This Is Pebble Beach
The weather was perfect! Sunny with a slight breeze coming off the ocean. It was late March, but the temperature was surprisingly warm for the Monterey area. I teed the ball up on the first tee box and took a couple of practice swings — just as I had done a thousand times before. The difference this time was that I was about to play one of the most iconic courses in the world — Pebble Beach. At that point in my life, I was a pretty decent golfer at a four handicap but, I couldn’t believe how nervous I was. It wasn’t like I was playing in a tournament or in front of anyone else, but there I was for one of a very few times in my life, nervous, standing over a golf ball.
I had seen the first hole on many occasions on TV — a relatively level hole with a slight dog-leg to the right with an approach shot that I would need to hit into an elevated green that sloped from back to front and left to right. But first thing was first — I needed to get over the nerves and get off the tee without embarrassing myself. I selected my five iron, which I was hitting quite well on the range, as my club of choice. With my sweaty palms, weakened knees, and very aware of my swing, I somehow made decent contact and the ball ended up in the middle of the fairway. I was still a long way back, however, but I didn’t care at that point as my nerves had subsided and my once in a lifetime round had begun.
As I proceeded to bogey the first hole, I found myself putting for birdie on the second hole, a par five that I had almost reached in two, had it not been for the gully less than one hundred yards out that somehow leapt up and grabbed my ball. I was able to recover out of there and make my ten footer for birdie.
After that, I felt as if I could handle any challenge this course threw at me — yeah, it was early, and no I hadn’t been drinking yet — but maybe I should have started. I bogeyed the next three holes in a row and found myself three over while I stood on the sixth tee. The sixth was a par five, slightly downhill, heading out towards the ocean and there was a bit of a wind that day so I knew it was going to take a couple of really good shots to get on top of the hill. That mini goal accomplished and a flush pitching wedge later, I was putting for another birdie — albeit a forty footer. Luckily, I read it right and drained it. It felt fantastic! I couldn’t believe that I had made a couple of birdies on the two par fives on the front nine at Pebble Beach.
See, not only was this my first round, but I was also an employee at Pebble Beach. I started working for the Pebble Beach Company a few months earlier as their Grills Manager. I loved everything about my new home and job, as it was like living in a dream. Perhaps the fact that I had a Utopian feel to my life at that time gave me a sense of calm and seemed to relax me for the rest of my round. I was playing with other employees as well, a perk that the company set up for its employees with “staff tee times” after the days revenue tee times had been sent out. We all played well that day and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.
I set-up on the tee on the signature seventh with my pitching wedge in my hands once again. Stuck it. Four feet and another birdie later I found myself having just made back to back birdies on two of the toughest holes at Pebble and I was sitting at only one over par for the round. Coming to the tough eighth hole, I didn’t realize how short the landing area was and I ended up going through the fairway and over the cliff. I recovered by dropping a ball just before the cliff’s edge, hitting a solid four iron to the green and two putting for bogey. The ninth was no picnic either, but I stood on the green over a thirty footer for par. I hit a good putt, but it burned the right edge and I tapped in for a bogey and a front nine score of three over.
I was ecstatic as I made the turn.
Relaxed and enjoying myself, I hit, what to this day is still the best three iron of my life, to three feet on the tenth green, and made another birdie. I couldn’t believe how well I was playing this course — especially as I had never played it before. I guess I subliminally learned a few things from the PS2 Tiger Woods game. I was two over as we turned our backs to the ocean and headed up into the trees and residences on hole eleven.
The narrow green was tough and very fast and I three putted to make my first double bogey of the day. Still, if someone told me that I would be at plus five starting the twelfth hole at Pebble, I probably would have taken it. The par three twelfth is a tough little hole. The green is very shallow vertically with bunkers in front and behind the green — so, needless to say it is a small target to hit. Escaping with a par, I moved to the thirteenth tee still at five over par. The thirteenth is a relatively straight away par four, but it is uphill the entire way and for us amateurs, it can be difficult to judge the distance. However, I successfully navigated the hole and also made a par.
The fourteenth hole is yet another par five — and considering my success earlier in the round — I was confident and looking to birdie another par five. Not even close. I sliced my tee shot out of bounds and then proceeded to triple bogey the hole. I was so frustrated. But, most of my bad swing thoughts were short lived on this day and I ended up with back to back birdies for the following two holes and back to six over par for the round.
Then as I stood on the seventeenth tee, my minds eye reflected back to Nicklaus’ pin seeking one iron in 1972; or Watson’s chip in from the rough to help seal the 1982 US Open. This was one of the most historic holes in all of golf — and I was standing there about to play it as well. So surreal. My game served me well as I hit the green from the tee and two putted to move to the finishing hole.
As we were playing in the staff tee time at the end of the day, it was fairly dark as we started playing the final hole. Having this time slot it wasn’t uncommon to for us to finish in the dark — but nobody complained — why would we? The only bad part was not being able to enjoy the scenery of the eighteenth hole as we finished. The challenge was trying to keep track of where you think you hit your ball after making contact. I successfully got mine to the green in regulation and made a two putt par via the residual light of the spots illuminating the iconic eighteenth hole Cypress that guarded the green. A 78. Are you kidding me? I couldn’t believe that was my score — and I don’t think I shut up about it for weeks. Clearly, I’m still talking — er — writing about it to this day.
I was fortunate to play Pebble Beach over ten times while I was an employee and I only eclipsed 78 one other time which was two years after leaving the company, I returned, paying the full green fee and playing with some of my groomsmen on my wedding weekend — and shooting 75.
Pebble Beach is a very special place. I met many celebrities and golfers during my four years of working there. I remember many of my golfing moments too but not all of them.
However, my very first round I remember every hole, every breath of wind, every club selection and every swing of that day.
It was a day I’ll never, ever forget.
