Indiana Jones, Leisure Suit Larry, Command and Conquer. Instant classics anda lot of fun. But among the sport games there was one that stood out for my brother and I; Jack Nicklaus' Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf .
And amongst those there was one course that stood out; Pebble Beach. Maybe it was the proximity to water. Maybe that people lived on this legendary course. But for whatever reason, it was a somewhere I wanted to see.
Cut forward 30 years and I finally got to see it properly. The occasion was an invite to the Nature Valley Golf Open; a retirement nest egg for some pretty good golfers of yore.
To get there it takes 2+ hours form the East Bay, so while on SF's footstep, it's just a bit outside (to paraphrase Bob Uecker). Driving in they impose a $10 entrance fee which is reimbursed if you eat/drink there.
There's a putting green with surrounding plaques of founders, players and of course Bing Crosby; wonderful singer and austere father.
Bing and others
The clubhouse is a gorgeous, imposing place with trophies lining the walls from Golf tourneys and the Concours d'Elegance; a car competition and auction. It feels like a place which shouldn't let me in and yet... it's public! And as casual as a Californian supermarket. Well, maybe a Wholefoods.
Went there on the best kind of visit; a freebie. Got to sit in a private room and watch the golf the way it should be watched; on TV.
That's John Daly's blonde head in the center of the screen. Thankfully can't see his pants
But this was Pebble Beach, so we walked the course. Or at least the water bordered part.
And it was beautiful. Manicured course in the way a tournament course is, with rough that wouldn't be out of place on a baseball/cricket field. It is a residential course, though with properties at prices that would buy a small African country
Hole 6
And 7
The beauty of this championship is that it had Golfers names I could recognize. And put a face to the name.
I recognized the names and faces of Langer, Vijay Singh and Tom Kite amongst many, many more. 17 in total that I knew well.
That Golf has lost popularity since the Tiger went down is indisputable. Nike has shut it's Golf division down, based as it was on one man who ended up having less than a ramrod back. Dick's have decreased the pros employed and Golfsmith filed for bankruptcy
There are approximately 15,204 courses in the USA, down from a high of 16,052. I used to play on a regular basis but haven't picked up a club in 4 years. Now I'm not saying I'm wholly to blame but it just isn't as appealing to the young; what with the time it takes, the cost of equipment and the cost of playing. And since Tiger went down, there really hasn't been the superstar that people find to inspire or emulate. My own kids look at me as if I'm mad if I suggest they try it out.
But it's always fun to watch the Ryder and President's Cups when they do come around, like most big events. And it was fun to see these guys, most of whom have made enough to retire comfortably, play the game for mostly pleasure.
Who won? Not even sure but my walk around the course wasn't spoiled.
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