Clambake Coming

Magically, it appears to be Spring today.  With the former Crosby Clambake Golf Tournament (now the AT&T Pro-Am Golf Tournament) mere days away, the organizers must be feeling like there's a joke in here somewhere.  They are much more used to horrible weather than good.  The greens keepers are masters at the art of squeegeeing  great sheets of rainwater off the greens, lashing the grandstands and tents to the ground with massive cables and ropes as well as corralling flying articles of golfers' attire that have been caught in gusting winds. 

Bing Crosby used to love to host his golf event here every winter.  (By the way, I have no idea of what exactly a "clambake" is in the real world; here it meant that the celebrities went to parties where booze flowed like water.)  The format of pairing actual touring golf professionals with amateurs including celebrities from Hollywood and making them play on spectacular courses lining a filthy-rich exclusive enclave sporting a melange of mansions, some the size of New Hampshire, was a formula initiated by Crosby and continues still. Giving profits to many local charities and nonprofits has encouraged acceptance by we non-elite residents and attendees of the event who feel a little overwhelmed by the gilded environment of Del Monte Forest. 

The downside of the whole idea was, and is, that it's held in, well, you know, winter.  So, a golfer could tee off on the 16th hole aiming at the distant fluttering flag and wind up watching his ball sail over to Carmel Beach, kind of in the opposite direction of what he thought he was aiming at. So, there's the inherent challenge of golf itself:  Tiny hard ball hit with long thin metal shaft at tiny hole beyond lakes, trees and sand pits.  At this particular event, those elements were mixed liberally with The Elements.  In other words, blustering wind at least, and possibly gales.  Also, drizzling fog - which only obscures the long view of the courses, not a problem for a happy-go-lucky celebrity - or slashing rain have been problems. Golf fans have been overheard at times:  "I saw a bird flying upside down and backwards today. "  Happens, you know. 

If today's weather holds up for the remainder of the week, the organizers of the Pro-Am will be ecstatic.  Flocks of golfing fans as well as celebrity watchers will alight in hotels all around the Peninsula and the turnstiles of Del Monte Forest will be whirring.  It's not a bad thing.  We're used to it here in The Groove.  But, rumor has it the sea otters are going to the next Chamber mixer and will be asking for higher wages for being so cute and distracting to the golfers and fans alike.