A quick little update on Pebble Beach as I just reviewed it a couple weeks ago so there’s no need to go into detail. First the speed of the greens were fast. I’ve always said that uphill putts are... Continue »

A quick little update on Pebble Beach as I just reviewed it a couple weeks ago so there’s no need to go into detail. First the speed of the greens were fast. I’ve always said that uphill putts are manageable and it’s only the downhill putts that you need to stress over. This time even in the rain, uphill putts were super fast.

Next, I’d like to thank Pebble Beach corporation for listening. In the last review, I mentioned the extreme walk all the way around the shops back to your car after finishing on 18. Now they’ve opened up the walkway so you can cut through back to the pro shop/ first tee.

Also, the pool noodles have been cut down to a reasonable height. Matt and I commented on one that was a little higher than desired but that was the lone exception. The rest were fine.

I’ve played Pebble a couple handful of times and this was the first time I’ve had extreme wind. Doing the punch shot off the tee on 7 was fun, but then again I’ve hit Sand wedge off the tee plenty so I didn’t mind something different. The wind on number 8 will always trick you. I thought we had a tail wind and adjusted accordingly. WRONG! Where are the caddies when I need them.

Speaking of caddies. I called a couple of our regular caddies before we played to see if they could sneak out with us. They told me that word from headquarters is caddies will be back in action on June 15th.

Played the day after Nicks review and we had some crazy weather. First 3 holes had rain with no wind followed by lots of wind the rest of the way with some sunshine. This is obviously a huge bucket li... Continue »

Played the day after Nicks review and we had some crazy weather. First 3 holes had rain with no wind followed by lots of wind the rest of the way with some sunshine. This is obviously a huge bucket list course and it met my expectations. We got on for a special price of $400 that they were offering due to the Covid shut down of the resort.

I didn't mind the minimal service provided as I knew it wasn't going to be A+++ with a 200+ discount not including caddie fee's. With that being said we were taken care of from the moment we arrived. The gentleman at the bag drop area let us know that the range is up the hill and that we could drive there and to come back 20 minuets before our tee time.

Course itself is as advertise. Beautifully manicured turf with amazing surroundings. Tee's, Greens, Fairways were all spectacular. Rough was great but I did see some browning areas but they were few and far between. Sand was really good but wet from the rain so I cant give a accurate grade. As everyone has said time and time again the layout is perfect with the first few holes in the pines and then boom here is the ocean in play on every shot. I did donate 3 to Poseidon to add to his collection of many many golf balls.

I know the course is very expensive to play but if you are a fan of golf you must play here before you kick the bucket. It is a one of a kind experience and I am glad I played there. The only problem now is I need to make a new bucket list for golf courses. That wont be tough :)

Walked the Golds (6454/73.2/137) in 4H, 45M mid afternoon. The weather was mid 60's, overcast and WINDY. Matched up with 3 other walkers, Dave, Matt and Blake. All from Nor Cal and all excellent guys ... Continue »

