Yes, I understand I just got home from a great trip, and yes I realize I may still be running a bit on adrenaline, but after playing Pebble Beach I have a few inquiries.
First off, anyone who says that Pebble is just an average course with great views is completely on crack (or some drug). Pebble Beach utilizes the ocean so well, I just found it incredible how anyone would even talk of evaluating the course 'without the ocean' (and what the hell does that mean anyways?). Each hole which runs along the ocean uses the ocean as part of the strategy of the hole. On four, it guards left pins, on five it makes the player bail left, on six it makes you challenge the bunker on the tee shot, on seven a slight miss is in the Pacific....on and on and on.
It was also interesting to note how the ocean was used to sort of, open up other holes. Holes like #'s 11, 13, and 14 all are wide open on the left to afford views of the ocean. If it were not for the ocean being there, and being an integral part of the course, those holes very well might have trees hugging the left side of the fairway, and to me that would just take away so much from those holes. The wide expanses between holes was just spectacular to me.
The greens at Pebble were as tiny as everyone said. I couldn't believe holes like 4 or 5, or 11 where the greens were like a big pitch and putt course. It was incredible how tiny those greens were, and the precision required to get to some of the holes.
The bunkering at the course blew me away. I dont get how someone can call #2 a bad hole. That ravine bunker in front of the green is spectacular, just as the fairway bunkers. The greenside bunkers angle the green so the left fairway bunkers need to be challenged to have any chance of going for right pins. On 16, there was another ravine bunker and it was perhaps my favorite bunker I have ever seen. It just sort of creeped its way through the valley. Those were two specific holes that really shoot out to me, but overall I thought the bunkering was fantastic (minus the new additions beyond the third fairway).
Pebble really needs to work on how they present some of the bunkers. John will probably post a picture of the bunker left of 6 fairway, but a few of the bunkers were dotted with these little grass clumps and were just ugly. It was like reverse eye candy. Standing on 14 fairway I look down 6, and the bunkers on top are pristine and beautiful, but the fairway bunker looks like salt and pepper - definitely weird.
Lastly, I thought Pebble was amazing. Say what you want - I know I haven't gotten to play many of the golf courses some on this site have, but I know a good golf course when I see one. Pebble is fantastic. I think it gets nitpicked too much, over little things. Bottom line is that no course will be perfect and Pebble Beach is damn good. Walking down 18 in the sunset was as much as a dream come true as a I ever could have had at my age.
Thanks again Bob and John.