Golf in the Groove

Today is the first of four days of golf tournament hijinks here in The Groove.  Those wacky golfers have begun to arrive in all their thousands.  The real estate business is getting its hopes up, as evidenced by a plethora of ads in our local paper depicting the most lavish and extravagant homes for sale around Pebble Beach, Carmel, Big Sur and Carmel Valley.  Golf promoters here are holding their collective breath and praying the weather will be mild and conducive to full rounds of golf every day.  Locals laugh, "When is the AT&T coming?  Must be soon; the weather is horrible." 

While I was swimming today, the MetLife blimp buzzed overhead, making its way from the local airport to begin circling over the three courses hosting play.  I waved.  We locals are friendly and have all had our shots.  We get excited when the private jets roar overhead.  We don't mind; it reminds us that money is coming and business will be good.  Besides, they'll all go away again in a few days and we can get back in the groove. 

Many of us are volunteering as marshalls on the courses, doing our best to keep the bewildered fans herded nicely away from private homes, sand traps and cliffs.  An item in the local paper today stated that a Giant Surf contest at Mavericks (Half Moon Bay's Pillar Point) north of here is set to go on Saturday.  "We're 99% sure we can have a contest." was the quote, indicating that 40-foot waves were almost guaranteed for Saturday.  Sure, it's north of here by 100 miles, but I'm thinking a pretty good surge is going to show up on our coast, too, which could add a few gray hairs to the heads of course marshalls during the tournament.  A lot of Pebble Beach is played right alongside the ocean, which acts as a major "hazard."  So, golf fans, watch out for a little extra sea foam during play.  It will be very picturesque.  We just don't want any visitors to be swept away unexpectedly. 

In addition to the golf event, this weekend also includes Valentines Day and Chinese New Year.  I would think this might be a real challenge for chefs:  Chinese Golfing Valentines Day celebration fare.  Dim Sum shaped like pink golf balls?  Fore! 

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.