Monterey, time for 1 round....

[R4haehl]

Heading to Monterey this Thursday 6/24 thru Monday 6/28 with my wife for a babymoon/anniversary trip, expecting our 1st child this fall. She actually came up with this idea, when I had considered it before saying anything to her. Anywhere we travel, my mind defaults to "what golf is around us?"  as I am sure it does with most WRXers - She is cool with me playing but since this trip isn't a "golf trip," I was able to get the green light for 1 round while we are there.

 

I have been to Monterey twice and have played: Spyglass, Spanish Bay, Del Monte, The Hay (pre-TGR Design), Bayonet & Blackhorse and Poppy Hills. 

 

We are not staying at Pebble, so I haven't been able to book Pebble in advance. I have called twice to see if I can get around the 24hr advance for non-resort guests with no luck. Pebble is bucket list for sure and I'd like to play if I can but I'd like to play somewhere I haven't yet, though I would like another crack at Spy. But not this trip as I'd like to play something new to me.  Unfortunately, Pasatiempo which I have not played is not in the cards for this trip.

 

Currently I have an early tee time at Pacific Grove for both Sat & Sun, and will drop whichever day doesn't work with our plans. I have obviously heard great things about PG back 9 and have always been curious and it's the most affordable 18 hole option.... But recently she mentioned that the hotel we are staying at has a partnership w/ The Club at Pasadera, which is a private club that I hadn't heard of prior to this. Looks like a Nicklaus design. I haven't inquired as to costs or availability for Pasadera.

 

This is a long winded way of asking....

 

Should I play:

1. Pacific Grove - play an early and fast round, affordable, "Poor Man's Pebble Beach" - have secured 6:36am tee time on both Sat/Sun

 

2. Pebble Beach - bucket list, expensive

       a. Caveat to this is that I need the tee time to be early, ideally somewhere in the 6am-8am range, so she isn't sitting around waiting for me as she doesn't want to tag along. Which narrows my possibilities that much more. It appears online that PB does have availability on both days.

       b. She thinks I should save Pebble for another time that I go with buddies, but I am looking at it as a "when in Rome" type of thing. I've played plenty of golf without buddies so that isn't a dealbreaker for me. I would just hope that I don't get paired up with some slow playing hacks as that would definitely take away from the experience, which is probably a high likelihood at Pebble...

 

3. The Club at Pasadera via my hotel partnership - zero idea about the course, though I am sure that it is nice. Unsure of guest fee.

 

4. Longshot.... Any WRXers want to host me/have a connect at MPCC or Cypress? lol - worth a try right?

 

Thanks for your input!!!

 

 

[aloha b.]

If you can't get on Pebble then I would play The Club At Pasadera since you mentioned that you'd like to play somewhere that you've never played before and you won't always get the chance to play a private club. Someone that I know is a fairly new member at Pasadera and he really likes the golf course and all of the facilities. I've heard that Jim Nantz is also a member at Pasadera.

You can keep trying to get on Pebble and you may get someone that will help you. 

Although some don't care for PG I always have a good time with my friends.

There's also Quail Lodge Golf Club which is always in fantastic shape and it's not too far from the Barnyard in Carmel and also Carmel Valley Ranch a Pete Dye design.

Edited June 20, 2021 by aloha b.

[R4haehl]

Thanks @aloha b. - I do agree with you about the opportunity to play a private that I may not get to play at in the future. I'll be making that phone call today to inquire about guest fees and how it works with my hotel.

 

I've always been curious about PG even though it isn't the cream of the crop on the peninsula, but I do love and appreciate a good muni even if the front 9 is forgettable in this case (according to what I have heard)

 

I am still going to try for Pebble but I have low hopes for it to work out in my favor given the timeslot I am aiming for.

 

Appreciate the heads up on the other courses mentioned. I will keep those in mind for future trips!!

[95124hacker]

Pasadera is a unique (quirky) layout: 6 par 3’s…. Played it several times. I’d rather play Carmel Valley Ranch TBH over PG or Pasadera but that’s just me.

[R4haehl]

THanks @95124hacker - I have called my hotel a few times to get more info on Pasadera but they have been dropping the ball in giving me any useful info, transferring me to people whose voicemail I get and then don't return my call... Had one call me back where I missed the call, they left a VM with some brief info. I don't think Pasadera will be happening.

