Cypress Point Quest - Day 1862

Update:

My online and in-person leads to play Cypress Point have been drying up over this last year. Additionally with my Coore/Crenshaw quest still ongoing, my golf travels have started to focus on the East Coast, where there is less of a chance to meet members connected to CPC. Drastic measures needed to be taken in order to put me in a position to finally gain an invite to this wonderful course.

So I decided to take the plunge and book a golf vacation over a long weekend at my favorite spot in the world, the Monterey Peninsula. Yes, I was finally going to play Pebble, a course that has won me over in person, as well as Spyglass and Spanish Bay. By putting myself up there for a solid 5 plus days with 2-3 days devoted to non-Cypress golf, I figured it would give me as good a shot as any to get on the course.

The problem is of course the ongoing pandemic which has thrown a wrench into the whole works and I have no idea if my Pebble trip is happening this year, later this year or never. That being said, my issue is infinitesimally small compared to what is going on around the world currently so my disappointment is fleeting to say the least.

If and when Pebble happens, I am going to use that as my springboard to get the word out as a last gasp attempt for Cypress this year. Watch this space for any updates and of course, any help you could give me on my quest would earn my eternal appreciation!

Link To Check Out:

Connor of the Society of Golf Historians is a dyed in the wool golf traveler and burgeoning golf historian. Connor has a TalkingGolf History podcast and Episode 35 focuses on MacKenzie and Cypress Point including this fascinating map of Cypress!

(map via the Society's Instagram page)

If that picture is interesting to you, the podcast is even MORE interesting. Be sure to give a listen to the episode here: https://talkingolf.com/episode-35-tg-history-35-mackenzie-part-3-cypress-point/

and definitely following the Society on Twitter and Instagram!

Final Well Deserved Note:

Finally, FINALLY Marion Hollins, the force behind Cypress, Pasatiempo and a trailblazer in so many ways is going into the Golf Hall of Fame.

https://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2020/4/17/marion-world-golf-hall-of-fame-adds-the-golf-great-and-visionairy

While Marion passed away several decades ago, the golf courses she was involved with have stood against the test of time and serve as a testament to her visionary outlook for golf. The golf world would be a poorer place without her and I am glad the HoF did the right thing to induct her!

(Marion at MPPC via the Seattle Times)

Pacific Grove Back 9

I have always dreamed about living in Monterey. Living amongst the pine trees and the beaches, it would be a good life, filled with golf. I would hope I would be invited to become a member of Cypress or MPCC but more realistically if I was living there I would play Pacific Grove all the time.

Often called the "poor man's Pebble", PGGL offers a golfer a taste of what ocean/dunes golfing is like by an incredible back 9 set amongst the roaring sea.

The routing starts off with a short par 3 which is unremarkable except that it is right next to the lighthouse which is super cool.

Then you have a short par 4 that ever so slightly doglegs left and you can see the dunes rise up like a great wave behind the green and you know you are in for something special.

The twelfth hole is really a superstar amongst the bunch. A dogleg left with the sea to your left and dunes menacing to your right this hole has it all and you want to play it over and over again.

Let's talk about those dunes, they are everywhere and the fairways are like little green snakes slithering between them. In seeing Pebble, Spyglass, MPCC and a glimpse or two of Cypress, I would say this course is actually much more like MPCC or Cypress with its dunescape than the Pebble courses so if you want a taste of the private life, play here.

The greens were the most surprisingly element of the course. Despite early morning dew, they were hard to hold, putted much faster than you would think and required more layup and hope it runs out type of shots.

Another standout hole is the 16th which angles back toward the sea and features a very trick green which was recently expanded to provide more devilish pin placements. One wishes this was 18 but alas is not the case.

The 17th hole is also framed by the ocean to the left but one has to navigate a shot over a pond to a par 3. The 18th is a short par 5 to an elevated green. Looking at the driving range to the right of the 18th which has dunes in it (what a wild range!), one wonders what could have been if the course routed 18 over the dunes rather than making it a range.

Yes, I did not play the front side of PG, an issue I am going to remedy at some point in the near future. Still the back 9 lived up to the hype and if I was lucky enough to live in Monterey, I would be playing here ALL THE TIME. The course is just that good.

For more info on Pacific Grove, click here: https://www.playpacificgrove.com/