[Jon Heise]

What was your first impression?

Wow, I'm finally here...

  What surprised you?

Small size of the greens, the difficulty too.  It seemed a very hard golf course first time around, but likely I wasnt playing very well.  Stuck the ball ok, but you have to be on top of your game to put up a number.

 What disapointed you?

The caddie.  What an apathetic, cynical P.O.S.  On 3, I make small talk, "not a bad place to hang out all day, huh?" ..."its a job" he says.  Over the course of the round, he mentions on 12 that there's no way we'll finish our round in daylight (we did), next hole I ask if he plays.  He tells me that he hates golf, has a dog, a kid, doent have time.  Garbage.  I do regret that I didnt grab my bag and tell the guy to get lost, but I was so googly eyed over the whole PB experience to care...

Architecturally, nothing.  The whole experince was as good as it gets.  Even the laugh we got when we saw that a steak in the grill was like $79.  No sir!


 What was your favorite hole?

I liked 1.  Kind of like the slow, rising part right before a roller coaster.  6 was great even though I totally quaded it.  14's crazy green.  And of course 17 and 18.  Obvious reasons.

  Any weak holes?

Not really.  Some definitely better than the others, but I never once thought there was a bad hole.

 Worth the money?

Christmas present, YAHTZEEEEE!!!!  I was lucky enough to have someone get my round for me.  THOUGH.  I'm ready to get back there and pay that green fee any time.  ANY TIME.

  Can you die in peace without playing it?

Sure.  I knew I'd make it out there sooner than later though.

  Tell us about your experience.....

Planned out going out for the US Open, had the tickets purchased and everything.  That is until I found out my genious buddy scheduled his wedding that weekend.  Dammit.  So little brother and I pretty much said screw it and went out there last November.  As a single player and not staying at the resort, I'd made a few calls to try to get info.  One of the ladies there asked me why we were coming out, heard my story, put me on hold...  She ends up getting me a confirmed tee time (which is something they dont commonly do for singles).  It was an awesome gesture, I sent her department a very nice letter.  So I got hooked up real big at Pebble.  And the fact that my entire group of buddies is still insanely jealous makes it even better!  Oh, also:  this was one week after the Dixie Cup, so I got to peek through the fences into Augusta National, see a bit of Cypress Point, then PLAY Pebble... not to shabby.


And you know what, these are the best type of threads on GCA...

 

[cary lichtenstein]

To me, it was the "Holy Grail"

What surprised me the most was the grain in the greens, impossible to put at first, then I learnt to love em

[Mike Sweeney]

It has been stated before but what the heck, there are 18+ inches of snow around me in Connecticut and my cheap vinyl version of a Mackenzie bag is getting no love this weekend at Yale. 

I only played Pebble the one time and I almost was talked out of it by a bunch of knuckleheads on GCA.com. Okay okay, Cypress was the anchor of the trip and Pebble Beach was a "throw in". Pacific Grove was the morning round and then we played Pebble Beach. I'm sorry, but it is a great course and obviously a better place. I am a member of Enniscrone GC in Ireland and I am fortunate to occasionally find my way onto the great courses of Long Island. I have NOT played Pinehurst #2, but if you don't love Pebble Beach, you need to turn in your Rater Card.

I live in NYC and it is cool here to ignore celebrities and hedge fund guys, but I will not trash Pebble Beach. I will always remember my day at Pebble. We played the back tees, and I am not that good and it was slow and I had an awesome round. My caddie was awesome at Pebble. Yes my caddie at Cypress (with some other bag with MY clubs, hey I am a caddie!!) had some "tude", but he bet Neil Regan that he could not hit a certain putt, and of course Neil did. I then knew I was in for one of the great days of golf and Uncle Bob was waiting on the 17th green at Cypress for us!!

Sorry, the GREATEST thing about golf IS its diversity. Some days I like a caddy, some days I am a caddie, and some days I ride a cart with my squash loving son who only plays with me for the cart driving and because he is a great kid. Tennis, football, basketball and others are limited by their playing venues.

