Compton's Multimedia Gol…ifornia & Hawaii Edition)/Compton's Multimedia Golf Guide - California & Hawaii Edition.iso/articles/pebble.car

Text File | 1992-10-13 | 6KB | 114 lines

PEBBLE BEACH^
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The Crown Jewel^
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SINCE it opened to rave reviews on Washington's Birthday in 1919,
Pebble Beach Golf Links has always been the talk of the golfing world,
but at no period in its history has there been more discussion-and
speculation-about this great course than currently.^
^
The reason for the attention is logical: Pebble Beach, mecca to the
golfing public for more than 70 years, may soon become a private club
with limited public play.^
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The controversy over a public vs. private Pebble Beach is now deeply
entrenched in the public agency process, and as of late 1991,
settlement talks between the new owners of the Pebble Beach
Company, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and the
California Coastal Commission seem to assure that tee times for the
public will be guaranteed, at least for the time being.^
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A quick primer on what has transpired at Pebble Beach:
In September, 1990, the Chicago-based real estate partnership of
Miller, Klutznick, Davis & Gray sold all its interests in the Pebble
Beach Company to Minoru Isutani of Japan for an estimated $835
million. The package included not only the Pebble Beach Golf Links,
but also The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Old
Del Monte. And that's only the golf side of the purchase.^
^
Isutani already owned two golf-related affiliates, Cosmo World and
Ben Hogan Property Companies I and II. The Ben Hogan subsidiary
became the management overseer. In order to finance the purchase, it
was rumored that memberships in a "Pebble Beach National Club"
ranging anywhere from US$150,000 to US$740,000 would be sold in
Japan.^
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Under an extremely complex refinancing plan, the Isutani's purchase
was restructured and in March, 1991, the Mitsubishi Trust and
Banking Company of Tokyo gained a majority ownership. Isutani
became a minority holder.^
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For now. the center of attention is Pebble Beach Golf Links, but if the Pebble Beach National Club is realized, and a compromise is reached
between the owners of Pebble Beach and the public agencies,
membership will include the Spyglass Hill Golf Course, the Links at
Spanish Bay, and Old Del Monte-courses that now are either semi-
private or public. There is no indication, however, that public play will
be restricted at those courses.^
^
If you have never played Pebble Beach, or even if you have, it's a
good idea to have a feeling for the course. Pebble Beach Golf Links
was the idea of S.F.B. Morse, founder of Del Monte Properties
Company back in 1919. His dream was to create a course on land
fronting Carmel Bay and the ocean. For his architect, he hired Jack
Neville, an amateur golfer with considerable credentials as a player.
He had, however, never designed a golf course.^
^
At the time, Neville had won the coveted California State Amateur
Championship three times, and he was to go on to win it a total of five
times, plus playing on the winning 1923 U.S. Walker Cup team. With
the help of Douglas Grant-who did the bunkering-Neville designed
what became known as one of the world's most distinguished tests of
championship golf.^
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Jack Nicklaus, winner of the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open at
Pebble Beach, once said, "If I had only one more round of golf to play,
I would choose to play it at Pebble Beach. My hat is off to the two men
who designed Pebble-they did everything right. After all these years
with no major revisions, Pebble Beach still stands up. It's a superb
championship test."^
^
Deceptive in its early holes, Pebble Beach gives the impression that
it's easily conquered, but any golfer who believes that is in for a long
day. This design of the course runs so closely to the Pacific Ocean
that during the winter months the waves at the 18th crash over the sea
wall and onto the fairway.^
^
You need long, accurate shots and unwavering concentration to
succeed at Pebble.  Eight holes run beside the ocean, which is directly
or indirectly in play at all times. With the ocean at your elbow, it's easy
to be intimidated into a slice or hook (the ocean is present coming and
going), but most importantly the greens slope toward the ocean. Bluffs
and cliffs dominate the right side going out, and they reappear at the
finish for the 17th and 18th. To stray on either of these final holes is to
be severely punished.^
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The inland holes are considered the siren's enticement, giving no hint
of the terrors to follow. After the fifth, the course only gets tougher and
over the years it has drawn varying comments from those who have
challenged it.^
^
Lee Trevino once quipped with the gallery as he stood on the
forbidding sixth tee, "If you're five over when you hit this tee it's the
best place in the world to commit suicide." Trevino knew that ahead of
him lay the toughest four-hole sequence in golf.^
^
Pebble has become a regular tournament venue, and has hosted
various major championships. In addition to the 1992 U.S. Open, both
the 1972 and 1982 U.S. Opens were held here. Three U.S. Men's
Amateurs (1929, 1947 and 1961) and two U.S. Women's Amateurs
(1940 and 1948) were staged at Pebble. The 1977 PGA
Championship was played at Pebble, and of course, the Bing Crosby
National Pro-Am (now the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) has
been at home here since 1947.^
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Dave Marr, the former PGA champion and now ABC's color
commentator, first played Pebble Beach back in 1957. His first
impressions of Pebble Beach speak for all golfers.^
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"I was stunned," he said. "There is nothing like it. As a golfer, my
career wouldn't be complete without knowing the beauty and the
grandeur of Pebble Beach."^
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Hopefully, Marr's is a sentiment that many will be able to share via a
public Pebble Beach for many, many years to come.