposite on the Bayonet. It's all about your drives on the Bayonet. It's harder off the tee but as you move closer to the greens, it eases up a bit because the green complexes are not as demanding as the Blackhorse. That is not to say they are all easy but I'm speaking just in general terms and an overall picture.

This is just my personal opinion and as I have slightly disagreed with yours, I'm sure others may disagree with me about my assessment of the two courses. Hopefully others can chime in and give the guy a clearer picture of what he wants to do. I guess it's more of a pick your poison type thing. Bayonet=tough tee shots.......Blackhorse=tough greens.

[poppyhillsguy]

[quote name='sharkiesj' timestamp='1408813257' post='9993537']
[quote name='duffer987' timestamp='1408767632' post='9991789']
[quote name='youngun87' timestamp='1408765781' post='9991695']
What are you all's opinions on Blackhorse? The reason I ask is that my father is a 13 handicap and my friend is a 12. I hear Bayonet is a really tough course. I really want to play Bayonet being a 2 but also would not like to see my Father and friend struggle (they both tend to get a bit frustrated when not playing well). Shouold we even consider it or is Bayonet a much better course?
[/quote]

They won't find Blackhorse any easier than Bayonet. The main difference tee to green is less trees on Blackhorse, but the fairways are no wider and its quite heavily (maybe too artificially so) bunkered. Also the greens aren't any easier either.

12 & 13 indexes are good players. They are not at your level but low double digits is just fine - except in this place obviously
The courses are fairly long from mid tees though, with not a lot of roll. Would it be uncomfortable for them to be on the whites and you further back? That would be one way to mitigate it.
[/quote]

I disagree about the course description. Bayonet is extremely tight off the tee, esp. the front nine. Tree-lined fairways will punish your wayward drives. There are some more generous fairways, but overall, IMO, Bayonet is much much more demanding off the tee. Blackhorse off the tee is much more forgiving, a lot more open and generous. Where the course's differ the most is the greens. The Bayonet's greens are more straight-forward and traditional. The Blackhorse's greens are absolutely crazy insane to putt if you're not in the proper position. Way more undulation, slope and more 3 putt potential, thus more F-bomb frustration walking off the greens.

I agree with you about the bunkering on the Blackhorse, esp. around the greens, a lot more, but it is fair IMO for as you get closer to the greens on the Blackhorse, the course gets tougher. To me, it's the opposite on the Bayonet. It's all about your drives on the Bayonet. It's harder off the tee but as you move closer to the greens, it eases up a bit because the green complexes are not as demanding as the Blackhorse. That is not to say they are all easy but I'm speaking just in general terms and an overall picture.

This is just my personal opinion and as I have slightly disagreed with yours, I'm sure others may disagree with me about my assessment of the two courses. Hopefully others can chime in and give the guy a clearer picture of what he wants to do. I guess it's more of a pick your poison type thing. Bayonet=tough tee shots.......Blackhorse=tough greens.
[/quote]

I agree with Sharkie on this one.

Play Bayonet with your dad and friend, but insist that they play from the WHITE tees.

[ryu123]

Agree with the previous comments.

At Bayonet your dad should play the whites. (You can play the back tees.) 3 yrs ago played well from the whites at Bayonet. Next day played the blues & struggled.

Spanish Bay in the morning is wise, as it can get windy later in the day.

Didn't think much of the pre-renovation Poppy Hills, but likely the updated course is still a better choice than Pac Grove.

Your itinerary is excellent. (My only question is if you will be able to finish Pebble in daylight. The rounds there can be slow.)

[youngun87]

Thanks for the input guys. I think sticking with Bayonet and making them play the white tee's is the way to go. We are REALLY looking forward to this trip. We got the last guaranteed finish tee time at Pebble. I figure we will either have a really nice sunset while playing the 18th or, if we finish a bit early, we can have a nice glass of scotch and watch the sunset. It's a win win in my opinion. I will give a full review when we get back and let you all know how it went.

[Oldboy]

That is quite the lineup. I did something similar a few years back with a few of us that turned 40 at the time. I agree with keeping bayonet in the rota. Spyglass and pasatiempo stood out for me

We still talk about that trip.

[duffer987]

[quote name='sharkiesj' timestamp='1408813257' post='9993537']
[quote name='duffer987' timestamp='1408767632' post='9991789']
[quote name='youngun87' timestamp='1408765781' post='9991695']
What are you all's opinions on Blackhorse? The reason I ask is that my father is a 13 handicap and my friend is a 12. I hear Bayonet is a really tough course. I really want to play Bayonet being a 2 but also would not like to see my Father and friend struggle (they both tend to get a bit frustrated when not playing well). Shouold we even consider it or is Bayonet a much better course?
[/quote]

They won't find Blackhorse any easier than Bayonet. The main difference tee to green is less trees on Blackhorse, but the fairways are no wider and its quite heavily (maybe too artificially so) bunkered. Also the greens aren't any easier either.

12 & 13 indexes are good players. They are not at your level but low double digits is just fine - except in this place obviously
The courses are fairly long from mid tees though, with not a lot of roll. Would it be uncomfortable for them to be on the whites and you further back? That would be one way to mitigate it.
[/quote]

I disagree about the course description. Bayonet is extremely tight off the tee, esp. the front nine. Tree-lined fairways will punish your wayward drives. There are some more generous fairways, but overall, IMO, Bayonet is much much more demanding off the tee. Blackhorse off the tee is much more forgiving, a lot more open and generous. Where the course's differ the most is the greens. The Bayonet's greens are more straight-forward and traditional. The Blackhorse's greens are absolutely crazy insane to putt if you're not in the proper position. Way more undulation, slope and more 3 putt potential, thus more F-bomb frustration walking off the greens.

I agree with you about the bunkering on the Blackhorse, esp. around the greens, a lot more, but it is fair IMO for as you get closer to the greens on the Blackhorse, the course gets tougher. To me, it's the opposite on the Bayonet. It's all about your drives on the Bayonet. It's harder off the tee but as you move closer to the greens, it eases up a bit because the green complexes are not as demanding as the Blackhorse. That is not to say they are all easy but I'm speaking just in general terms and an overall picture.

This is just my personal opinion and as I have slightly disagreed with yours, I'm sure others may disagree with me about my assessment of the two courses. Hopefully others can chime in and give the guy a clearer picture of what he wants to do. I guess it's more of a pick your poison type thing. Bayonet=tough tee shots.......Blackhorse=tough greens.
[/quote]

I don't disagree with what you say. I just typed out a one-liner while you've done a much better job
I do think the 1st green on Blackhorse might be my least favorite 1st green anywhere and a couple others can get a bit silly, but my mediocre putting is probably not that heavily impacted between the two all things being equal.

I did literally meant the width of the fairways, as opposed to the encroachment of the trees. I think the amount of short grass on offer is the same between the two, while I wholly agree that the encroachment of trees on Bayonet can make it more difficult off the tee on days when things get a bit sideways.

[Thewaythatgoes]

Definitely keep poppy hills it's playing so great!!

[Yrrdead]

I'll 6th the Bayonet comments, the greens on Blackhorse are much more punitive then some of the tight fairways on Bayonet. I've heard that poppy hills is pretty darn good now. Have a great trip.

[saggysag]

simple..

Pebble, Spylgass....repeat

[poppyhillsguy]

[quote name='saggysag' timestamp='1409280448' post='10028697']
simple..

Pebble, Spylgass....repeat
[/quote]

There's a lot of great golf in the area, so no reason to limit yourself.