 

But I have spoken to Pebble (a few times) and it sounds like there MIGHT be a single opening for me in the times I am looking for but are sticking to their 24hr booking for non resort guests. Fingers crossed 🙂

[aloha b.]

10 hours ago, R4haehl said:

THanks @95124hacker - I have called my hotel a few times to get more info on Pasadera but they have been dropping the ball in giving me any useful info, transferring me to people whose voicemail I get and then don't return my call... Had one call me back where I missed the call, they left a VM with some brief info. I don't think Pasadera will be happening.

 

But I have spoken to Pebble (a few times) and it sounds like there MIGHT be a single opening for me in the times I am looking for but are sticking to their 24hr booking for non resort guests. Fingers crossed 🙂

Good Luck!

[goaliedad30]

Good luck on Pebble! PG is quirky, but fun. The first nine is an out & back parkland course, that starts with back-to-back par 3 holes! You may never play a course with that again ...

 

The back 9 is really about the 11-17; 10 is a short, benign par 3 that takes you out to the dunes land. 11-17 are as good as any seaside views you will have at Pebble, and remind me lots of golf I've played in Scotland and Ireland. 18 gets you back to the clubhouse ... 😕

 

Super walkable as well, which is my favorite way to play it.

[R4haehl]

Well fellas…. I’ve got a 6:20am tee time on Pebble tomorrow! The stars aligned for me and I can’t wait!

[JLaws_2929]

Great news!  Enjoy

[spoonhead]

Good luck!  Hopefully expectations are met.  Would love to play there myself.❣️ Let us know how it went.

[aloha b.]

11 hours ago, R4haehl said:

Well fellas…. I’ve got a 6:20am tee time on Pebble tomorrow! The stars aligned for me and I can’t wait!

Really good news and I hope that you have a great time!

[R4haehl]

Don't have time to write a longer post now, but will circle back when I can give more of a recap... Very special day today at Pebble and I am still in disbelief that this all worked out in my favor to actually get a early AM tee time.

 

Bottom-line, Pebble did not disappoint!!!!

[aloha b.]

1 hour ago, R4haehl said:

Don't have time to write a longer post now, but will circle back when I can give more of a recap... Very special day today at Pebble and I am still in disbelief that this all worked out in my favor to actually get a early AM tee time.

 

Bottom-line, Pebble did not disappoint!!!!

Glad that you had a special day at Pebble today and everything always works out for a reason! Looking forward to a recap of your day playing PB.

[R4haehl]

Got buried with work after getting home delaying my recap!

 

As mentioned earlier, I held out hope to see if I could play Pebble with the 24hr non-resort guest rule they have. I had Pacific Grove booked to have something secured, also I think PG is the only course on the Monterey Peninsula that didn’t have a 48hr cancellation policy which played into my planning. Friday morning came and I called Pebble to see if there were any openings and found out they had a 6:20AM tee time available, which was PERFECT. Since this was not a “golf trip,” I needed an early tee time to be able to spend the rest of the day with my wife for our other plans. Also, I prefer playing early anyways for a number of reasons. I have heard how long rounds can get at Pebble later in the day, so I wanted to avoid this and wouldn’t have played if I was teeing off later than 8am.

 

Friday afternoon I ended up driving out to Pacific Grove to get a feel for the place and poke my head in the pro shop. We had driven around the perimeter of PG our first day in town before doing 17 mile drive. I ended up walking out around on the back 9 so see what that looked like. It was great and a very cool setting for golf and I understand why folks rave about the back 9 at PG. I definitely want to play PG next time I am in Monterey. It looked like a muni but also fun.

 

Couldn’t really sleep the night before due to excitement and not wanting to sleep through my alarm. I ended up getting to Pebble around 5:30am. Range didn’t open til 6am, which was fine. I rolled some putts and I am so glad that I did as I never made it to the range. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the greens rolled and needed to dial my speed in. I was the 3^rd or 4^th group off, so I watched some groups ahead of me tee off. I also met one of my playing partners. It was a cloudy morning about 55-60 degrees with a slight wind from the north or northwest, which was much more noticeable along the water.

 

Since I was there as a single, I got paired up with 3 strangers which can be a crapshoot, especially at a place like Pebble. One guy was my age which we both enjoyed having a peer and it was his first time playing Pebble as well. We agreed to take photos and videos of each other prior to the round which was really nice.  Then the other 2 were a married couple who had been to Pebble many times (4x in the last year!) – They were good company and helped when I had some questions about a few holes. We all played quick which was nice.

