The weather forecast last Thursday called for thunderstorms. At
Spyglass Hill Golf Course, eerily enough, it was sunny skies with a
slight breeze.
Not fog. Not overcast. Not even a tiny rain droplet.
Pebble Beach – The weather forecast last Thursday called for thunderstorms. At Spyglass Hill Golf Course, eerily enough, it was sunny skies with a slight breeze.
Not fog. Not overcast. Not even a tiny rain droplet.
Aaahhh, so is the life at Pebble Beach, where my now eight-day cold completely clears up for the three hours I’m there; where multi-million dollar homes adorn the course, with windows the size of the Pacific Ocean, all the better to see the Pacific Ocean; and where the San Benito Lady ‘Balers battled wind, water, bunkers, deer, Robert Louis Stevenson High School and the Golf Course that is Spyglass Hill.
So is the life.
I was able to walk the front nine Thursday of Spyglass Hill in a dual meet between RLS and San Benito, and I must say, life is unfair.
If I went to San Benito High School, and was able to play one of the best courses in the nation, I’d probably try to sign up for girls golf, too.
Of course, “life is unfair” is likely an often repeated sentiment when playing the storied course, which hosts the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. And I didn’t need to play the course to figure that out.
Take, for instance, the first hole. From the red tees, where the Lady ‘Balers played Thursday, it measured 487 yards, dogleg left and downhill.
To increase the difficulty, the green was surrounded by bunkers to the left, to the center, and to the right.
And just so you know who “owns” the course, eight deer did their thing – whatever it is deer do – around the green and the bunkers, completely unfazed that golfers, reporters, spectators, photographers and golf balls were doing their thing around them.
For the record, no deer were harmed or injured in the process of the San Benito-RLS matchup.
As the Lady ‘Balers bobbed and weaved their way in an out of hazards that were both inanimate and wild (I was told the deer usually stay off the green and bunkers, but definitely saw one lounging in the sand and a couple others munching on the fringe), the golfers came to the third hole at Spyglass. After climbing the second fairway, the third tee box opened into a vista of the Pacific Ocean.
The third hole only measured 88 yards, leaving most (myself included) with some boastful believing they could drop a Titleist onto the green, conquering at least one hole at Spyglass.
Good luck.
Not only must you drive the ball straight into the Pacific Ocean, wind included, but a pair of bucks may cross your path during your backswing, as they did with Lady ‘Baler Marissa Gutierrez. Hey, they may eat, live, sleep, play and defecate on the golf course, but don’t expect them have any golf etiquette.
The fifth hole was similar to the third, measuring a whopping 89 yards in distance, and it too had a view lying on just the other side of the green. While it wasn’t the Pacific Ocean, it was a ka-jillion dollar home, and I’m sure it had a great view of the Pacific Ocean.
And right there is the reason why I’ll never play Spyglass. The greens fee of $315 per round is high for a reason. If you can afford to play Spyglass, you can likely afford to pay for any and all windows that you break. And if you have a swing like mine, you’ll probably need a little left over to pay for the deer carcasses to be hauled off the course.
While the Lady ‘Balers lost to RLS Thursday 169-220, they lost on Spyglass Hill Golf Course, which is a heckuva lot more than what most of us can say.
Life is unfair.
