A different view of the Monterey Peninsula.....



When vacationing in the United States, I usually give trail rides a miss--walking nose-to-tail on dispirited horses in the company of a dozen of my fellow tourists when I ride nearly every day at home just isn't much of a thrill.  I suspected Pebble Beach might be different.  I was right.

The Pebble Beach equestrian center is home to over 50 horses.  The boarder horses range from warmbloods doing dressage to Connemara ponies jumping to  Quarter horses reining--their owners equally varied.   I didn't see the lesson string, but I'm told it comprises about a dozen horses, both English and Western.  The trail string also numbers around a dozen horses, who, when they're not being ridden, hang out untied near a pair of hitching rails in the yard.  I was pleasantly surprised by how content they seemed.  Later I learned that they are all rescued horses, taken out of abusive situations and fostered at a nearby ranch before being trained for the trail. They go out at most twice a day, they're  ridden in mild bits or hackamores, they're well-fed and loved--it's no wonder they're happy. My horse was named Fancy.  She had only been at Pebble Beach for six months, and she had a sweet swinging walk and was a pleasure to ride.

(Kim and Katie enjoying the beauty of Monterey from horseback)

The horses are good, but the scenery makes the Pebble Beach ride great.  It's hard to top riding along windswept dunes  with flowering ice plant knee-high on both sides, the taste of salt spray in your mouth, while in front of you cobalt waves crash into white surf along the golden beach.  I didn't even mind keeping to the walk--the sand was too deep to go fast anyhow, and the view too pretty to rush. The trail crossed Spyglass Hill golf course--we saw the boys playing--and, in the woods, offered this tantalizing view of the ultra-private Cypress Point.

(Unfortunatley, this is the closest the Bradleys got to Cypress Point)

(the boys took this picture from the 5th hole at Spyglass --the women witnessed the Redemption from horseback --see the Dreaded Ice Plant post below)

guest blogger:  Kim Bradley
special photos:  Katie Bradley

Does your buddy trip have a name?

Mine does.

COURSENDONK!

What happens to a golfer when he has played 36 holes for several days in a row:  Coursendonk.  Now lovingly referred to as "THE DONK".

4 guys who truly enjoy being together, 3 guys who love to play golf.

What makes a Donk?  Cereal, Golf, Chicken Sandwhich, Golf, Chicken Sandwhich, Milkshake, Sleep...REPEAT.

add a Soundtrack, a silly bet, a great (or sometimes not so great) golf destination, 13 straight years and love and you get a Donk.

How did it originally get its name?

(the inspiration for naming the Donk:  Corsendonk Ale)

I'd love to hear about your golf buddy trip.  And be sure to check out the my thread on this topic on Golf Club Atlas: 

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,48605.msg1095718.html#msg1095718

Bart

The Dreaded Ice Plant incident….and the Redemption

In 1997, I first traveled to the Monterey Peninsula.  Following a beautiful day at Pebble, my close friends Pat and Dave, and I set out on Spyglass Hill.  The first few holes at Spyglass are absolutely magical-- quirky, exposed sand, crashing waves--golfers’ heaven, and despite being stung by a wasp between the shoulder blades on the first tee, I was playing well.  In fact, I arrived at the 5^th tee even par. 

(tee shot on the par 3 5th at Spyglass Hill as it looks now)

 Young and inexperienced, I suffered from the card-and-pencil mentality:  My score was important to me.  The 5^th is a medium-length par 3, but on that day it was playing into a strong wind.  I chose to hit a 5-iron.  I made great contact and was able to keep the ball low.  The ball sailed directly toward the green.  I felt great.   But the ball was unaffected by the wind and carried over the green.   Oh well, I thought, I’ll get it up and down from there.  I walked up to find my ball sitting beautifully on top of a plant I’d never seen before.  Ice plant.  It looked like a great lie, some 15 yards beyond the green.  Looked.   I took out my 56 degree wedge (60 degree wedges were not yet in vogue) and calmly swung at the ball.  My club went directly under the ball, causing it to fall straight down and settle between the stems of the plant.  Hmmm.  I swung harder this time and the ball moved a few inches into an even worse lie.  Some 5 swings later, I had moved the ball within a foot of the edge of the ice plant.  Now swinging with all my might, I finally extracted (shot) the ball from(out of) the dastardly plant, but unfortunately sent the it halfway back to the tee.  Turning around I realized that I had probably removed 15 pounds of ice plant from the hillside….a crime scene might have been less of a mess.  I don’t have a picture of the carnage, but if I did, you’d probably say that it looked like an ATV had gotten stuck in the ice plant and spun its wheels for a few minutes trying to get out.  I finished the hole with a 12.  I never recovered.  The event became forever known as “the dreaded ice plant incident”.