Walked the Golds (6454/73.2/137) in 4H, 45M mid afternoon. The weather was mid 60's, overcast and WINDY. Matched up with 3 other walkers, Dave, Matt and Blake. All from Nor Cal and all excellent guys to play with. Six years ago, my wife handed me a Christmas card that said "Good for one round at Pebble Beach". After finding out that the normal $585 charge to play could only be obtained IF you stayed 2 nights at the lodge AND that when all the extras were added up it would be over $2k, I never used it. With COVID-19, the lodge is closed and many of the usual required extras were not available. They were offering a discount for the month of May, slightly less than $500 to walk. I figured it would not likely be cheaper, so I finally made the tee time my wife offered to pay for years ago. Having seen over 40 years of televised PGA events from PB, I was pretty prepared for the actual holes. However, seeing them on TV you do not realize how they are routed. Pure genius taking advantage of as many shots toward the ocean or with the ocean on one side as possible. Some holes were more hilly than I thought, but a few were flatter than anticipated. The course was much lusher than I expected, so it actually exceeded lofty expectations. The homes surrounding many holes are actually larger and more grand than they appear on TV. I knew the holes beside the water were going to have the majestic views they did. However, I did not realize how many holes you just barely have to turn your head to have a breath taking view. So those two areas were even more of a plus than anticipated. Tees lush, almost immaculate. Fairways were immaculate. Primary rough surprisingly even, about 2.5" and lush. Usually very good to play out of. Every hole has some native areas that are a likely lost ball. Traps considering the wind were amazing. Lots of nice, fluffy sand. Small poa greens reminded me very much of the Donald Ross course I grew up playing back in N.C. Loved the greens and had a good putting day in spite of several 3 putts. Customer Service outstanding. All grass range across the street was available 1 hour before your tee time. Was not allowed to enter the course until 20 minutes before your tee time, both COVID-19 measures. Pro Shop and clubhouse closed. Masks required at check-in and when dealing with on course personnel. Drink cart around numerous times, and they had an open snack stand on the course. Tiger Woods was on site working on the par 3 course he is designing between the pro shop and the driving range. If you are truly a golf fan, you need to play here at least once. And I say that even though I drew the short straw on the wind today. How strong was the wind? I gave up on a hat after the 5th hole, having already chased it about 10 times. My push cart was blowing over and I had to chase a head cover over 100 yards before catching it. Some shots you don't normally hit? I punched a 5 iron a little too long into the teeth of a 25-30 mph side wind on #7, the downhill 100 yard par 3. After seeing what happened the first 2 short irons I got up in the air in the 25+ mph cross wind, there was no way I was hitting a normal trajectory shot. I made the mistake of hitting a normal 9I and just aiming 10 yards right the first hole I faced the strong R/L cross wind. It went straight for about 70 yards, then started bending toward the green, looked okay... then the last 70 yards in the air, it was going dead left and ended up a good 25 yards in some wealthy guys back yard. The only hole that played straight downwind AD was #8, which played 400 yards from the tees I played. I hit a 7I to lay up short of the ravine off the tee and then an 8I to the back fringe to set up a routine par. 7I & 8I app. 410 yards total? 180/170 = 350 would be my normal 100% shots for those 2 clubs. Had a 31' putt on 17 that I thought would be within 3-5' at the most when I hit it. When the wind got finished with it, I had 60' coming back. The holes by the water absolutely ate my lunch, they were by far the windest. Our group all hit shots that started out in no mans land over the beach/ocean and ended up missing on the other side of the fairway/green. Balls blowing off the tee. Marking your ball and placing it w/o it rolling was a challenge with the wind. The more inland holes were more like a 10 mph wind somewhat protected by trees/houses. 7 of my 8 pars were on the inland holes. All my big numbers but one were on the by the sea holes. Would love to come back when the wind was more normal. Still, the overall experience exceeded expectations.

Well I can finally check off one of the Top 3 Courses on the Bucket List.

Words cannot describe the euphoric state that I was in and really still coming down off of such a special round of golf. B... Continue »

Well I can finally check off one of the Top 3 Courses on the Bucket List.

Words cannot describe the euphoric state that I was in and really still coming down off of such a special round of golf. But I will try.

Had a 12:20 tee time on May 19th. Got up to the range early, and thanks to Alex for all the tidbits of information going in. Everything was properly socially distanced for precautionary measures.

The course, the course was in great shape. Tee to green there was nothing out of place. The exception would have to be the bunkers, obviously with no rakes the foot prints and what not but never was an issue with a shot of any sort.

The whole day was a great day! The wind started really blowing when we made the inland turn, everything was playing minimum 1-2 clubs longer at least. When the wind is up this course, really shows its teeth. Even with a poor score on holes, you just look up from your scorecard and just take in the beauty that is Pebble Beach, and you quickly realize that a score out here doesn't matter much.

I had a blast, again, words are tough to come by and the memories will last a lifetime. But if you are ever in the market for playing this course, do it!