 

I played it all the way back with the blue tees, 2 others played white and she played forward tees. Now I could give you guys a hole by hole, shot by shot recap but I won’t bore you!! It is amazing how they have totally maxed out the distance of Pebble. Many of the blue tees were nearby the 2019 US Open plaques but there were a few holes that I noticed a tee box behind the blue tees I was playing, but not very many. The course was in phenomenal shape and greens rolled really pure. I knew the greens were small, but even that surprised me a bit with how small they actually were. I would expect nothing less conditions wise for what they charge but I did have doubts for how much play the course gets…. I mean they have a stacked tee sheet EVERY DAY. No one in our group had  a caddie. There were in the groups ahead of us. We finished front 9 in 2 hours and back 9 was 2.5hrs for a 4.5hr round.  We definitely waited on the group a head of us more on the back 9. I can only imagine how that snowballs into rounds later in the day.

 

Holes 1-3 are very straight forward with opportunities to score early. Holes 4-10 are spectacular, especially the 6-8 stretch. The approach shot on 8 might be my new favorite approach anywhere. 11-13 was my least favorite 3 hole stretch if I had to be critical. 14 I found to play much longer than I thought it would, but that was mostly due to my drive that went dead straight and didn’t fade at all, otherwise I think I would have been in good shape. 15 didn’t do much for me but I suppose the tee shot was cool. The closing stretch awesome. 16, fun tee shot that can really shorten the hole but a very sloped green. 17 we had a back left pin which I think is where it normally is on US Open and at the AT&T on Sundays. Very fun, demanding tee shot especially if the wind is ripping. 18 was into the wind the whole way. Very fun to imagine all the stands around and what has been on the line for tournaments we have all watched. A very fulfilling end to a special golf course and extremely enjoyable walk.

 

I was so happy to be there since I was still kind of in shock that it was happening and not expecting to post a good score. I ended up firing a 78 which made the day that much more special. I have been very happy with my game lately and I am glad it showed up at Pebble! Though, I had a lot of good birdie looks but was only able to convert 2 on the day.

 

My buddies asked: Was it worth the price tag? And would I pay to do it again?

 

Worth the price tag?: yes, I think it was worth it for sure. It is hard to justify how much some of these high end courses charge, but I enjoyed every second of it… Now, had I shot poorly, maybe I would be singing a different tune haha maybe but probably not since I can appreciate golf, golf courses and golf experiences outside of what my score was. Also, I didn’t have the added expense of staying at the resort which is not cheap. The conditions, the views but the history the course took it to another level. Amazing golf experience overall.

 

Would I do it again?:  Absolutely. This isn’t somewhere you play regularly so it isn’t a normal occurrence.  Bottom-line, if I don’t ever have the opportunity to play Pebble again then I will still be satisfied to say that I have played Pebble Beach.

 

Lengthy post but if you made it this far, thank you for reading. If you responded to my initial posts, thank you for your input as I truly appreciated it!

 

Let me know if you have questions or if there is something you are curious about that I didn’t address.

[95124hacker]

Nice post, glad you enjoyed it. I probably would not play it again . I mean… you only lose your virginity once, right?

[R4haehl]

11 hours ago, 95124hacker said:

Nice post, glad you enjoyed it. I probably would not play it again . I mean… you only lose your virginity once, right?

😂😂😂 - IDK about you, but I kept going back after I lost mine.... LOL

Edited July 3, 2021 by R4haehl

[aloha b.]

Excellent recap,  nice score and glad that you had a great time! 

Did your wife have a good time on the Monterey Peninsula?

Edited July 4, 2021 by aloha b.

[callawayjay]

I’ve played it 7x and will be out there for my 8th trip around in august 3. I dig the whole scene and it’s worth every penny to me. I cant wait. 
 

im glad you got to see and play it. There’s absolutely nothing like the ocean holes and I often equate it to playing golf in a movie. 

[R4haehl]

16 hours ago, aloha b. said:

Excellent recap,  nice score and glad that you had a great time! 

Did your wife have a good time on the Monterey Peninsula?

She had a great time! Fantastic trip overall.

[aloha b.]

Recently ate at Sticks At Spanish Bay,

Shrimp and Grits

Blacken fish tacos & tater tots

 

Also Lucia at Bernardus Lodge & Spa Carmel Valley

Pan seared King salmon

Prime angus beef fillet

Buttermilk chocolate cake