Placeholder for my upcoming trip.

The plan:

Wed. March 15 - Carmel Valley Ranch Resort (work dependent)
Thurs. March 16 - Pebble Beach (weather dependent, I'm not playing in a downpour)
Fri. March 17 - Coto de Caza CC North
Sat. March 18 - La Costa Legends (also going to Scotty Cameron studio before)
Tues. March 21 - Pacific Dunes
Wed. March 22 - Old Mac, Bandon Dunes, Bandon Preserve
Thurs. March 23 - Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails

**** you sir, **** you....

poa is like the little white **** you will see on the greens there. Was just out in CA last month and had forgotten how annoying it is.

TYTY

To my knowledge I don't believe I have ever played Poa greens. Will be a new experience for sure.

Just brought the new shaft to the shop to switch out adapters as it's conformed my driver is not gonna arrive before I leave. ETA is now early to mid-April. Should get 18 holes before I leave and maybe a range session.

T minus 6 days and counting.

"Poa annua" is not just the greens its the predominant grass on the entire West Coast. While it is possible to maintain a bent grass or similar green on the west coast it is very rare as the cost/effort to maintain the poa out of the grass is prohibitive. It just overtakes everything.

Poa grows seed heads grow faster than the blades each day causing uneven putting surfaces later in the day. So yes morning is better. Better courses will roll a lot through the day, so it seems like you should be ok there. You'll want to be as firm as you can with putts to maintain line and the generally slower speeds of the greens shouldn't leave you too far to come back if you miss. Fairways will rarely play very tight. The poa sits the ball up nicely and will play and look similar to an east coast fringe. The good part of poa in the rough is that it plays consistently at whatever its length. The bad part is that when its long it can become a beast as the grass is very strong and hardy. You can usually always see the ball, getting the club through it is another matter.

Have fun. Sounds like a great trip

Coto de caza is a super nice tough track

Very curious about La Costa course. I haven't golfed it since the remodel. Aviara(about 2 miles away) blows the old La Costa out of the water but is a good bit more expensive.

I looked into Aviara and yea, too expensive. I can play La Costa for $20 so it's a no brainer there.

Just looked at the weather for Pebble next Wednesday and Thursday. Low to mid 60's, 10 mph winds and 10% chance of rain. Hope it holds.

lol for $20 I would be trying to get in 54 holes in a day. You won't find anywhere with grass that cheap in SD

Wish I was playing Pebble today. It's an amazing 71* here right now with no clouds and very little wind. 62* for a high Wednesday, I'll take it.

In n Out Burger Stops so far - 1

Getting up early tomorrow am to call in and find a tee time for Wednesday.

1:20 pm booked for Pebble Beach tomorrow. 69* at the start and 61* by the end. Winds supposed to be 5-7 mph. Lottery hit!

I assume you are drinking in the bar right now. Hope you had a great round.

Quick post now and will do a shot by shot wrap-up later tonight or tomorrow.



My shot on #7



I hit it about 15 feet short and ripped it back 10 feet. Birdie putt didn't sniff the hole and made par.

If you can't see vid the link is here: https://youtu.be/RZcFp5UzUWw

Hole by hole before I forget.

1:20p tee time. Temp was about 60* at tee off and falling to the mid 50's by the end of the round. Wind was about 10 mph at the start and falling off to 5 mph by around the 14th hole. I was paired with a threesome of ladies, all in the 60yo range. Tow of them hit the ball pretty good and the 3rd struggled. Riding along in a cart watching was Dan Dierdorf, former NFL'er and past MNF booth announcer. He has the biggest hands in history.

I took a caddy and he had just me. Two ladies shared a caddy and the 3rd lady had her own caddy. I played the Gold tees, one up from the tips (72.6/136 6,445y).

1st - 346y dogleg right. Caddy said take your 200y club. Wind was helping and I hit a perfect 4 iron to the end of the fairway. I had 130y left and hit a soft pitching wedge just a touch thin but it hopped and stopped pin high 25 feet left of the pin. I had a downhill slider that I barely touched and it rolled 7 feet past. Greens were lightning quick and if you were above the hole it was really tough. I missed the comeback putt and tapped-in with a 3-putt bogey.

