This weekend is the AT&T Pebble Beach National ProAm. If you asked 100 golfers to name 3 courses they wanted to play most, I bet Pebble Beach shows up on 90% of those lists.  I have played there twice. That’s one of the great things about Pebble Beach; it’s a public course.  

Television doesn’t do justice to the true toughness of the course. T.V. tends to flatten a golf course. As a viewer, you can’t tell just how hilly a course is. Another toughness factor at Pebble Beach is the weather. I was lucky; the weather was perfect both times I played there.  

I think the toughest hole for me was a par 4, hole #8. You cannot imagine just how tough it is unless you play it. The tee shot is completely blind. It is a shot that is up a hill and you cannot see the other side. When I played there, there was a sign on the tee box that said 200 yards to the ravine. Look at the picture, that ravine is a freaking canyon! Your second shot will have to be over that canyon, it will be about another 200 yards, and the green is the size of a postage stamp. So in short, you want to hit it as far as possible off the tee, but not too far, or you will go in the “ravine.” Then if you want to go for the green, you need to hit your best long iron or metal wood to a tiny little green.  

If you are not a golfer you may not truly appreciate this post, but if you are a golfer, Pebble Beach is a “do-able” thing. The Monterey Peninsula is a beautiful place and there are lots of things to do for non-golfers.