When you see Pebble Beach on television, the views are absolutely breathtaking. What's even more impressive is that the television views don't begin to do justice to the actual views from the course.
I have been blessed with several opportunities to visit Pebble Beach - I've even been able to play the golf course three times.
My first trip to Pebble was about 10 years ago with my parents, brothers and sister-in-laws. We were staying in San Francisco and drove down the coast to the Monterrey Peninsula. We went on the 17 Mile Drive and had lunch in the The Lodge looking out over the 18th green. Words simply can't describe the visuals along the coast. Some call it the most beautiful place on earth and I have never seen anything that comes close.
My second trip to Pebble was on a golf outing with some friends. Three of us spent three nights and two days of golf, culminating with 18 holes at Pebble Beach. In addition to Pebble, we also played Spyglass Hill and The Links at Spanish Bay. All three courses have holes that play along the coast and you can see the ocean and even when you can't see it, many times you can hear the waves crashing on the shore.
My third trip to Pebble was another golf outing and again we stayed at The Inn at Spanish Bay. At the end of each day you can sit on the porch, sipping your favorite beer or cocktail, smoking a cigar, listening to the bag piper play, and watching the sun set on the Pacific Ocean. When you combine the comaraderie, the music, and colors reflecting off the ocean, it is one of the most relaxing and impressive experiences I have had in my life.
My fourth trip to Pebble was a family visit with my wife and her family. We had flown to California to visit Melissa's brother and his kids. We stayed with Scott for several days and then headed down from Modesto to the Peninsula. Melissa's dad is 80 years old and it was his first trip to Pebble. To see the joy and wonder in his face as we walked out to the 18th green and pleasure on his face when he wears the shirt we bought him reinforces how everyone who travels to Pebble comes away with great memorie.
Golfing was the focus of my fifth trip and it included another new experience for me - a trip to the spa. After two days of golf and some sore muscles, I decided a massage sounded like a good idea. I hadn't ever had a massage before, but now that is one more memory that is priceless.
As I watched the golf tourney this afternoon, I saw the professional players playing shots on greens and out of bunkers and from the rough that were the same places I had played from when I have been there. I even watched two touring professionals make a 9 on hole 14 today. I've played that hole three times and I know I made a 10 once and I think it was a pair of 8's the other two times. It just blew my mind to watch those "pros" struggle with the same shots I struggled with.
As you finish a round of golf at Pebble, you play the 18th with the Pacific Ocean crashing on the cliffs all along the left side of the hole. For an amateur golfer like me, keeping your focus on the next shot while the sun glistens on the bay is extremely difficult. But to stand on the green at 18 and soak in the view, you realize you may be in the most beautiful place on earth.