2nd - 460y (par 5) playing downwind a touch. I missed the drive a bit but hit it good enough and I was on the left edge of the fairway 210y out. I hit 4 iron OK but not great and it caught the front greenside bunker. I hit a good bunker shot that left me about 10 feet for birdie, which I missed, and made par.

3rd - 374y dogleg left. I pulled the drive which ended up in the right rough 154y out. My 7 iron against the wind was a touch long and quite a bit left. My pitch shot had to carry the bunker on a narrow green running away. I closed the club at impact and hit a low non-spinner over the green by 3 feet. Another downhill chip shot and I hit it to a foot and made bogey.

4th - 307y. I hit 3 wood off the tee and pulled it a bit but it caught the right edge of the fairway. I had 70y left and hit my 58* to about 20 feet below the hole. I put some mustard on the putt and it barely held its line breaking towards the ocean and I walked away with birdie.

5th - 143y. Very shallow front to back green with a bunker guarding the front right. Pin was set behind the bunker. I aimed for the left side of the green and cut it way too much and missed the green left. I chipped on (not sure how close) and 2 putted for bogey.

6th - 487y par 4. This was the hardest hole on the course for me. I hit my tee shot (horribly) in the left rough. I had a thick lie that was sitting up. I hit 4 iron to try to get over the massive hill and caught the ball very high on the face and landed just past the end of the fairway in the rough about 165y out. I had a blind 3rd shot that was about 50ft or so up the hill. I hit a good 6 iron but it drifted left in the greenside bunker. I hit a decent bunker shot but couldn't make the par putt, taking a bogey 6 (highest # on my card).

7th - 93y Signature hole that we all know. On the tee I was thinking about throwing a ball down to see how close I could get it. I hit 58* to about 10 feet short and 5 feet left of the pin and sucked it back 10 more leaving be 25 feet for birdie. I don't play nearly enough break and had to make a 3 footer coming back for par, which I did.

8th - 400y. There is a huge ravine splitting the hole up. I hit 5 iron off the tee well, but it drifted a bit into the left rough. I had 190y left that played significantly downhill but the wind was in my face. I hit a great 5 iron below the pin and had 30 feet for birdie. Birdie putt was left about 3 feet short. Par putt moved hard left and I lipped out, leaving with a 3-putt bogey.

9th - 460y (par 4). I hit a pretty good tee shot that stopped just at the top of the hill. If I hit it another 5 yards it would have rolled down another 40-50 yards. I had 193y downhill and against the wind. I hit a sweet looking 5 iron that landed pin high just a foot left and it rolled out to 15 feet away. I had a downhill slider for birdie that blasted 6 feet past. Horrible comeback putt and I walked off with my 3rd 3-putt bogey of the front nine.

Made the turn in 41 (with the 3 3-putt bogeys).

10th - 429y. I bombed my best drive of the day flirting a touch with the cliffs down to the beach but hit the right side of the fairway 125y out. I hit my 50* left of the green but it got a good kick off the slope from the bunker but it stayed about a yard off of the green. Can't remember my chip but it must not have been great and I 2-putted for bogey.

11th - 349y I hit a decent 3 wood off the tee and had 130y out. Downhill and downwind I wanted to hit an easy 50* and failed miserably but hitting it really fat and leaving it 41y short of the green. Green sloping away from me I hit a perfect pitch shot that checked about 6 feet short of the pin and eased down to the hole and in for a birdie.

12th - 186y against the wind. I slung another 5 iron in over the bunker leaving myself with about 20 feet for birdie. 2 putts later I walked off with par.

13th - 391y. I hit a good drive leaving myself with 110y on the left side of the fairway. I hit my 50* super thin into the temporary green and rolled over a few yards. I hit a great chip to a foot, saving par. BTW this was the nicest temporary green in history. They are expanding the 13th green on the right side, adding a bunker left of the green.

14th - 560y downwind. Looong par 5 with trees right of the tee box making me hit to the left rough. Ball settled down a bit but I was ablt to get a 2 hybrid on the ball which left me 135y to the green. I hit 9 iron which was my worst iron of the day right of the bunker right of the green. I hit a great ship down to 2 feet which I made for par.

15th - 377y. Driver leaked left and into the fairway bunker. 150y left and I hit what I thought was a great shot. Must have had a little sand behind the ball and I left it about 8 yards short of the green. I decided to putt it and slope from the bunker pushed the putt way left of the hole about 10 feet away. Not close for par and I walked away with bogey.