 (special attention to the area directly behind the pin, now sand and bushes--all of the ice plant has been removed)

(close up of the green and former ice plant area)

(a re-creation of the original lie in flowering iceplant)

Well, I finally returned to Spyglass last week.  I got to the 5^th tee having birdied the 4^th to go back to +1.  My score is no longer so important to me.  Don’t get me wrong.  I like to make pars and birdies--who doesn’t?  But since my multiple orthopedic problems, I am just grateful to be able to enjoy the game at all.  And now, much of the time, I get to enjoy it with my son.  I doubt there are many things as pleasurable as sharing your passion with your child.   Here I was, on a spectacular Monterey afternoon, playing Spyglass with my son.  We have had more than our share of these days--strolling the fairways, seeing the great places in golf, chatting about the architecture.  I am surely blessed. 

Less wind this time.  I certainly didn’t want to go long; I had learned that lesson 14 years ago.  The tees were up.   I decided to punch an 8 iron.  A bit over the top, I hit a slight pull.  The ball settled happily on the left side of the putting surface about pin high.  Two putts later, I had made my par.  Redemption.

  The dreaded ice plant no longer surrounded that hole—it had been removed and replaced by bushes. (Had I really done that much damage? But they’ve removed ice plant from all over the course, so maybe I wasn’t solely responsible.) This time I had my conniption on the 6^th hole, making triple bogey (I am sure I had an emotional letdown after the 5^th J).   I didn’t mind.  I returned to Spyglass a worse golfer but better person.  I will remember both trips for the 5^th hole, but mostly for sharing the experience with my son and close friends.

check out my golfclubatlas post about Spyglass Hill's first 5 holes with some pretty good photos:  http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=48571.msg1094942;topicseen#msg1094942

Bart

Brancaster's 4th hole....

Sorry for the long break in posting.  Life and travel have been slowing us down.

Just returned from 10 glorious days playing England links and heathland courses.

Here is a photo from the 4th at Brancaster (also called Royal West Norfolk), a links course on the Eastern coast of England.  For architecture buffs, this hole is purported to be the inspiration for Macdonald's "short" hole.  The club at Brancaster is like stepping back in time.  We highly recommend a visit.

(129 yard par 3 4th at Brancaster)

And a slightly closer view:



Look for more photos from England over the next couple of weeks....

Bart

Cable Car Museum....

(A short walk from Union Square....FREE admission)



A visit to the Cable Car Museum in San Francisco is an enjoyable 30 minute education.  The museum is just the sort of "hidden gem" that we, at Bradley Golf Travel, hope to share with our readers.  Have you ever wondered how the little cars travel up and down the steep hills without any visible means of propulsion?  This museum is the place to go to find out....

A self guided tour shows the history of the iconic San Francisco transportation system and teaches the visitor how the cars function.  The museum is housed in the Washington-Mason powerhouse.

(you can see the working sheaves which drive and control the tension on the cables)

Then catch a ride on the cable car to experience the ride for yourself.



Bart

That famous tree...

I'm sure all golfers have seen it by now--the lone cypress is an iconic fixture at one of the country's most famous courses. Pebble Beach was the host to the US Open in 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010 and is currently scheduled to host the US Open in 2019 . Also, Pebble Beach is annually the home to the AT&T National Pro-am. Golfers from around the world flock to Pebble for it is truely America's great public course; Pebble Beach is America's St. Andrews.

The tree has long been the logo for Pebble Beach Golf Links. Standing on its rocky cliff for over 250 years, it has become a symbol of toughness and strength. It is now supported by cables and the cliff has been reinforced with the hope that the tree may last another 50 years, and for now, tourists can drive 17 mile drive and stop to appreciate the history of the tree.

So the next time you are out west, don't miss this fantastic tree and the story on how it became associated with one of America's great golf courses.

Get a piece of "the rock".....

A recent family trip will inspire our next series of blog posts.  We had a wonderful time and stand ready to help your family experience the sights of the Northern California coast. 

We highly recommend, on your next trip to San Francisco, that you take the time to tour Alcatraz Island.

(Boarding the ferry to Alcatraz)

A quick ferry ride away, Alcatraz features a very well done audio-tour which takes you through America's most famous prison from the days of prohibition and America's most wanted list. 

(A view of "The Rock" as we approached the island on a typical San Francisco foggy AM}

Narrated by one of the actual guards from Alcatraz, the tour moves at a comfortable pace.  Highlights include the isolation D block, actual stories from former prisoners and details of some of the most famous escape attempts.

(exterior of the building)

As odd as it sounds, the experience is fun and educational for the whole family.

(one of the cell blocks inside the prison)

And the view back to San Francisco isn't bad either.....

Bart