Macster
Journeyman Pro
Many of you might have seen my post some months back after I was invited to go across and experience Pebble Beach......so I thought i'd put up a few words now that I'm back, and my jet lag is a distant memory.
1st October was the day I found out about my little trip, a bit of a corporate jolly for 5 of us, together with the MD of a company called Carrier that I work closely with.
From that day, to say I looked forward to the trip would be an understatement of epic proportions, as you can imagine, and I even took to looking at the Pebble webcams at 5pm every day to see what kind of weather might greet us,......sad but true.
Anyway, the long winter dragged on, and I did my best to get out & play as often as poss, just to keep the swing loose and things working, and some semblence of respectabilty went with me to Pebble's links.
27th of Feb we flew out to San Fran, but the day before, - that feeling you get when you know a 'cold' is around the corner descended upon me, a lethargic 'mehh' feeling, and I quickly started throwing Paracetamol and suchlike down my neck at regular intervals.
Even BA Club Class for 10hrs, still taking meds, didnt shake it off, and on arrival in SFO, I knew it was coming.
We wandered out for a beer and a bite, but 2 bottles in, feeling very tired and crap, I made my excuses and ambled back up the hill to my room. 4hrs sleep later, I'm wide awake at 2am, and spend the rest of the 'night' channel hopping, sneezing, spluttering.......and feeling crap.
That morning, we had breakfast, did a full tour of San Fran, were hosted for lunch at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and the only thing I was concious of was trying not to sneeze on everyone else, my eyes were runny, my nose wouldnt stop, and it was a full blown cold, - only 9000 miles from home.
The only saving grace was that it was 70 degrees and beautiful in San Fran, - absolutely spectacular.
About 3pm, we head down to Pebble, a 2 & a half hour drive, which bathed in sunshine, was nothing short of beautiful.
But, nothing can prepare you for what awaits.......as you drive into the Carmel/Monterey Peninsula, its staggering, and as soon as you catch a glimpse of a pebble fairway, and the waves crashing behind, you finally realise what the fuss is all about.
We pull up at the Inn @ Spanish Bay, our home for 2nts, and its awesome.
By this time, its 6pm, and we have a 'quick turnaround' before Dinner with our hosts, the Sales Director of Pebble Beach, but as soon as I reach my room, I suddenly feel very dizzy, very very dizzy, and start to worry that Acute Labrythiytis has arrived again. ( I got this last year after a heavy cold, a severe Vertigo illness that reduced me to vomiting for 4hrs constantly, and unable to walk for days.......)
Thankfully, it seemed to pass, BUT as soon as I sit down at the Dinner Table and smell the fantastic 'tasters' that the kitchen is throwing upon us, ..............I feel nauseous, and very very crap,.....and have to make my excuses ......again.
I try and sleep, but again by 2am, I'm wide awake, a result of the -8hr time difference, and I channel hop again waiting for dawn to arrive, this is getting tedious.
By 8am, I'm feeling 'ok', perhaps the Parcetamol is kicking in.......and I have breakfast, before we are transported to the Driving Range to warm up for our spectacular round at Pebble Beach.
A few shots in, complete with a few shanks for good measure, & I know that i'm not 100%, but hey ho, 'you've flown all this way', you've gotta play, I tell myself, and before we know it, our 10.20am Tee Time has arrived, and there we are, standing on the tee shaking hands with our Caddies, provided courtesy of Pebble.
To be honest, I was going to pay for one myself, @ $80 + Tip, just to do the job right, but our hosts have thought of everything.
We tee off, a less than impressive start from me, but hey, we're here to experience it, not try to tame it.
Its strange, the starting holes 'arent that long', the 1st is a realtively short Par 4, dog-leg, and i'm left with an 8iron in, which I leave short, chip on, under the hole, and then 2 putt on a green that shows us why this course is so well respected.
One of my playing partners, a 1 Handicapper, is perhaps 20' above the hole, and the caddie shows him the line, some 5' to the right, and following which he nearly putts it off the green. Above the hole ? Forget it....you're dead......you've no idea how fast they are......its unbeleivable.