16th - 376y dogleg right. I hit 3 wood off the tee which I pulled way right than my intended line and into a fairway bunker. I had 120y left but the bunker was jail with a huge lip so I just hit out sideways to the fairway. I had 98y left and hit my 58* short and right of the green. I was left with a big slider chip to the right. Caddy gave me a good spot to hit to and I almost made it going 2 feet by, which I made for bogey.

17th - 175y with a crosswind. I hit a 6 iron that I knew immediately it was off the toe and gonna be short. I hit short of the green and it rolled back into the bunker. The bunker shot was fairly short but I had to get it up fast. Decent bunker shot carried just a touch too far landing pin high and rolling out to about 15 feet. Another downhill slider that I babied down which didn't break leaving it a foot above the hole, making it for bogey.

18th - 543y. I accidentally played the tips, which is only 11 yards longer. Guess I was caught up looking out to the ocean. I hit a below average driver hitting a slinging pull/cut which was left behind the big tree in the fairway but about 30 yards behind it and a touch right of it. I hit a good 2 hybrid that cut around the tree and rolled a good bit, leaving me 98y out. I hit a good 58* but it sucked off the false front leaving me on the fringe. My 30 footer was lagged to gimme range for a par.

39 on the back

80 on the round

I wanted to add a thought about caddies. Absolutely worth it playing pebble. If you are paying $500 for a round, what's another $80 for a caddy? I also tipped another $60 after the round.

Caddy was good to BS with throughout the round. I think the 3 caddies in my group and myself talked a lot while waiting for the ladies to play, someone to the detriment to the ladies, as they had to say something to get them over to their ball

My caddy was good for aiming points on tee shots and where to hit it into the green. Chipping spots was good too. I will say that his green reading wasn't that good IMO. I probably might have even done a little better just trusting what I saw.

Photo Dump

A look at 18 from behind the green before my round.



Waiting for the shuttle to go over to the practice range.



Plaque on the 5th tee.



Look at the 5th green and the 6th in the distance from the 5th tee.



View of the 6th green from the 5th tee.



7th tee.



We all know this hole.



View from the 10th above the cliff.



17th green from the tee.



Canadian Geese (also the 18th from the tee)

scott, good stuff. thank you...

you seem to do well on some very tough holes and do mediocre on what i'd think were easier holes - but i might be wrong on the latter.......... are #1 and #3 deceptively difficult? nice birdies on 4th and 11th. hope i didn't miss another one.

why are you hitting 4 iron off the tee on the 8th? i would think you'd miles short of the chasm.

was wind out of the northwest? that would explain a fair amount of your tee shot choices/results.

Awesome write up, thanks. Looks like you played pretty well as an added bonus.

I think it might be, is in a sim anyways

Yeah the 1st was downwind so whatever direction that is. 8 did play downwind and I was a good 35 yards short of the dropoff. I could have hit 4 iron easily, 2h might have been close.

And I don't know why but yes I did play the difficult holes better. Maybe cause I know I need precise shots on them. Who knows.

The 1st is a very easy hole. The difficulty lies in the green complex sloping heavily from left to right.

The 3rd is fairly easy as well. That hole fit my eyes.

Overall the greens on the course are very small. You never have 80 foot putts. 14th is the biggest (they just re-did that one in the past year). The 14th though still has that major break from right to left.

Playing Coto de Caza this morning. Gonna be fun based on the fog I see out of my window right now. Hopefully it burns off. A little step down in class today but I really do like this course. Lots of elevation change going up, down and through the canyons. I will say the clubhouse is nicer than Pebble though.

A very uninspired 42-42-84 for me today. Course is about 6700y and a 73.7/139 for a diff. of 8.4.

You have to score in the middle of the course. Before and after you are in tight canyons where there is no recovery if you are offline. Greens were in great shape and not as fast as when I played them last time, which is good, as these things have some insane slope.

From about 6-15 they were redoing the bunkers so you had to drop out of them. The sand they are putting into them is so white that it actually blinds you when taking a shot.

Off to LaCosta tomorrow with a pit stop to the Scotty studio store.

LaCosta should be bright green with all the rain they got in the last 5 months.