My Pebbles Beach Golf Links Round

Pebbles Beach Golf Links, Dec 1, 2002, 0730

Lorna gave me the gift of a lifetime on my 50th birthday. We've been to Pebbles Beach numerous times and we've enjoyed the breath taking sceneries of the 17 mile drive everytime we went. She surprised me on my 50th with our trip to Monterey after Thanksgiving of 2002. It started with a warm up during our first day at the Navy Postgraduate school Golf Course. We stayed in the Spanish Bay Lodge facing the Pacific Ocean and they placed chocolate and roses in the room everyday. I played the Spanish Bay Links on our second day and the mecca of all golf courses, The Pebbles Beach Golf Course on our third day. Here is the blow by blow account:

Played with Damian (Chicago)/caddy Bucky and John/Paul father and son combo. John is an Orthopedic doctor. Lorna came along and rode in the cart with me. It was a cool but pleasant morning and devoid of wind. Carts were not allowed on the fairway and did not have GPS monitors. My yardage book will come handy for this round. I also started befriending Bucky who said that he has never seen anybody with more loops than my golf swing. I think I earned his respect later when I didn’t miss any drive.

Hole 1: Par 4, 345 yards, Handicap 8
I aimed my drive left of a right-hand side fairway bunker 248 yds away. Hit my drive at the right side of the fairway, 133 yds to the pin. Hit approach shot 6 feet to the bottom left of the hole, 2 putted for par. This putt broke towards the ocean to the right as advertised.

Hole 2: Par 5, 484 yards, Handicap 10
This par 5 played as a par 4 during the 2002 U. S. open. I aimed my drive over the middle bunker some 181 yds out the middle right side of the fairway. I nailed this and had 228 to the hole! Bucky motioned that the play is to lay up some 125 yds out to avoid the deep bunker and barranca guarding the green from 75 yards out. I laid up with a pitching wedge to 95 yds but drew my approach shot to the left bunker with a downhill lie. I hit my next shot to the right side of the green in the rough. I hacked it to the front of the green, putted from the fringe to a foot from the pin and one putted for a double bogie.

Hole 3: Par 4, 360 yards, Handicap 12
This dog-leg left par 4 demands a carry of 180 yards to the right of the trees. The green is guarded by huge bunkers to the right if you play it safe right of the barranca. I drew my drive around the tree and left me with 90 yds to the pin. I blocked my shot to the deep right bunker. My sand shot barely cleared the lip but got hang up on the fringe. I chipped to 4 feet, missed my putt and tapped in for a double bogie.

Hole 4: Par 4, 327 yards, Handicap 16
This short par 4 is the first of the ocean holes with water right and the green is guarded by long bunkers to the right. The fairway has a middle bunker that demands a 172 yard carry. I hit a 3W to the center right and left me with a 133 yd shot to the sloping back to front green. I flew my 7I approach shot to the back of the green, chipped on and two putted for a bogie.

Hole 5: Par 3, 142 yards, Handicap 14
This newly opened par 3 was designed by Jack Niclaus atop the bluff over looking Stillwater Cove and the Pacific Ocean to the right. Using 7I, I followed the safe play of left center of the green to seven feet and nailed the putt for a birdie. Priceless!

Hole 6: Par 5, 484 yards, Handicap 2
This hole has the ocean to the right and requires a second shot to carry a steep slope (50 feet) of rough. I hit my drive middle right and nailed my 3 wood over the hill aiming towards the left bunker as advised by Bucky. That left me with a pitching W to the green some 8 feet on top of the hole. I missed my putt to 2 feet and tapped in for a par.

Hole 7: Par 3, 107 yards, Handicap 18
This signature hole lies some 103 yds to the tee box with at least a 100 ft drop. It is guarded by bunkers all the way around and it is hard to ignore the beautiful but menacing ocean to the right and behind the hole. I hit a low PW to 3 feet below left of the pin for what looks like a straight putt. Bucky advised to putt about the size of a ball to the left. I hit it firmly for a birdie. Priceless! I’ve seen pros hit 3 iron to this hole when the wind is gusting. Tom Watson chipped in his miracle shot from the right fringe to beat Nicklaus in a U. S. open.