Played Pebble Beach this morning in absolute glorious weather. The social distancing requirements were taken to a whole new level at Pebble Beach. Every other parking space was blocked off so you ... Continue »

Played Pebble Beach this morning in absolute glorious weather. The social distancing requirements were taken to a whole new level at Pebble Beach. Every other parking space was blocked off so you couldn’t get close to someone in parking lot. The range was set up so everyone was 15-20 feet apart and the shuttle from the range to the first tee wasn’t running. Also, they didn’t have a supply of tees on the range like usual. No big deal other than I had to walk back to my car. Even their social distancing signs were high class. See the GK app for an picture of one. ‘

Check in was simple. Payment was done in advance through central reservations. A person at the range verified your tee time and then a starter sends you off with your group once you are back down at the first tee. The pro-shop is completely closed so no shopping ?

As expected the course was in fantastic shape. Being this is the fifth day Pebble has been back open the tee boxes were a 10+. Fairways were a 9.5-10 as were the greens. Greens rolled at a medium-fast pace. As always. Uphill putts are manageable and downhill putts are… well, good luck with that!

Pace of play was the usual 5 hours but like I’ve said before. Who care’s?! It’s Pebble and on a beautiful day like today, you certainly don’t want to rush!

My two minor complaints. One, the pool noodles in the cups were a bit too high. All too often balls would skim right across and out. The last few holes seem to be better, but the majority need to be cut down a ¼ to a ½ inch. Also, because they have the retail shops all closed down the walk back to the car from the 18th is atrocious. They route you all the way around the shops and back up the road. Why they can’t open up the path near the practice putting green for a short cut I don’t know. Of course I might have just been mad because I put my approach shot on 18 into the water!

I will say, that Pebble Beach had a different vibe out there today. One that was much more relaxed than normal. They still had marshals every couple of holes to keep things moving but we fell ½ a hole behind for about 5 holes and no one said anything. True the group behind us had fallen behind as well but I was surprised that none of the marshals said anything.

As always, Pebble Beach is a truly fantastic course and experience. I posted a handful of pictures on the GK App

I got in on the NCGA special of $450 with a $75 gift card to play Pebble Beach recently. It worked out perfectly and the weather couldn't have been better!

Conditions were great as you'd expect wit... Continue »

I got in on the NCGA special of $450 with a $75 gift card to play Pebble Beach recently. It worked out perfectly and the weather couldn't have been better!

Conditions were great as you'd expect with the AT&T coming up. I guess CA has received plenty of rain as things were a bit soft.

It is cart path only or you can walk. I carried my bag (no pull carts allowed and I opted for no caddie) and it was the best golf course walk I've ever taken! I am a sucker for courses with scenery and it doesn't get better than Pebble in that regards. Always fun to play a tour course, be around so much history and walk where the greats of the game walked.

The course was surprisingly more difficult than I imagined thanks to the tiny greens and tons of slope on the ocean holes. Make sure you don't miss on the low side! It was a 137 slope from 6400(ish) yards.

I guess the question most want answered would be "Is Pebble worth the green fee?" To me, no golf course is worth $500 to play however you are basically purchasing a memory. And, I'm okay with the once-in-a-lifetime green fee for the memory of all those views plus the 7th hole, 8th approach and 18th tee shot.

Joined JohnnyGK and RGM2525 along with a good friend of mine for a great walk around Pebble Beach. The weather was absolutely perfect. Sunny and no wind. Being winter and the fact that it had rai... Continue »

Joined JohnnyGK and RGM2525 along with a good friend of mine for a great walk around Pebble Beach. The weather was absolutely perfect. Sunny and no wind. Being winter and the fact that it had rained the previous night the course was a little damp but nothing major and certainly not as wet as a couple weeks ago.

Pebble Beach is such a fantastic experience whether it’s your first time or hundredth time. It’s still magical. As John said it’s easy to be more tourist than golfer and he’s correct. It’s a sin not to be tourist and take pictures. I try to find the balance between soaking in the beautiful views and taking a moment to snap (and post) some pictures.

Pebble Beach is one of those places that even bad shots are memorable. People will often ask “how was your approach shot over the cliff on #8”, and even if you put it in the water, it’s still fun to reminisce the moment. Playing right before the upcoming tournament adds some extra enjoyment as the stands are being built and watching the pros on TV in a month takes on a new meaning. You get to relive the awesome experience and say, I had that shot. I will only add one other comment on the wonderful experience. If/when you do play make sure to take a caddie. It’s the only way to experience this place. Even if you don’t want the caddie to give you yardage and read your putts. Take one just to carry your clubs so you can enjoy the walk stress free and thoroughly soak in the magnificent views.

