Crosby Week - Pebble's 18th Green

[Mike Benham]

In this mornings SF Chronicle, a tidbit about the saltwater storm damage to the 18th green.  With the lack of substantial rain in the Monterey Peninsula area the past month, the article also notes that the courses are playing "dry and firm"

Pebble Beach -- Imagine Sunday's final pairing at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, a twosome striding up the famed 18th fairway at Pebble Beach, deciding the next champion on . . . a temporary green?

It didn't get that bad, but a pre-Christmas storm at Pebble Beach produced waves of sea water crashing over the retaining wall at 18, drowning the famous green in salt water.

Salt water is not good. The rush over the wall, in effect, killed the green.

What ensued was six weeks of emergency work, and the green was closed until Monday's practice rounds. Daily-fee players played a temporary green on 18 for the past month-and-a-half, while maintenance crews did all they could to resuscitate the dead green, some saying the damage was as significant as any seen to the site.

Tents were propped over the green every night, then removed in the day time for the healing balm of sunshine. Even on Monday, the right half of the green was roped off, the better to save the best parts of the green for tournament pin placements.

Vijay Singh finished his practice round on Monday and said there's not much the players can do except to play the green as is.

"It'll be all right," Singh said. "Everybody has to play it. If I was the only one who had to play it, I'd be worried."

[John_Lovito]

Mike,

I played Pebble last week.  I took a quick look at the green and it did have some salt water damage on the left, front portion of the green.  That said, the damage did not look to severe and the green certainly looked like it was playable.  

[TEPaul]

Did the salt water reach that new stupid tree to the right of the green and do any damage to it? For Chip Oat's sake I hope so. Otherwise I hope not.

[ChipOat]

I'm afraid that the offending Stupid Tree (proper noun with caps, please) is, alas, alive and well.

How unfortunate.

[Michael Dugger]

Thank goodness they're at Pebble.  Long live the west coast swing.  I haven't watched any golf since the first tourney of the year at the plantation.  Can't stand the Hope.    

[Slag Bandoon]

 It won't be the same without Jack Lemmon there.  I have a big suspicion that Walter Matthau (Oscar Madison) made that wave to untidy Felix's perennial stage.  
 
  Should we call that Stupid Tree the Lemmon Tree, instead and in honor?  

(I wonder if the light in that tree got shorted out)
  

[A_Clay_Man]

Front left is never used that I can ever recall.

I sure hope that fixture and ballast are ok in the tree?

With all the resturants closing there I'd hate to see Stillwater's have to lower prices because of no view of at night.

John - Can you tell us about the new bunkers. The more you can share the better, thanx

[ChipOat]

Stupid Trees shall not be honored.

If a Stupid Tree is allowed to exist, it might as well have a floodlamp in it.  In fact, the only redeeming quality of that tree is the great view of the 18th green surrounds that the light therein creates for the patrons of Club XIX.

[CHrisB]

If you want to see what the Stupid Tree looks like right now (its size, how close it is to the green and front bunker, etc.) check out Pebble Beach's live webcam:

http://www.pebblebeach.com/webcam/golf.htm

[ChipOat]

Painful.

[A_Clay_Man]

Sourced tell me that the greens are gonna be fast. 50+ days of hot dry weather has made them so. Of course it's the At&t so no doubt there will be rain.

Also, there is an emphasis being put on pace. Typically the rnds take 6 hrs, but this year they are shooting for 5.

[redanman]

I haven't watched any golf since the first tourney of the year at the plantation.  

Dugger

You should be watching the Euro tour, you missed Royal Melbourne and a great tone-a-mint last week.

As for The Crosby this should be a very good year.  Record heat, little rain, firm conditions, I heard Vijay say he hit 5-wood over #1 Spyglass.

Should be a good Crosby this year.  Five hour rounds would be a laughable joke.

[A_Clay_Man]

BillV-Almost every long shot into #1 at Spy will go over. I've seen perfectly played long irons hit the perfect spot on the green and because it cants away, there is no choice but long. Chipping back up the hill isn't too bad a place to be BUT, there ain't that much room before the cart path and after that it's all ice plant and scrub. making finding your ball difficult.

The perfect approach is from the far rightside of the fairway or even in the rough where the fairway runs out. This angle opens the green up to every pin position.