Golf, at least by 1500 people, is defined by its playing venues.  Pebble Beach is probably the greatest venue in golf:

Jack Nicklaus
Eldrick Woods
Mike Sweeney
Dylan Sweeney (someday)

Name a better foursome. 

[jeffwarne]

Jeff, I'm sure there's a difference between club caddying and resort caddying. We were not employees. Never once did any player of mine lose anything. Or, did I ever ask someone to store something for me. It was our responsibility to take care of everything. Something like a rain vest, which weighs nothing is silly not to carry.

I would always tell the client that they were welcome to bring anything they wanted to bring. Three dozen balls is not necessary.

Medicines wallets and other valuables were always safest in the bag being carried.

There's also avoiding the situation if something were to break. I would feel much better about breaking my change bag, then a clients bag.

Adam,
No doubt you were a great caddie-as are many/most.

our (ex) cadies never lost anything either

And there is a definite need for the occasional switch out bag.
My favorites are the trunks with no straps

[Jordan Wall]

  What was your first impression?

Whoa!

  What surprised you?

The greens were so small, and that so many people were just walking along the course.   As far as hole go, #6 was so good and that surprised me.

  What disapointed you?

Nothing.

  How has it changed?

It hasn't, for me, but I've only seen it in the past two years too.

  What was your favorite hole?

#6 and #16, and #4 was really good.  16 is a personal favorite, what a great second shot.

  Any weak holes?

15

  Worth the money?

I didn't pay, but if I could have afforded it I would have paid just about anything to play with Bob and John again.  Its worth the money as a single too, but my first round out there is my favorite round I've ever played, even topping those at Cypress.  Seeing Bert in banana pants was pretty good, too.

  Can you die in peace without playing it?

I needed to play it, definitely.

  Tell us about your experience.....

I had to tell a good story, which was true with some added sappiness, to get Bob Jenkins, John Mayhugh, and I on the first time I played it.  We played Spyglass in the morning with Tim Bert earlier in the morning, and decided we'd try and get on Pebble.  Funny how things work sometime, because the pro from Spyglass had called down to Pebble with no success, but Edward believed my story was one worthy of a round.  This came to that, and Chuck granted us the lasy tee time of the day.  It was perfect weather.  I hit a shot to three feet on 7, made a couple birdies and broke 80.  Bob's caddy said I was good to go on the fourth tee and I ended up flying it into the knee of a lady in the front left bunker.  She wasn't happy but I made birdie!  I still have many pictures of Bob, John and I, and that wonderful day.  My eyes were lit up the whole time.  It was and still is the best round I've ever played.

One time I caddied there for Tim Bert's best friend, and Tim shows up in yellow pants.  Had me cracking up.  Jason Kidd played in the group ahead of us.

Last year, John Mayhugh had a two and a half hour putting match on Pebble's putting green that ended around midnight.  There were dim lights around the green, it was awesome.  Best putting match of all time, bar none.

There are many others, those are my favorite though.

  Thanks....Anthony



    

[Tim Bert]

Jordan - Yellow pants?  Are you sure you don't have me confused with Anthony?  I can't imagine doing such a thing.

I'll have my khaki's on at Chambers.

[Jordan Wall]

Monkey Tim aka banana boy,

Purple only policy at Chambers.

[Phil_the_Author]

The next time will BE my first...

[Tim Book]

Tell us about your expierence:

I can remember it like it was yesterday.  My favorite golf buddy and myself having a mexican stand off on the 1st tee of Pebble Beach.  Who would empty their bag so that our caddy 'Rocket' could carry both our 'double strap' bags?  I would consider it at the time the holy grail of golf.  Neither of us wanted to be in any way unprepared for our hopefully memorable round.  Can't be without a spare glove, Advil, a wind shirt, or bandaid that might aid our expierence.  Since we were the 1st round out of the gate and reminded continuously that we were 'setting the pace' I finally relented and hurried up to the box.  The rest of our round the 'Rocket' drug us around as quickly as possible.  Add the fact that he was about as rude as a caddy could be and it really put a downer on our expierence.