2nd. Par 5. 460yds.
I hit a good drive, and then manage to get greenside in 2, before my chip comes to rest on the green about 8' 'above' the hole. A wry smile spreads across the caddies face......and when its my turn, he shows me the line, - about 4' right of the hole, and then tells me he 'doesnt want to see a backswing with my flatstick'..........
I 'nudge' the ball, and then watch it miss the hole by about a foot, and race on another 15'. :mmm:
The putt back up is easier, but still missed, so an easy bogey then.
By now, its warm, the sun's out, its spectacular, we simply couldnt have planned this better, and our Caddie tells us that its is simply the best day of the year so far, and in all honesty, better than most of the summmer will bring in that area.
So why am I starting to feel so crap again ??? Really crap.......runny nose.......and very tired.
I carry on, and the next run of holes is painfullly beautiful, with the ocean on the right, it is difficult to describe just how spectacular the place is, honestly.
The 6th starts the iconic run of the 3 holes that are perhaps THE most beautiful holes in Golf.....but after a great drive on 6, I mess up the 2nd shot, then make a hash of getting up and down, and my energy is draining.....
6th Tee View:
The iconic 7th, a very short Par 3, just 95yds, downhill, flick with a 54 wedge, that just misses the bunker front, but rolls up to about 6', but I miss the birdie putt as the putt breaks, - but a safe par, I'm happy.
8th: Standing on the Tee, I look down to the ocean below to see Sea Otters playing/fishing amongst the breakers.........*shakes head* Just where the hell else is it possible ????
Its a blind drive, and once on the 'plateau', you see whats to come, a 190yd shot in my case, over the chasm in front of you, to a green thats about as small as a postage stamp !
I lose it right, 10' down the cliff, but by now, cant be bothered to go look, I'm feelin bad......
Here's that 2nd shot view......
I played the 9th......cant recall much about it, could hardly walk, and seeing my state, my caddie asks if I'd like a Buggy brought out.
I decide that I cant go on, feel drained, whatever is going on is really getting to grips, and I decide I have to sit out the rest of the round in a Buggy, - Ive got to see all of this place at least.
The Back 9 is a bit of blur, as I try and stay out of the sun, and follow the guys around.......but by 17, I try and muster up the energy again.
Par3. - the one where Snedeker rollled it in to clinch the ProAm. I find sand, but get out ok, and then miss the putt.
18th....the iconic 18th @ Pebble. Amazingly, I nail a Drive, absolutely perfect.........now that is one to stay with me.
But once back in the buggy to get to it,.......I'm dead again......and although I play to the green.....I'm out of it.
I get back to the room, with the intention of a quick lie down to recharge me before Dinner at 6.30pm (the yanks always eat early), but I'm wasted......feel awful......and by 9pm, I ask the Front Desk to call me a Doctor.
$500 later, he prescribes me AntiBiotics.....and I then spend another night hot, not able to sleep, and feeling so sorry for myself and very very ill.
I call him again at 6.30am......and he tells me to get down to his surgery at 8am, anc once there, he admits me to the local Emergency Department, where they hook me up to an IV Drip........jeeezuz this is getting serious.
However, some nutrients and drugs later, and by 2pm, I'm able to walk out, (albeit slowly), and head back to my Hotel to recover, finally feeling semi human, semi hungry, and finally able to sleep.
By now, the other chaps have played The Links at Spanish Bay too, and are heading off down the coast to see a couple of other Hotels, before playing Carmel Valley Ranch.
Inevitably, I miss it all, but by next morning, am feeling 'ok', and thankfully able to even consider flying home, which we do later that day.
So, I guess the moral of the story is 'Dont look forward to something too much', beacuse for me, the 4 days was a complete and utter washout, and I dont reccomend suffering alone with a Viral Infection in a Hotel room 9000 miles from home !
The only saving grace ? I dropped an email across to those who looked after us and hosted us so well, and the Sales Director replied saying 'hey, no problem, sorry you were ill, get yourself back across and we'll peg it up again anytime'. A tempting offer indeed !!!
