GOLFEST 2004

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A Quest to Play the Top 100 Public Golf Courses in the United States

A Quest to Play the Top 100 Public Golf Courses

GOLFEST 2004 - PEBBLE BEACH
Ranking - Course - Date
1 - Pebble Beach Golf Course - 7/7
9 - Spyglass Golf Course - 7/9
62 - Spanish Bay Golf Course (two rounds) - 7/8
NR - Del Monte Golf Course - 7/6

     (Written by Jim Allen) ... After spending years flipping through Golf Digest’s lists of the top courses to play, the Top 100 idea finally started to become a reality in 2003. Why just dream about it, when you can actually do it? However, getting on places like Pebble Beach is perceived as being a humbling experience, a place famous for being a little on the pricey side. Is it just me, or is it strange how they can call it a public golf course when 99% of the public can’t afford to golf there?

     But things changed dramatically after 9/11. Apparently business slumped and Pebble Beach Resorts began advertising in major newspapers looking for new clients. It was the sweetest ad I ever saw. Three phone calls later and the trip got booked for June of 2003. It included Jim Dee from Phoenix, Mr. Las Vegas Rickey Berger, John Lundgren from Reno, NV and me.

    Once we set foot on the first course, the Golf Digest list had a real meaning, one that was promptly shared by the group. Why not attempt to golf at the Top 100 golf courses in the United States? Everyone bought into the concept and thought it was a great idea. The problem was, while the concept had a lot of potential, the group wasn’t big enough - YET.

     So the following year, the Top 100 quest was shared among our fellow friends and hackers and the inaugural Golfest adventure in 2004 grew to an eight-some. We picked the week after the Independence Day weekend (July 6-9th) for the trip. The idea was to let all of the tourists go home before we got there and that proved to be a good call, because we had the run of the joint.

     We signed on for a standard Stay-N-Play package that included three of nights at the Inn at Spanish Bay, a round at Pebble Beach, and a round at Spanish Bay. And for that $2740 package (per twosome – shared room), they had the gracious heart to “throw in” another complimentary round at Spanish Bay. Of course, when you are attempting to feed the Golf-Jones, three measly rounds doesn’t quite quench the hunger. So our group added another round at Spyglass and an opening event at the unsung hero in the Pebble Beach family – Del Monte.

     Now there are some pretty big differences between throwing a foursome together and booking a couple of groups. Little things that one might take for granted, like back-to-back tee times, dinner reservations, and who snores and who doesn’t. For example, Mr. Las Vegas enjoys his sleep and has taken snoring to a whole new level. On a scale of one to ten, he’s at least a 14! If you are in desperate need of a good night sleep, and you’re bunking with Rickey, you need to (A). Get a one-hour head start and hope you can sleep with a Peterbuilt idling a few of feet away, or (B). Insert some ear plugs, cover those with some high-tech Bose earphones, bury your head under at least two pillows and hope you survive the night.

     Mark Suzda ended up being the Berger bunkmate, which seemed like a good fit at the time.

Mark is the kind of guy who can be talking to you one second while watching TV, and be in a deep slumber just seconds later. It was a match made in heaven, or at least a good reality show. Being the resort that it is, Spanish Bay is built to be quiet, so that guests can get that warm fuzzy feeling of solitude and relaxation. They may need to redesign the place now. Jim Dee and I were sharing the room next to the Berger-Suzda snorefest and could literally hear Berger snoring through the walls. The last thing I remember saying before dozing off was … “poor Mark.” Other roommates on the trip were Greg Jones and Todd Baltzley and business partners Jeffrey Adkins and Mike Werner, all from the greater Sacramento area.

     Our group kicked off the tour at Del Monte Golf Course, which boost an affordable green fee of just $95 – by Pebble Beach standards. It got better when we discovered they sell a membership card that ultimately reduced the fee to $65 and gave us a 10% discount off of everything in the pro shop. Looks like more money for the cart girl.

     Mark and I RV’ed to the Del Monte in the wee hours of Tuesday morning and parked and slept in the parking lot. Now it wouldn’t have been the wee hours, but the Monterey Peninsula gets really dark, extremely foggy, and street sign challenged in the middle of the night. We should have arrived around 9:00 p.m. – MONDAY. Actually finding the place, and not ripping off the top of my RV in the process was considered an accomplishment. I made more U-turns than a family looking for real estate. But the reward paid off the next day. Waking up at a Pebble Beach course first thing in the morning, is like dozing off in a hot tub and waking up and finding you’re sitting next to Charlize Theron and Jessica Alba. I’ve died and went to heaven. The rest of the group drove in that morning.

     Del Monte was a perfect tune-up for Pebble Beach because we discovered that the rough was deep, the traps

were there for a reason, and the greens were fast. We also learned that we were defying some physical law. Of our eight golfers, three – Dee, Jones and Werner – are left-handed. That is a full 25% higher than the national average for lefties. Needless to say, southpaws throw their clubs just as far as normal people do.

From there we were off to the Inn at Spanish Bay. The rooms go for $500 a night, and are worth every penny, which is pretty ironic considering I parked my 34’ diesel-pusher with my favorite pillow just a 100-yards away in their parking lot. One of the great things about Spanish Bay is that the premier on-site restaurant is Roy’s – yes, that Roy’s. Food described as Hawaii-fusion cuisine at a place that chef Roy Yamaguchi opened in 1996 - his first restaurant on the mainland. It doesn’t get much better than that after a hot shower. As our receipts will show, our group ate there three nights in a row, ... (MORE)