VERY late but had to share a quick story of my first trip to CP. I was fortunate enough to play it twice during the summer I worked as an assistant at Carmel Valley Ranch in 2005. The first 10 minutes on the property I spent eating a delicious piece of fresh lemon meringue pie at the "employee dining table" (with 6 chairs looking straight out at #16 green!). Then, probably also unique to the world of golf, I hit a perfect tee shot on #1 just over the right clump of cypress trees. I asked my host if that was OK. He said, "as long as it is not a Strata." I didn't understand until I realized crossing over 17-mile drive that there were a hundred or so brand new Stratas in the first fairway (with the tiny practice range just to the right)! Luckily, I found my Titleist within a few minutes and went on to have the greatest golfing experience of my life! Being an ex-Catholic, I would describe a round at CP as spiritual rather than religious. Deeply spiritual!