Photo's here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25379642@N07/sets/72157633049579021/
1st October was the day I found out about my little trip, a bit of a corporate jolly for 5 of us, together with the MD of a company called Carrier that I work closely with.
From that day, to say I looked forward to the trip would be an understatement of epic proportions, as you can imagine, and I even took to looking at the Pebble webcams at 5pm every day to see what kind of weather might greet us,......sad but true.
Anyway, the long winter dragged on, and I did my best to get out & play as often as poss, just to keep the swing loose and things working, and some semblence of respectabilty went with me to Pebble's links.
27th of Feb we flew out to San Fran, but the day before, - that feeling you get when you know a 'cold' is around the corner descended upon me, a lethargic 'mehh' feeling, and I quickly started throwing Paracetamol and suchlike down my neck at regular intervals.
Even BA Club Class for 10hrs, still taking meds, didnt shake it off, and on arrival in SFO, I knew it was coming.
We wandered out for a beer and a bite, but 2 bottles in, feeling very tired and crap, I made my excuses and ambled back up the hill to my room. 4hrs sleep later, I'm wide awake at 2am, and spend the rest of the 'night' channel hopping, sneezing, spluttering.......and feeling crap.
That morning, we had breakfast, did a full tour of San Fran, were hosted for lunch at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and the only thing I was concious of was trying not to sneeze on everyone else, my eyes were runny, my nose wouldnt stop, and it was a full blown cold, - only 9000 miles from home.
The only saving grace was that it was 70 degrees and beautiful in San Fran, - absolutely spectacular.
About 3pm, we head down to Pebble, a 2 & a half hour drive, which bathed in sunshine, was nothing short of beautiful.
But, nothing can prepare you for what awaits.......as you drive into the Carmel/Monterey Peninsula, its staggering, and as soon as you catch a glimpse of a pebble fairway, and the waves crashing behind, you finally realise what the fuss is all about.
We pull up at the Inn @ Spanish Bay, our home for 2nts, and its awesome.
By this time, its 6pm, and we have a 'quick turnaround' before Dinner with our hosts, the Sales Director of Pebble Beach, but as soon as I reach my room, I suddenly feel very dizzy, very very dizzy, and start to worry that Acute Labrythiytis has arrived again. ( I got this last year after a heavy cold, a severe Vertigo illness that reduced me to vomiting for 4hrs constantly, and unable to walk for days.......)
Thankfully, it seemed to pass, BUT as soon as I sit down at the Dinner Table and smell the fantastic 'tasters' that the kitchen is throwing upon us, ..............I feel nauseous, and very very crap,.....and have to make my excuses ......again.
I try and sleep, but again by 2am, I'm wide awake, a result of the -8hr time difference, and I channel hop again waiting for dawn to arrive, this is getting tedious.
By 8am, I'm feeling 'ok', perhaps the Parcetamol is kicking in.......and I have breakfast, before we are transported to the Driving Range to warm up for our spectacular round at Pebble Beach.
A few shots in, complete with a few shanks for good measure, & I know that i'm not 100%, but hey ho, 'you've flown all this way', you've gotta play, I tell myself, and before we know it, our 10.20am Tee Time has arrived, and there we are, standing on the tee shaking hands with our Caddies, provided courtesy of Pebble.
To be honest, I was going to pay for one myself, @ $80 + Tip, just to do the job right, but our hosts have thought of everything.
We tee off, a less than impressive start from me, but hey, we're here to experience it, not try to tame it.
Its strange, the starting holes 'arent that long', the 1st is a realtively short Par 4, dog-leg, and i'm left with an 8iron in, which I leave short, chip on, under the hole, and then 2 putt on a green that shows us why this course is so well respected.
One of my playing partners, a 1 Handicapper, is perhaps 20' above the hole, and the caddie shows him the line, some 5' to the right, and following which he nearly putts it off the green. Above the hole ? Forget it....you're dead......you've no idea how fast they are......its unbeleivable.
2nd. Par 5. 460yds.
