The fine-golfing trip continues:
The first time I heard about Monterey Peninsula Country Club, at least to the degree that it resonated, was in 2005. Jason Allred of Ashland was to play in the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach during his first season on the PGA Tour, and I would follow him around for a week’s worth of coverage. I drove down on a Monday, which was OK because he was busy with another pro-am put on by Davis Love III at a course called Monterey Peninsula. I had no idea what it was; figured it was a public course or something.
Now I know better.
There are two courses there, the Dunes, which opened in the mid-’20s, and the Shore, which opened in 1961, hosted Bing Crosby’s Clambakeand received a spectacular makeover in the early 2000s. We played the Shore course, which now has 12 mesmerizing holes on the ocean and recently was chosen to replace Poppy Hills in the AT&T rotation. With Tiger Woods having inked a sponsorship deal with AT&T and the 2010 U.S. Open slated for Pebble Beach — which is also in the AT&T rotation — the folks at Monterey Peninsula are understandably giddy about the prospects. Woods hasn’t played the AT&T in years, presumably because of the long rounds that involve amateurs, but his contract calls for him to do so now, from what we heard. Plus, he’ll want the work in that tourney to prepare for the Open.
We were the guests of a couple characters, Rick Connelly and Bob Scarpitto. Connelly’s dad was a Hollywood writer and Rick was the inspiration for a beloved TV character. Scarpitto played professional football for eight years, six with Denver and one each with San Diego and Boston. We were fortunate to join their regular group, which usually includes one Murray Smith, who would have been our original host but was out of town. They had about three groups back-to-back and spent as much time needling each other when we crossed paths as I did taking advantage of the magnificent views.
Danny and I got there early and roamed the clubhouse a bit, marveling at old Clambake photos covering the walls. Bob Hope, Dean Martin, all the big names of entertainment and sports.
“Did you see the one of Babe Ruth?” Connelly asked during our round. We had. He posed with Lawson Little, who gained fame as an amateur and a pro during that era. Ruth inscribed a note on the photo while autographing it.
Crosby’s tournament started here in 1947 and ended in 1985, when his widow, Kathryn, refused to turn it over to a corporate title sponsor (AT&T).
Needless to say, it was with some awe that we teed off. The course is not long by PGA standards and will be turned into a par 70 for the AT&T, making two par 5s into 4s. The general consensus is that the pros will go low, depending on the weather conditions. If the weather is as docile as it was for us, look out. The fairways were like so many greens I’ve putted on and the greens were like so many bath tubs I’ve stood in. After my second tee shot, I turned to our hosts and said, “You guys get a little roll out here.” They chuckled at the understatement.
I’m going to say the fairways are generous, too, because I had one of the best driving days I can remember. By unofficial count, I missed the first and last fairways and was getting it fairly deep. All that got me was a score of 90. Apparently, there’s more to the game than the tee ball. On one occasion, I hit a putt and gave a little leg whip as it neared the hole, body language designed to help it into the cup. Must have worked, saving me double bogey on the par 3. Connelly said of my move, “You just did a W.C.”
“A what?” I asked.
It was a W.C. Fields move, he said, then told of how his dad wrote for the legendary comedian. Connelly grew up at Bel-Air Country Club, playing and caddying and later working as a starter and caddie master at the glitzy facility. He later became marketing manager for a Fortune 500 company. His father’s writing credits include the Munsters and Leave It To Beaver, the latter of which was inspired by his young son, Ricky. Rick Connelly also co-authored a book, “Corporate Golf: How to Play the Game for Business Success.” It sold 45,000 copies.
They were fun, gracious hosts for a wonderful day on the links, and I look forward to watching the AT&T more than ever having toured the layout.
