Loran Smith - Pebble Beach

Loran

Smith

I must confess that I become mesmerized when I have any exposure to the Monterey Peninsula and Pebble beach, and that includes television. The area is one beautiful and becoming place. Spectacular and sensational.

Surely the Creator modeled after the “Garden of Eden.” I have seen mountain landscapes that boggle the mind, harbors and inlets that Monet would have difficulty holding his palette steady to give us one of his patented impressions, and verdant valleys that reek of nature’s most splendorous offerings.

To walk the golf course and feel the spray off the Pacific is downright inspirational and brings about a glorious rapport with nature. Then to play it—no matter the score you post— leaves you transfixed and eternally grateful.

Jack Nicklaus once said that if he had one round of golf left to play, he would play it at Pebble Beach. Robert Louis Stevenson has been given credit for this most poignant of quotes that the Monterey Peninsula is the “greatest meeting of land and sea,” but it was Australian born artist, Francis McComas, who authored that appraisal of this spectacular piece of land.

To enter the domain of the Del Monte Lodge which is the centerpiece of the golf course complex makes you consider that you have enjoyed a brush with royalty and then to spend time on the golf course is a heavenly experience.

Then add to the experience of playing a round at Cypress Point, it is better than winning the daily double at the racetrack. It was my good fortune to enjoy all this as a guest.

The windswept trees take your breath away as sea gulls flit about as if they owned the place, and I reckon that they do. You might be lining up an approach shot into a picturesque green and see a whitetail deer dart across the fairway. All the time, on most holes, you hear the Pacific crashing against the shore.

The history of the place, its ambience and its imgage is as uplifting as any picturesque enclave in the world. Hon fleur. Giverny. Cliffs of Moher. Santorini. Mount-Saint-Michel. Victoria Falls. Big Sur. Lapland. The Chattahoochee.

Monterey’s ethereal beauty is unmatched. We all need soul cleansing moments in our lives and there is no better place to seek that inspirational high than on this magical strip of land.

Pebble Beach is a place where you might need to put another log on the fire and don your most substantial wind cheater as the Brits might say or you might find yourself walking about in short sleeves and a saturation of sunscreen. You could even experience those conditions on back-to-back days.

It was Bing Crosby, the man with continued from page

the golden voice, who brought about Pebble Beach’s love affair with the PGA tour. It all began at Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego when the crooner invited some of his friends to play golf, enjoy and clambake and raise a little money for charity.

It then moved to Pebble Beach where it was elevated to the highest of socials. Bing invited his Hollywood friends and turned the tournament into a classy proam where the golfers and movie stars rubbed shoulders with a good time being enjoyed by all.

You might see Lionel Hebert, whose ultimate victory was the PGA championship, taking out his horn and making music with Bing, Phil Harris and the stars you saw on the silver screen at your local movie house.

The success brought about by Bing’s clambake, inspired other Hollywood types to host golf tournaments: Bob Hope at Palm Springs, Andy Williams at Torrey Pines at LaJolla, Jakie Gleason at the Inverary Classic, Glenn Campbell at Rivera in Los Angeles, Danny Thomas at Memphis, and Sammy Davis Jr. at Hartford.

Any fan who has an affection for nature’s best handiwork can enjoy the game of golf even if their expertise does not rise to the occasion. To attempt to associate with Jack Nicklaus’ regard for Pebble Beach: If I had one last golf course to walk, it would be Pebble Beach.

That, however, needs a disclaimer. To walk the most sensational of golf courses and enjoying its overpowering beauty, you need to take care of business before you are too long in the tooth.