I get that your caddy shouldn't have to lug your tour bag with 5 dozen balls, breakfast, lunch and dinner aboard.  I have had a caddy a number of times since and never had to empty my bag.  If it is a policy at Pebble, they should change it.

I have been lucky enough to return a few other times to improve my personal 'Pebble' memories, but the first time wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

As far as the course, suprised how generous the fairways are, how tiny the greens are, and how much slope from the 17 mile drive to the water.  Don't ever be above the hole.

[Kevin_Reilly]

What was your first impression?  Fog was out, so it felt like a morning on one of the courses in SF.

What surprised you?  How small the greens were.  How short #7 really was.

What disapointed you?  I had a bad caddy experience also.  Not very personable and not helpful on club selection or putts.  This was a long time ago, so at least he didn't do the bag swap maneuver (which I've never encountered in all the caddie rounds I've had in SF, primarily at Olympic, SF Club or Burlingame).

How has it changed? More houses visible since my first play.  Conditioning has improved.  Pace of play has improved.  Price has increased substantially.  I didn't play it prior to 1976 when cart paths were installed (I'm too young for that) but for sure that would be one change worth noting.

What was your favorite hole?  I liked the walk to #6 and the tee shot there.

Any weak holes? We had a lot of fog that first round on the early holes, so any one of the first couple of holes could qualify.

Worth the money? The golf part, yes, the caddie fee, no.

Can you die in peace without playing it? Sure.

Tell us about your experience..... A gift from my wife when we were dating.  I was in my mid 20's and had been to tournaments at Pebble but had never played there.  We went down for the weekend and I played with two other guys (strangers that I was paired with...good guys).  Highlight of the day was hitting a good drive on #8 and managing to find the green with my second.  And finishing with a decent three shots on #18.  All and all, great stuff. 

[Tim Nugent]

  What was your first impression?

"Boy it's conjested arond the first tee."

  What surprised you?

It shouldn't of but the changes in elevation.  the first 5 holes are on relatively mild terrain, the 6,7,8 just hit you in the face. #6 goes against convention, you just don't expect the ground to rise like that going TOWARD the ocean,  #7's drop messes with you depth perception and #8's tee shot is more uphill than expected - hit a line drive Driver into the fairway about 100 yds out, then the next two did the same thing, Also, didn't realize just how much room was left.  My wife had to play her 2nd (after a great drive) 90 degrees left, then 90 right on her 3rd, (not a good setup for shorter hitters).



  What disapointed you?

#5, remember thinking - "that's the best you could think of" and climbed up on a bench to get a better view.

 #17 just how flat it was and how little could be seen of the green and bunkers.  Spoiled by all the Blimp shots on TV.  When I used it for a repica course, I gave it an elevated tee.

  How has it changed?

More of a muni feel the first time I played in the 80's,  #5

  What was your favorite hole?

 #16, great example of going from a wide open fairway to a narrow approach, you can hit any tee shot but position is the key.  Really liked the use of the swale as a bunker.

  Any weak holes?
 
#1, #15

  Worth the money?

Yes

  Can you die in peace without playing it?

Sure, if your not an avid golfer.

  Tell us about your experience.....

I was lucky and played a round with David Dale (GolfPlan) and his son who was about 18 -tall, lanky flat-belly and they both knocked the snot out of the ball and my wife, so there was a good cross-section of players in one group.  It was good to be able to discuss the holes with a great (although he get's no love here) designer.

I really liked the Pub feel of the 19th hole, especially 'cause Bob Lohmann was buying.



  Thanks....Anthony

[Michael Huber]

i would highly recommend trying to get the first tee time of the day.  We started at 7:00 and it was nice to have the entire course to ourselves.  It was also nice to avoid the infamous 6 hour round.

Also, anyone who takes on pebble beach should be shot.  I'm not a walking fanatic, but for gods sake people, its an awesome and easy walk. 