I can’t even begin to tell how much this round meant to me coming as a gift from Greenskeeper.org members. A life long dream to play Pebble Beach Golf Links now realized. I was 90% tourist and only 10... Continue »

I can’t even begin to tell how much this round meant to me coming as a gift from Greenskeeper.org members. A life long dream to play Pebble Beach Golf Links now realized. I was 90% tourist and only 10% golfer and played as such but who cares, I would not have experienced my first round here any other way. Took over 200 photos on what turned out to be a post card weather day for January in Monterey. So blessed. I’m going to have a ton of photos posted here, on the GreensKeeper iPhone App and lots of posts on my JohnnyGK/Greenskeeper.org Facebook and Instagram accounts. This was a day I will always remember and savor. Thank You!

There are golf rounds and there is Pebble. The nostalgia and grandness of day is a right of passage in my mind for those that love the game. It’s very expensive but worth it is you have the coin to spend on yourself. I didn’t but again those GK’ers that pitched in saw to it I would. You’re all awesome. Thank You.

We teed off at 8:20am today. Alex326, rgm2525 and Alex’s friend Bob. We finished in 4 ½ hours. Conditions wise, the greens were in great shape, not immaculate but you know that will change in a month for now when they host the AT & T, mostly smooth, holding shots and moderately fast. Rest of the golf course was immaculate. Added fun was they are preparing for the AT & T so many of the platforms are already built for the bleachers to be placed.

Part of the Pebble Beach experience is having an great caddies. We had 2 for our group of 4. Chris tended to my bag and rgm2525’s and did a super job for me. Also found out he knows about GK and uses it often. He gave me good reads and club selections all day. Great guy to have conversations with and patient with me with all my picture taking! – LOL

Pebble Beach Golf Links, and not just from walking in the footsteps of the greats standpoint, is now my favorite golf course I have ever played. Loved every hole and was completely mesmerized by all the ocean holes. My favorite hole is #8 par 4. Wow that approach shot down to the green is special. Hole #18 is a close second which I almost birdied! Hole #7 I screwed up but still loved it. This course fits my eye all day. Challenging but fair. Exceptional variety of golf holes where strategy is needed to play well. I could play it every month (come on Powerball numbers! – LOL)

Highly Recommended!

Some phone calls are better than others. Got a phone call from a friend a couple of weeks ago stating "the email just came out". Meaning Pebble Beach tee times were now available. The next couple h... Continue »

Some phone calls are better than others. Got a phone call from a friend a couple of weeks ago stating "the email just came out". Meaning Pebble Beach tee times were now available. The next couple hours were spent calling friends and coordinating tee times for the next month including today's round at Pebble Beach.

Couldn't have picked a better place to end the year of golf. Check in was a little in the slow side mainly because it was busy as usual. Other than that everything was smooth. We took the shuttle up to the all grass range which is supplied with TP5/x balls. From there we did some practice putting back down in the main area then met our caddies.

Our normal caddies were on vacation and they recommended some friends. Mitch and John were absolutely phenomenal! Knowledgeable and a total blast. We had a decent amount of rain the past couple of days so the course was wet. I had a total of 10 yards runout all day! Seriously, I had 4 drives that plugged in their initial landing spot. Other than that the fairways were a perfect ten as were the tee boxes.

Greens were naturally soft so they held well struck approach shots. They rolled smooth and a medium fast pace which was a touch slower than normal. Greens are small and I was fortunate to keep the ball below or even with the hole which made putting manageable

Sand traps were the weak link only because they were still wet from last nights rain. Rough was lush and only about 2-3 inches thick.

Pace of play: who cares?! It's the greatest walk in golf so there's no reason to rush it. Plus we were behind Henrik Stenson so even more reason to relax and take it all in.

It's just a phenomenal experience no matter how many time you play it. Posted some pictures on the GK app while waiting for Stenson!