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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.