My biggest fear when playing golf goes like this: Someone hides behind a tree with a video camera and captures one of my horrible shanks. Then, just as I’m slamming my club into the ground, this person shouts, “Smile, Peter, you’re on Candid Camera!”
Luckily (knock on graphite) that’s never happened in the 15 years I’ve lived on the Monterey Peninsula. And, if you promise not to come looking for me with your camcorder, I’ll tell you about the courses I most enjoy playing.
My favorite is Poppy Hills — and not because it’s less than a mile from my house. Home to the Northern California Golf Association and one of three courses played in the AT&T Pro-Am, Poppy Hills is a regular-guy’s golf oasis in the middle of Pebble Beach. I’ve heard PGA Tour pros complain that it’s too easy, but I’ve heard even more moan that it’s sneaky hard. The prices at Poppy are reasonable enough that my son Danny and I often sneak over there late in the day and squeeze in nine holes without feeling too guilty about having to pay for 18.
I’ve played in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am three times, and my very first round was at Poppy, partnered with Tour pro Brian Gay. I was so nervous I sliced my drive on No. 1 into the hazard on the right and had to take a drop. Then, I was so pumped that I hit my second shot over the green, down the hill, and square in the middle of the No. 2 tee box. That left me with a blind shot back to the green, where Brian was fussing over why it’s such a bad idea to allow amateurs to play in a real Tour event. Luckily, my shot missed Brian’s head and hit the flagstick. I tapped in for bogey.
After that it was pretty much downhill — but not a very steep hill, because Poppy is quite walkable. My cardiologist and I have an aversion to golf carts, so I favor places where it’s possible to walk and carry your own bag. One of the nicest walks in Pebble Beach can be had on The Links at Spanish Bay. It’s somewhat less expensive than Pebble Beach Golf Links, or Spyglass and, unlike the Big Two, tee times can usually be had at Spanish Bay without a letter from your congressman. Also: reduced twilight rates!
Spanish Bay is one big photo-op. Every hole is either along the ocean or darn close. Best of all, Spanish Bay has what may be the nicest 19th-hole views in all of golf. Funny how sitting at the sunken bar, looking out over the ocean, seems to make even the lousy shots get better in the retelling.
Two of my other local favorites are also easy to walk: Quail Lodge and Del Monte. Quail is a semiprivate resort course that’s just out beyond the fog belt in Carmel Valley. It’s short, but sweet. Del Monte is played in the Champion’s Tour First Tee tournament over Labor Day Weekend; it’s also part of the rotation each November for the Pebble Beach Invitational. Because the layout is only 6,400 yards from the tips, it’s a test of precision more than power.
It was in the inaugural First Tee that I discovered something worse than having a shank caught on tape. It’s hitting the best drive of your life about 270 yards down the middle, and then being passed by your 12-year-old female teammate. I’ve since taken to watching the First Tee on television, but I still head back to Del Monte often during the rest of the year.
If you decide to play any of the courses I’ve mentioned, here are my insider tips:
• Poppy Hills — Buy a few range tokens when you check in, because they don’t sell them at the range.
• Spanish Bay — Resist the temptation to walk in the designated “Environmental Areas,” especially along the 9th fairway where you’ll see a dozen hardly-hit balls on the sandy hill, begging to be picked up.
• Quail Lodge — The shiny reddish-brown leaves are poison oak. And, yes, the big house overlooking the 18th tee belongs to Doris Day.
• Del Monte — If you shank one, then see a guy behind a tree with a video camera, I promise you it’s not me. But you’ll enjoy the round more if you manage to smile, even if you’re not on Candid Camera.
When not playing golf, Pebble Beach resident Peter Funt is host of TV’s Candid Camera.
GOLF EVENTS
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Tournament
February 4-10, 2008
One of the Monterey Peninsula’s most popular events features celebrity amateurs paired with some of golfs best professionals. While many come to enjoy the great golf and stunning Pebble Beach course, others come to see the stars. In recent years, the celebs have included Donald Trump, Kevin Costner, Gary Sinise, Chris O’Donnel, Don Cheadle, and Samuel L. Jackson as well as sports stars like Tom Brady and Emmitt Smith.
In the footsteps of founder Bing Crosby, comedy — along with some great golf — has come from, among others, George Lopez, Ray Romano, and Bill Murray. Best of all, proceeds from the tournament go to charity, and to date, more than $60 million has been raised.
Information: (831) 644-0333, (800) 541-9091.
Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach
Labor Day Weekend
At this official Champions Tour event, each Labor Day weekend, one junior is paired with a Champions Tour player and two amateurs. Beginning its second decade, the tournament continues its mission to “provide young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop life-enhancing values such as confidence, perseverance, and judgment through golf and character education.”
Information: (831) 644-0333, (800) 541-9091.
