Dale,
Very astute comments for a guy with only 191 posts. Where were you when I suggested that Pebble was perhaps slightly overrated and got vilified for it?
Out in the GCA wilderness, I suppose! Actually, studying GCA but not active on this group - although lurking. As for the number of posts, I hope there is not necessarily a correlation between # and quality.
Just curious, Jud and Dale. How many combined playings of Pebble do you have? Dale appears to have one and Jud? You know why I ask...familiarity breeds contempt (oh wait, that's not the quote I was looking for.) I played The Old Course at St. Andrews once and wouldn't dream of hacking it up nor praising it overly so in conversation. That said, I believe I had a few negative things to say about Pebble (a course I have never played), at which point Bob Huntley or David Stamm (maybe both) gave me the benefit of their knowledge, experience and wisdom.
We know Augusta from television? No, we do not. It cannot show the hills, the elevation changes, the severity of the greens. Television can do no such thing for any course, not even Pebble Beach! I have not set foot on the Georgia property, either, but friends who have attended practice rounds have told me that they simply ran out of breath after walking the course.
PB? Yes, just the one play. But I will say that I never play one of the best known courses without finding out all I can about it, including reading and viewing what is on this website before I play. I knew the descriptions of all 18 holes before I played and have thought long and hard about PB since then (about 3 years). I freely admit additional rounds will bring more knowledge. But I do not think my basic opinion will change. That is, it is viewed by most, if not all rankings to be top 5, and many highly respected players and observers also have it that high. I do not think I would ever be in that camp. And to stress what I originally wrote, I do not think it is anything less than a very, very good course, I just do not see it as being top 5 or 10.
As for TOC, before I played there the first time, I had read and studied as much as I could about the course, and it exceeded my expectations. I have played there about 6 or 8 times and like it more each time I play.
Re AN, I understand TV does not do the elevation changes justice, nor the contours of the greens. My point though, is that the last 10 years have taken a radical course architecture and turned it more towards a modern tournament standard - narrowed landing areas, 500 yard plus Par 4s, and reduced strategic options. Regardless of what television does to the appearance of the course, I do not think many would argue what has happened there in the last 10 years. Some might like the changes, some not (and I freely admit to being in that camp), but the changes have happened.
Although I have not been to AN, I have 3 or 4 very knowledgeable friends who have attended several Masters each and 3 (I think) who have played it. I find their views consistent with mine.
I would note that almost all commentary about AN, including mine, is based on repeated watchings of one tournament held the same week each year. The true gauge should be knowledge of the course during its whole playing season, and how it plays for all levels of golfers, expert to dub. Watching it for one week certainly does not do that.