[Adrian_Stiff]

  What was your first impression?I was dissapointed

  What surprised you?I thought the condition was really average, I thought some holes were obviously great but others were very mediocure

  What disapointed you?Mainly the inland holes but the biggest let down was 17, the view from the tee, is flagstick and sky

  How has it changed?I think the 5th is cleary better now and thats new to when I played PB 1989

  What was your favorite hole?Probably was 7

  Any weak holes?Where do I start; 1-3-5 (as was) 11-12-14-15-17

  Worth the money?I suppose it is if its full up

  Can you die in peace without playing it?I am glad I played it, it has some truly great holes 7-8-9-10 and 18 also 4 and 6 are pretty good, I can see why it dissapoints some and I can see why some hail it high. I think the 14th green is not fair and 12 should be better.

  Tell us about your experience.....

  Thanks....Anthony



    

[jeffwarne]

i would highly recommend trying to get the first tee time of the day.  We started at 7:00 and it was nice to have the entire course to ourselves.  It was also nice to avoid the infamous 6 hour round.

Also, anyone who takes on pebble beach should be shot.  I'm not a walking fanatic, but for gods sake people, its an awesome and easy walk. 

I played a week after the At&T/Crosby,65 degrees and sunny 12:00 tee-time.
Never saw a group in front(until #12) or behind ever(4 some played in exactly 4 hours with lots of photo opps). The course was BETTER than I expected (and I expected a lot).
If you don't like Pebble, the rest of golf must be a real  let down.
Didn't take a caddie

First impression was great
Inland holes surprised me that they were as good as they were and that most had great,large veiws of the water.
Worth the money?
You fly all the way there, pay for lodging,take time off from work (opportunity cost) and you worry about $100-200 more than Pinehurst ?(which can't hold a candle to Pebble unless you're just really into subtlety, in which case that can be had for a lot less than Pinehurst)

[Richard Choi]

So, the consensus is to skip the caddies?

[Jeff_Brauer]

I first played it about 30 years ago in Feb. 1980.  I played it twice in one day, a sunny morning where I couldn't keep my wedge from going over the 7th with a touch shot partial swing.  I suppose I had the ultimate PB experience - playing alone I got behind a honeymoon couple and it was hit a shot, kiss the girl, hit a shot, kiss the girl. Another low light of the first round was playing a second tee ball on 15 since I had time (they never let me play through) from the back tee.  I pushed it, it hit the tee sign, and ricochetted into the street, knocking some poor woman off her bycycle as she was riding by. I helped pick her up and dust off and still had to wait to play my approach shot.....

So, I went out again to play and this time a front was moving in and I left a 3 iron in the front bunker on 7, playing right into a gale.  I recall thinking it was two different courses - with water and without.  That said, I liked the swale on 16 and a few other inland features.

[Tom_Doak]

  Tell us about your experience.....   

   I played Pebble Beach for the first time when I was 13 years old.  Played with my dad, first off the tee in the morning in August ... the fog was in.

  What was your first impression?  The first hole wasn't much.

  What surprised you?  When we got to #6 the green was fogged in.  I had never seen a picture of it before (TV at the first Open did not cover all the way back to #6, and magazines only showed pics of 7, 8 and 18) and we really did not know where the green was ... my dad hit a big 4-wood from the base of the hill, never to be seen again.

  What disapointed you?  I was certainly not disappointed to play Pebble at age 13.

  How has it changed?    It costs 4-5 times as much now as it did then.  I also remember it as browner around the edges back in the day, but maybe not that first time.

  What was your favorite hole?  I couldn't hit it more than maybe 175 yards at that age.  #7 was cool because it was manageable.  #8 was a great par-5 for me ... didn't have to lay up off the tee, diagonal second shot to approach fairway.  I also loved the deep ravine / bunker features on 2, 3 and 16, I don't think I had ever seen a hazard like those before.

  Any weak holes?    Yes, several of the holes were not so interesting, then or now.

