1972, '82, '92, & 2000 US Opens
Course: 18 Hole Public/Resort
Architect: Jack Neville & Douglas Grant
Founded: February 1919
Location: Pebble Beach, CA
Web Site: http://www.pebblebeach.com/
Date Last Played: Dec 28th, 2006
Score: 86ish....let me explain
"A Match Made in Pebble"
If I were the CEO of MasterCard my next commercial would go something like this... Overnight stay at "The Lodge": $500 a night. Greens fees and caddie fees at Pebble Beach Golf Links: $600 (plus gratuity). One sleeve of golf balls to sacrifice to the Pacific: $15. A four and a half hour walk around heaven: PRICELESS!
With approximately 32,000 golf courses scattered around the world, it is seemingly impossible to think that one person could tee it up on each and every one. There is however, one course that every single one of the estimated 61 million golfers should play: Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA. To my defense, I do have a small, personal reason why I feel so strongly about these 18 magical holes (a story in which I will indulge you with shortly). It is however, hard to argue with the greatest golfer of all time.
"If I had one last round, I would likely choose Pebble Beach." - Jack Nicklaus
Like myself, Mr. Nicklaus also has a few sentimental reasons for his lifelong love affair with Golf Digest's #1 public course seeing that he did win a few small tournaments there (1961 U.S. Amateur & 1972 U.S. Open). But even the everyday hacker whose only major achievement in golf may be finishing a round with the same ball he or she started with would admit to having a bit of a school yard crush on these historic links.
Built in 1919 under the watchful eyes of Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, Pebble Beach is considered to be an exceptional golf course on a magnificent piece of land. A combination which this golfer believes is the perfect receipt for...well, perfection. The course possesses a subdued greatness which demands every shot in your bag, but yet does not overpower the golfer so not to distract from the absolute jaw-dropping views of Carmel Bay. Case in point, the famed 7th hole.
As one of the many masochistic golfers who tortures themselves (and their scoring averages) by backing it up to the tips when visiting any course, I can count on one hand how many par 3's I have hit a wedge into (not counting second shots of course). Measuring 107 yards from the championship tees, the 7th at Pebble is the shortest hole in U.S. Open history and on the PGA Tour. But what this hole lacks in size, it more than makes up for in beauty and difficulty. I can imagine that Dr. Jeckle would consider this his signature hole. Depending on the weather conditions, a par can either be disappointing or rewarding. I think the phrase "Good things come in small packages" finds a new meaning here.
But the golf course alone is not the primary reason why Pebble Beach is a must stop for golfers. It is the history. The shots. Nicklaus' one iron that rattled the flag of the 17th hole during the '72 U.S. Open. Tom Watson's version of a walk-off home run on the very same hole ten years later. Joe Leenheer's par putt on the 18th that was never holed. What? Who plays Pebble Beach and doesn't finish their round on the most famous finishing hole in golf? Let me explain.
Youngstown, Ohio. December 28th, 2002. At an undisclosed location, I unknowingly booked a tee time for two at Pebble Beach. This was the night I met my future wife, Jana. To us, December 28th is the day both of our lives began. We celebrate that date every year by surprising each other with a special "get away". Jana began the tradition with a hot air balloon ride over San Diego in 2003. I followed that in 2004 with a helicopter trip to Catalina Island and she delivered again in 2005 with a dinner boat cruise around San Diego Harbour. After four years of dating, I had come to the conclusion that not in my wildest dreams would I ever find a more perfect girl. I needed to lock her down before she realized how "too good" she was for me.
On December 27th, 2006 Jana and I ventured up the California coast. On the way we stopped in beautiful Santa Barbara for lunch and site seeing. Continuing on, we arrived at The Lodge at Pebble Beach under night fall and my "surprise" started to reveal itself. The next morning entailed breakfast overlooking the first tee, a little gift shopping, and a quick warmup session. I was able to secure the final tee time of the day to ensure a beautiful sunset finish. Standing on the first tee I felt as if I was 12 years old again teeing off in a junior tourney while 50 other kids watched. Moments like that force every golfer into the "Hail Mary" of golf..."Please, Lord...just let me make contact". My drive found the left rough and after a 7 iron that clipped a tree, a wedge that missed the green left, a pitch that dribbled on, and four stellar putts, I was only two shots back of Jana (who had been playing golf for less than two years at the time). Fast forward four and a half hours.
On the 18th at sunset
As the sun was setting over Carmel Bay, I lay three on the back edge of the 18th green. My focus however was not on getting up and down for par on the greatest finishing hole in golf, but on something a bit more memorable. My chip nuzzled up some 4 feet from the hole, but I had no intentions of making the putt. My caddie handed me my putter (which I quickly used to scoop up my ball). I waited anxiously for Jana to hole her last putt. The round now complete, I took Jana by the hand and walked her to the center of the green. Dropping to my knee, it was now obvious to my caddie why I handed my camera to him for a "special moment" on the green. It was there on the 18th at Pebble Beach that I asked Jana to spend the rest of our lives together.
Pebble is much more to us than an amazing place where golf history has been made time and time again. It is a place where Jana and I made our own history. That day will forever be remember as one of the happiest of our lives. But enough about me, let's talk about the course.
Jana on the 4th Green
Notable holes: all of them...just kidding. Avoiding anymore talk about 18, I'll start my list with the 4th hole. This 327 yard Par 4, in my opinion is the best two shot hole on the course. Hard to fathom with holes as infamous as 8 and 9, but with the short length and strategic bunkering, there are numerous ways to make birdie or bogey. It allows every player to play to their strength unlike many "great" holes. The ones that demand great length off the tee and pin point accuracy on a lengthy second shot which commonly draws the question, "This is a par 4?".
Next up is the 14th. The real reason why this hole made my list is because of an amazing up-and-down that Jana made for par. An up-and-down that was so amazing that it earned her a beer from our caddie. The putting green on the 14th is one of the most unique green structures I have come to encounter. The green features a tier in the front left that slopes from front to back and from left to right creating a nub like shape that is protected by a fiercely deep bunker. I imagine the green was designed on a late Friday afternoon when Neville and Grant where tired from a long week of work. They approached the area, saw the dirt that had been piled, and one of them said "That'll do."
The 17th Green
Lastly, I must mention the 17th. The Blue tee yardage measures 178 yards. That's the longest 178 yards you will ever see. The green looks about as wide as the top line of Jack's 1 iron...and it is. Match that image with the Pacific Ocean crashing against the shore in the backdrop and you start thinking about how you are going to make 4.
While you are walking up the 18th, I can guarantee that you will not be thinking about the cost of your round or room, or the score you are about to humbly record. You won't be thinking at all. You will be immersed in the peaceful tranquillity of crashing waves and breathtaking views as you stroll in awe towards the end of a great day. Do not go to Pebble Beach expecting to play golf. Go to experience how golf is meant to be played.
Fairways and Greens,
Joe