Hole 8: Par 4, 389 yards, Handicap 6
This gorgeous hole has the ocean to the right and the tee box is 207 yds to the end of the cliff to the front. Bucky told me to aim my drive at an orange cone next to a house on a hill 500 yds away. This looked too far left but I followed his recommendation. I hit my 3W to 200 yds, about 5 yds to the cliff. It was a perfect shot. I hit a 4I to the green 187 yds away over the ocean cliff with at least a 150 foot drop. My shot sailed to the right side of the green and into the ocean. I took a drop, chipped in and two putted for a double bogie.

Hole 9: Par 4, 441 yards, Handicap 4
I hit a long drive to the left of the fairway, hit a side hill lie with my 3W short of the trap, chipped on and two putted for a bogie. This long hole is probably the most difficult on the course because the side hill lie induces you to hit to the ocean to the right.

Outward Score: 42, with 13 putts

Hole 10: Par 4, 413 yards, Handicap 7
This sloping fairway has the ocean to the right. I hit a long drive to the right of the left fairway bunker. I hit my 3W just short of the left greenside bunker. Pitched a lob shot onto the pin behind the bunker to 3 feet. Missed the putt with a poor stroke for a bogie.

Hole 11: Par 4, 373 yards, Handicap 5
I hit a fairly long shot to the middle right of the fairway. The ideal shot should have been left side to have a better shot of the pin tucked behind the deep bunker to the right. I was left with a 150 yd shot to the pin. I aimed my 6I to the left side of the green but my shot sailed to the pin and barely missed clearing the top of the bunker by inches. Bucky commented that the ideal shot should have been to the left side of the green. I didn’t clear the lip on my first shot, sailed the green on my second bunker shot, chipped on the severely sloped green and one putted for a triple bogie!

Hole 12: Par 3, 187 yards, Handicap 17
I pulled my 5W shot to left of the wide but shallow green, lobbed my pitch shot to the green and two putted for a bogie.

Hole 13: Par 4, 376 yards, Handicap 9
I hit a nice drive right of the fairway that is guarded by a long bunker to the left and three small bunkers further up that left me 175 yards to the green. I missed my 4I shot to the right of the green, chipped in close but missed my putt for a bogie. This was a fairly fast green that broke left.

Hole 14: Par 5, 562 yards, Handicap 1
I hit a nice drive on the middle left side of the fairway in this slightly dogleg right long par five. I hit a nice 3W to 150yds but shanked my 5I shot to the right, 60 yds to the pin. The left side of the green is guarded in the front by a huge bunker. I hit my Vokey wedge to 2 ft and putted in for a bogie.

Hole 15: Par 4, 373 yards, Handicap 13
I hit a nice drive on the right side of the sloping fairway 150 yds to the green. Skulled a 5I thin to the fairway bunker to the right, 40 yds to the green. Hit a gap wedge to 3 ft of the pin, 1 putted for a par.

Hole 16: Par 4, 383 yards, Handicap 11
I hit a long drive to the middle right of a downhill sloped fairway 175 to the green. There is a
tree guarding the front right of the green along my line of play. The green has a u-shaped deep bunker in front. I hit a 5W that sailed nicely to 12 ft from the pin and two putted for par.

Hole 17: Par 3, 172 yards, Handicap 15
This hole goes back into the ocean. This is a two level green shaped like an eight guarded by a deep bunker on the left and the beautiful but potentially menacing ocean is farther left. The pin is on the lower right. I hit a 5W nicely towards the pin and nailed the green. I missed my 12 ft uphill putt and tapped in for a par.

Hole 18: Par 5, 532 yards, Handicap 3
This popular hole has eaten a lot of pros alive when they cut too much of the ocean left for their tee shot. I aimed towards the right behind the fairway tree in the middle. I am left with the dilemma of laying up to the left, towards the ocean or to the right. I was aiming right when Bucky advised me to aim at the ocean and take a one shot penalty rather than miss my shot to the right where OB lurks. OB is a 2 shot penalty while dropping in the ocean is a single stroke penalty. I decided to aim right hoping to hit a draw and hit it nicely to about 190 yds to the pin. The green is guarded by a tree and a bunker to the right, and a long bunker to the left and the ocean. I nailed my shot, hit the tree to the right and dropped before the bunker. I lobbed a shot to the green and two putted for a bogie.

Inward Score: 44, 17 putts.
Total Score: 86