I hit a good drive, and then manage to get greenside in 2, before my chip comes to rest on the green about 8' 'above' the hole. A wry smile spreads across the caddies face......and when its my turn, he shows me the line, - about 4' right of the hole, and then tells me he 'doesnt want to see a backswing with my flatstick'..........
I 'nudge' the ball, and then watch it miss the hole by about a foot, and race on another 15'. :mmm:
The putt back up is easier, but still missed, so an easy bogey then.
By now, its warm, the sun's out, its spectacular, we simply couldnt have planned this better, and our Caddie tells us that its is simply the best day of the year so far, and in all honesty, better than most of the summmer will bring in that area.
So why am I starting to feel so crap again ??? Really crap.......runny nose.......and very tired.
I carry on, and the next run of holes is painfullly beautiful, with the ocean on the right, it is difficult to describe just how spectacular the place is, honestly.
The 6th starts the iconic run of the 3 holes that are perhaps THE most beautiful holes in Golf.....but after a great drive on 6, I mess up the 2nd shot, then make a hash of getting up and down, and my energy is draining.....
6th Tee View:
The iconic 7th, a very short Par 3, just 95yds, downhill, flick with a 54 wedge, that just misses the bunker front, but rolls up to about 6', but I miss the birdie putt as the putt breaks, - but a safe par, I'm happy.
8th: Standing on the Tee, I look down to the ocean below to see Sea Otters playing/fishing amongst the breakers.........*shakes head* Just where the hell else is it possible ????
Its a blind drive, and once on the 'plateau', you see whats to come, a 190yd shot in my case, over the chasm in front of you, to a green thats about as small as a postage stamp !
I lose it right, 10' down the cliff, but by now, cant be bothered to go look, I'm feelin bad......
Here's that 2nd shot view......
I played the 9th......cant recall much about it, could hardly walk, and seeing my state, my caddie asks if I'd like a Buggy brought out.
I decide that I cant go on, feel drained, whatever is going on is really getting to grips, and I decide I have to sit out the rest of the round in a Buggy, - Ive got to see all of this place at least.
The Back 9 is a bit of blur, as I try and stay out of the sun, and follow the guys around.......but by 17, I try and muster up the energy again.
Par3. - the one where Snedeker rollled it in to clinch the ProAm. I find sand, but get out ok, and then miss the putt.
18th....the iconic 18th @ Pebble. Amazingly, I nail a Drive, absolutely perfect.........now that is one to stay with me.
But once back in the buggy to get to it,.......I'm dead again......and although I play to the green.....I'm out of it.
I get back to the room, with the intention of a quick lie down to recharge me before Dinner at 6.30pm (the yanks always eat early), but I'm wasted......feel awful......and by 9pm, I ask the Front Desk to call me a Doctor.
$500 later, he prescribes me AntiBiotics.....and I then spend another night hot, not able to sleep, and feeling so sorry for myself and very very ill.
I call him again at 6.30am......and he tells me to get down to his surgery at 8am, anc once there, he admits me to the local Emergency Department, where they hook me up to an IV Drip........jeeezuz this is getting serious.
However, some nutrients and drugs later, and by 2pm, I'm able to walk out, (albeit slowly), and head back to my Hotel to recover, finally feeling semi human, semi hungry, and finally able to sleep.
By now, the other chaps have played The Links at Spanish Bay too, and are heading off down the coast to see a couple of other Hotels, before playing Carmel Valley Ranch.
Inevitably, I miss it all, but by next morning, am feeling 'ok', and thankfully able to even consider flying home, which we do later that day.
So, I guess the moral of the story is 'Dont look forward to something too much', beacuse for me, the 4 days was a complete and utter washout, and I dont reccomend suffering alone with a Viral Infection in a Hotel room 9000 miles from home !
The only saving grace ? I dropped an email across to those who looked after us and hosted us so well, and the Sales Director replied saying 'hey, no problem, sorry you were ill, get yourself back across and we'll peg it up again anytime'. A tempting offer indeed !!!
Photo's here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25379642@N07/sets/72157633049579021/
