SATURDAY, JANUARY 28
Saturday morning began with another attempt at Pebble's starter list, but they were full once again. Plan B was a more detailed tour of 17 Mile Drive...
The famous Lone Cypress, the symbol of Pebble Beach.
Another designated tourist stop, the "Ghost Tree."
In the afternoon we once again took 17 Mile Drive out to MPCC, where there is some substantial renovation work going on. The temporary pro shop has been moved to the far end of the new practice range, so after hiking it down there and back, we began on the Shore course. Starting at 1:00, it was a quiet afternoon aside from a few members and a handful of deer.
I was familiar with Mike Strantz only through discussions on here and one round at Tobacco Road, so I was looking forward to what he had done in what sadly turned out to be his final project. I saw a lot of similarities, mostly in his artistic style (visual intimidation seems to be one of his specialties), but also in the way the course was set up fairly to be enjoyed by all players. Large greens appear smaller than what they actually are, and often times the sprawling shaved areas around them are hidden completely. There was also the most substantial difference in tee distances here, with six sets of tees to choose from on each hole.
Anna tees off on the 1st.
Yours truly yanking one left on the par three 3rd.
The waste area that runs for the last 100 yards or so on the par five 6th, which also features a great, two-tiered green sloping severely from back to front. Strantz is really good at setting up his courses to make you feel heroic and gives you plenty of opportunities to be as bold as his design. Tobacco Road takes that approach a bit more to the extreme than the Shore course does, but it's still definitely in place.
The long, par three 7th. I'm assuming this generally plays into the wind, but it was dead downwind here. There is a massive collection area well below and short left of this green, a green which appears from the tee to have absolutely no depth to it whatsoever, but again has hidden comfort space revealed once you climb on top.
This one is a true Strantz gem, and I believe the #1 handicap hole (or perhaps #2). Stretching out from the tee to a yardage that, when downwind, is definitely exceedable (is that a word?), is a wide and expansive fairway down the right. Trees and scrub run all down the left-hand side, tempting players to take a shot at flying it all in an effort to reach the second half of the fairway on this dogleg-left. You simply must choose one route or the other from the tee, as there appears no room at the actual bend of the dogleg. The approach shot is dead at the ocean and can be played low along the ground when downwind (which was slightly the case in the largely left-to-right wind we experienced that day) to another deep and spacious green.
Turning 90 degrees left, and dead into the teeth of the wind, we found the long, par three 9th. It seems you'll always have either #7 or #9 downwind, and the other dead into it. Neither is easy. This one, again from the back tee, looks like there is absolutely nothing between yourself and the green some 200+ yards away - another bold and heroic-looking shot. To your right is 17-Mile Drive and the ocean.
Anna and I both came up a bit short and found ourselves in another hidden chipping area, visible here in the right side of the photo. Also note the green is double-tiered and deep! I can't imagine a shot to the back of the green played into the wind as it was that day.
In case any of the last few holes ate your lunch, Strantz presents you with another opportunity to be bold here at the 10th. A good drive puts you in the position to have a go at it in two, but there appears another long, forced carry in order to even hit a lay-up shot in the direction of the green. This photo was taken while standing atop a rock on the edge of this scrub area, again revealing more fairway than meets the eye. Standing in the fairway contemplating your second shot, none of the fairway apart from the last 30 yards or so is visible, and the conservative player is guided out to the right near Anna.
Looking back from behind the green gives another perspective on the options and intimidation facing the risky player. As I alluded, even when laying up into a fierce wind, it's tough to convince yourself it's ok to take an aggressive line.
One of the best views on the property, from Strantz's new tee at the long, par three 11th. Each of these par threes is long and difficult, but factoring in the wind and everything else, each has its own unique set of challenges both perceived and real.
The long, par four 14th. Without consulting the course map, the waste area on the right led me to believe that the aggressive line off the tee would challenge the waste area. I hit it out there to the right and ended up with a longer second when I discovered the hole instead turned left. The approach is again played over an intimidating-looking forced carry.
Keeping the theme going, here's the tee shot at the par five 15th. It feels great to catch one on the screws here and send it safely over the scrub and waste area.
Anna's tee shot here at the 18th reveals a far different story from a more advanced set of tees (she played the second set back), as the fairway is wide and inviting from the start, and encourages a fade around the waste area on the right to follow the contour of the hole.
This course was a blast and I was pleased to see Mike carry out his bold and intimidating design in a way that still proved extremely fair and fun for players of all levels. The members of MPCC are lucky.
Pacific Grove to follow...