Pebble Beach

“You’ll see a lot of the pros play it that way, too,” said Eddie. “The green is so shallow that if you go at the flag you risk being in either the front or rear traps.”
At the final tee, we all convened to do what Eddie guarded against earlier — look at the views. How could you not, especially on a day like this? About 30 meters away, on the sand-colored boulders that separate fairway from ocean, a clutch of seals lay motionless, their skin shimmering from the setting sun. The sky was still mostly clear. The breeze no stronger than when we started. Inspired, I unleashed my best drive of the day, just right of the two Cypress trees — another USGA addition — in the middle of the fairway. The ball ended up in a bunker, but at least I didn’t have to contend with those trees — I had a clear line to a comfortable lay-up area. I got it there with a flushed 5-iron, then drew an 8-iron over the front right bunker. My brother gave me one last read on a putt, which I left about an inch short. Never mind. It was a solid five. Good for a par, and a round of 81. Nine-over. Right on my number. It could indeed be done. At least in friendly conditions. And with a helluva lot of counsel.
“But hey,” said Mark Lavin, a former teaching pro for Pebble Beach Company that I met for a beer afterward, “it’s still Pebble. You gotta play smart, you gotta hit shots, you gotta get lucky. Take [that score] and run!”