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GOLF CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

by Madelyn Miller

Jack Nicklaus once said,"If I had only one more round to play, I would choose to play it at Pebble Beach. I've loved this course from the first time I saw it. It's possibly the best in the world." You will probably be captivated by Pebble Beach, too.

The sun is warm at your back, the ocean is crashing on the rocks below, and you've just sunk a perfect putt on a world-famous hole. Heaven? No, just Pebble Beach Golf Links

Since 1919, this exquisitely beautiful and uniquely challenging course has thrilled golfers and spectators alike. Pebble Beach has been the site of golf's most prestigious tournaments, including the annual AT&T Pebble beach National Pro-Am, the 1977 PGA championship and the 1972,'82, and '92 U.S.Open Championships.

Designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, the course hugs the rugged coastline, providing wide-open vistas, cliffside fairways, and sloping greens, and the sweet smell of salt air. It is a delightful challenge for all players.

Tom Watson prefers The Links at Spanish Bay. "Spanish Bay is so much like Scotland, you can almost hear the bagpipes, " he believes. It is the most authentic Scottish linksland course this side of Scotland.

Located on a dramatic crescent bay bordered by the Del Monte Forest, The Links is designed around a rehabilitated dunes environment, marked by the subtle colors of lupine, sage and thistle. The course provides some dramatic challenges: rolling fairways; dunes up to 24 feet high; and holes bordered by sand and native vegetation. The result is a uniquely challenging game of golf, where the elements make their presence known.

Today, the Inn at Spanish bay and the Lodge at Pebble beach continue the honored traditions of elegant hospitality and incomparable golf. Together, the forces of nature and man have created some of the most picturesque and challenging courses in the world.

Where to stay? The Inn at Spanish Bay was inspired by the ocean, dunes, cliffs and trees and its contemporary elegance reflects this influence. Each room has its own fireplace. Overstuffed sofas and chairs, plus comforters and Italian marble and brass lighting sconces in every bath. Outside each room, a private patio or balcony offers magnificent views of forest, fairways or sea.  No matter where you roam, be sure to return to the Inn before dark to enjoy one of The Inn's favorite traditions: a lone kilted Scot walks the links, saluting the setting sun with his bagpipes. The fading echoes of his bagpipe song signal the end of another day at Spanish Bay.

More than just a golf experience, this awesome land represents a communion with nature. At every vista, deer and sea lions, seals and seabirds share your fascination with the timeless dance of the Pacific.

PEBBLE BEACH GOLF RESERVATIONS: 800-654-9300.
http://www.pebble-beach.com

THE INN AT SPANISH BAY 800-654-9300.

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