  Worth the money?    Dad paid.  In hindsight I think you would have to say it was a good investment.

  Can you die in peace without playing it?    Again?  Certainly.  Once in your lifetime?  Depends on who you are and what you value.  If I was going to make people a list of ten courses they ought to play sometime in their lives, and not include private courses where most cannot get access, Pebble would be on that list.  But not at the top of it.

[Adam Clayman]

Richard,
You call that a consensus?

Yes, there are pricks in every walk of life. Being a pro caddy at Pebble can elicit a certain level of confidence, that in the wrong hands, turns into the caddy experience Dave recounts. It all depends on who you get. Period! That's why many of the A caddies have so many requests. Sophisticated golfers use to make it a point to find out ahead of time who would be the right caddy for them. That was the art of the Caddy Master. Due to corporate rat fink pettiness the guy who was born into the job, would not take the political crap, and sadly the caddie master duties have been out sourced, costing everybody more while providing much less, for, in some instances, ridiculous fees.

Jeff,
 That was a priceless recount. Thanx.

[Kevin_Reilly]

I also remember it as browner around the edges back in the day, but maybe not that first time.

Speaking of browner around the edges, that reminds me of the Snead Nicklaus match from 1963 that aired a few months ago.  I took these pics of my TV screen:

Pebble in 1963

[jeffwarne]

I also remember it as browner around the edges back in the day, but maybe not that first time.

Speaking of browner around the edges, that reminds me of the Snead Nicklaus match from 1963 that aired a few months ago.  I took these pics of my TV screen:

Pebble in 1963

Fantastic pictures.
Looks a bit like Fisher Island(or many old new england courses in the summer) in the summer. great look.
Did you see the lies Snead and Nicklaus had in the bunkers.
How did we ever get where we are?

[Brad Wilbur]

Played Pebble the first time about 20 years ago.  Like many of you, the size of the greens was amazing.  Also, the uphill nature of the 2nd shot on #6 plus the severity of #14 were impressive.  It was also interesting to watch players tee off on the first hole, while eating breakfast from the coffee shop on the second floor.  In an hour of watching, a greater percentage of golfers off the back tees made poor swings.  You could see the tension in their swings as they got ready to try and match the pros.

We also had a bad caddy experience.  We carried our own, while the two other players (who had evidently been there all week), looked down on us with their caddy.  The caddy went out of his way to avoid being friendly; when I pull-hooked my approach to the left of #6, he immediately turned around and looked the other way, so that he couldn't be asked where it went.  I had read that if another player's caddy was helpful, it was a good idea to tip him.  It was an easy decision to not tip this one.

It's still a great experience that I wouldn't have wanted to miss

[rjsimper]

What is this "Peeble Beach" you speak of?

This one, right?  (As seen on a German tourist in Koh Samui, Thailand - Circa 2005)

[Anthony Gray]

  Who was surprised by the climate? You can see the temperature drop over 10 degrees from the start of 17-mile drive until you get to the lodge.....AND no air condition in the lodge. That was a surprise.

  Also the location of the first tee. How many times do people come around that corner talking load and see the golfers?

  Anthony

[Anthony Gray]

 
   I played Pebble Beach for the first time when I was 13 years old.  Played with my dad, first off the tee in the morning in August ... the fog was in.

 

  Worth the money?    Dad paid.  In hindsight I think you would have to say it was a good investment.

 

          I hope no one missed this.

   ARG

[Paul Jones]

  What was your first impression? - Excited and glad to mark something off my bucket list since I was a kid

  What surprised you? - Amazed how small the greens were...

  What disapointed you? - The first couple of holes not being amazing

  How has it changed? - Only played it once

  What was your favorite hole? - 7th

  Any weak holes? - 1st hole (I was expecting too much)

  Worth the money? - Yes, my friend treated, but will be back once my son gets old enough.

  Can you die in peace without playing it?  - Yes, now that I have played it.


It was a fantastic experience and cannot wait to go back

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