Heads Up For 1998 Events
by Ed Holbrook
The most photographed cypress tree
in the world is this one on the Monterrey Peninsula's 17-mile drive
near Pebble Beach.
With the old year coming to a close and a new one about to begin,
it's a good time to look ahead to more golf trip possibilities in
conjunction with the year's major golf events. I briefed you on Super
Bowl and Masters trips last month, so what's left? How about the U.S.
Open, British Open and PGA Championship...all of which present superb
travel opportunities.
The U.S. Open visits one of my favorite spots in this
country...San Francisco. The picturesque Olympic Club will host the
tournament June 18-21. San Francisco in itself is a sightseer's
dream. I'll never forget the day I drove my wife and kids down
Lombard Street (the curviest street you'll ever see...remember that
movie where Steve McQueen flew down it in a high speed car chase?).
We ended that day by hanging off the side of a trolley as it roared
down a hill toward the bay. Great times!
But the best thing about San Francisco is that it's just up the
road a piece from the Monterrey Peninsula and the courses at Pebble
Beach. That's the side trip of a lifetime. Even the most casual
golfers would recognize the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, with its
fairway skirting the rocky beach heading up to the green in front of
the porch of the lodge. I cannot tell you what a thrill it is to play
that hole. In my mind I could see Tom Watson making that last putt
and running around the green in victory celebration. Jack Nicklaus
has said if he could only play one course for the rest of his life,
it would be the Pebble Beach Golf Links. I can honestly say it's the
most exciting golf venue I've ever played.
The year was 1985, and Ed Holbrook
was playing Pebble Beach for the first time. This shot from the 18th
tee found the fairway. The next day, he was introduced to the rocks.
That's golf!
If that were the only golf course on the Monterrey Peninsula, it
would still be worth the trip, but it's not. Spyglass Hill, Poppy
Hills and The Links at Spanish Bay are also here and all are
outstanding, challenging courses. All are located on the famed,
scenic 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach...just another place in
California where the rich and famous play and the rest of us are
wannabes. But it's fun to go to fairyland now and then. Speaking of
fairyland, the premier places to stay are the Inn at Spanish Bay and
(be still my heart!) the Lodge at Pebble Beach. Let's face it - this
is not a budget trip, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and
well worth it if you can swing it. Between the shops in charming
Carmel and the fascinating aquarium in Monterrey (not to mention
Cannery Row!), the non-golfers won't even miss you if you play 36.
In 1998, The British Open is set for July 16 - 19 at Royal
Birkdale in Southport on England's upper west coast. The Open was
last here in 1991, with Ian Baker-Finch taking the Claret Jug. Who
will win this emotionally charged tournament in 1998? You can be
there to see and you can enjoy a few rounds on some great Scottish
courses along the way.
Southport's location in northern England (just below the Lake
District where poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge wrote some of the
world's most well-known lines) makes it easily accessible to
Scotland's great courses. It's a snap to fly into Glasgow, take a
loop through Troon, Prestwick and Turnberry, go on to the
tournament and fly home from Manchester. Or, do the other side of the
country, getting in St. Andrews and Carnoustie as well as the courses
in and around Berwick. Or...do it all. The key is to plan ahead,
which is always the key to a successful golf trip.
The PGA Championship is set for August 13 - 16 at Seattle's
Sahalee Country Club. What travel treats that could serve up! More
about that one in a later issue.
What About Now?
How nice, you say. But where can I play right now that's a
little closer? For a long weekend, my wife and I love Amelia Island
Plantation. Perched on the coast just north of Jacksonville, this
exquisite setting has golf, beach, tennis plenty of planned
activities for the whole family and lots of solitude for those who
seek it. Three distinctively different nines make up the golf options
within the Plantation, while its affiliate course, Longpoint, is a
beautiful Florida marsh course just a couple of miles down the road.
Amelia's accommodations range from beachfront condos to - our
favorite - the private pool villas. If you need to get away from the
world, this is the place to pick. Your villa has its own pool just
off the bedroom. Since your villa sits on the edge of a sawgrass
marsh and nobody can get close to it, the privacy (and the view of
the Intra-Coastal Waterway) is out of this world. In the morning, you
can sit on the porch with your coffee and watch the birds and the
boats on the river. After your round, you can come back to this
marvelous haven, get something cold to drink and...well, you get the
idea.
Happy Holidays and as you gather with family and friends, I
know you'll be singing that familiar refrain..."What's our tee time?"
Ed Holbrook is a golf travel connoisseur in his spare time, as
well as by occupation. He is the South Florida Rep for SGH Golf Inc.,
providers of custom, worldwide golf travel packages. You can reach Ed
by calling 561-770-2222 or 800-785-7180.
edh@floridagolfing.com
