Wife of the millenium is sending me to Pebble for my 40th birthday (Spyglass and the Links at SB included) . A buddy is going with me (he has wife #2 of the millenium) and we're debating getting a caddie for 1 or 2 of the rounds. Any advice or experience? Please consider that I'm about an 11 hdcp and my buddy is around the same (if it possibly makes a difference .

my opinion is you dont need one at spy, one would be more useful at Pebble.

I would say grab one and enjoy the round...not like you can play Pebble Beach every day...might as well enjoy it without dragginf your glubs around.

I had a caddie at Pebble and would recommend doing so. I found him to be a good help on advice and on local color. It also made the experience better without lugging the bag. I would advise taking a light weight bag in any event, because I have heard some caddies there will not lug a big bag but swap clubs out into a Pebble Beach supplied bag (like a hoofer or similar).

Make sure you have drinks overlooking the 18th hole. What a great trip! Have fun.

i think you've gotta take one for at least one round. it's gonna be a long round anyway, let someone else lug that bag around and enjoy yourself.

and... in the event your buddy gets Nancy Kerrigan-ed, I call first dibs on his spot.

I too would recommend a caddie if for no other reason than to have someone tell you about the homes and history of the area at Pebble. Spyglass is great and you probably wouldn't need one there as well as on Spanish Bay. You'll be paired by the starter with someone and hopefully they'll add to the experience.

From your email, it sounds as if your wives won't be along and that's a shame. Go to the hotel patio at Spanish Bay around 30 minutes before sunset and get a bottle of wine. Listen to the bagpipes and watch the sun get put to rest. Call your wife and try to describe the unblieveable scene....if you do it right, you'll easily talk her into a return trip with you.

you NEED to get a caddy at pebble and at spy, it is worth the money and makes the experience...plus they have some real characters caddying out there. after having spent a lot of time playing there, i would highly suggest you take a caddy for both pebble and spy...then totally skip the links at spanich gay...hop in your car and drive 45 minutes north to the crowned jewel PASATIEMPO. aside from being a 100x's better course than spanish gay...you can play it for $150ish...that is the ideal 3-day rota

Definitely get the caddy at Pebble. So worth it. Have fun!

We didn't take a caddy at Spyglass but did have one at Pebble. If you're even halfway decent at using a yardage guide and adjusting clubs for elevation, you'll be fine on your own at Spyglass. I fully agree with the folks above though that you should take one at Pebble. I found my caddy was a big help in reading greens and he was really fun to listen to telling stories about the history of the course and especially the various homes / mansions on the course. I would also agree that you could skip SB and drive up to Pasatiempo and probably have a better time (and definitely more memorable afterwards). SB has its merits as a golf course, but Pasatiempo has more pinache and atmosphere.

Incidentally, are you staying at the Lodge at Pebble or at Spanish Bay? Spanish Bay is, hands down, the nicest place I've ever stayed in my life (topping Turnberry, Pinehurst, etc).

Get the caddie for Pebble Beach. You will not be disappointed.

If it's comparable to some of the glossy yardage guides I've seen/used with the pro playing tips for each hole, then I'm ok. Staying at the lodge at PB but will definitely take in "Piper's Sunset" at SB as one member mentioned. The round at the SB links is part of the stay and play but we're heading back to San Fran after we play in the morning so might be able to hit Pasa for twighlight. Is there any other hidden gems relatively close you (or anyone else) could recommend should Pas be a red light?

Yes, ask for Rock.

Walking while playing golf with a good caddy is by far the best wasy to play!!!

The greens at Pebble Beach are very tricky to read. If you take a caddie and you can putt it could save you 5 shots. If you don't totally care about your score then its not really necessary. Whatever you do make sure to walk. Taking a cart at PB is a crime and it will ruin the experience of walking down the fairways that all the legends walked before you.

Spyglass to me is very over-rated once you get into the forrest. The 4th hole is world class though. Caddies are not necessary.

I agree with the fellow who said to get your money back from Spanish Bay and use it to drive 45 minutes up to Pasatiempo. If you can't get on Cypress Point then this is hte next best thing to seeing the genius of Alister Mackenzies work. Tom Doak has just finished a fantasic restoration of the course and I believe the newly restored 17th green will be open.

Have fun -

Apparently you can't take the carts on the fairways at PB or Spy so they're worthless anyway. However, I had not really planned on taking a cart (nor was my buddy). We both agree with you, half the experience will be to walk where so many greats have walked before. A 5+ hr round would not be unwelcome to "drink" the surrondings in.
We're on the stay and play and hope to squeeze a round in elsewhere in the afternoon after playing SB Links on the morning we leave.

A good compromise could be to hire a fore caddie. When i played Spyglass and Pebble in April our foursome had a fore caddie. Its nice to have someone there to read the greens for your, rake the traps, jump up ahead and locate the group's golf balls and to help facilitate a faster pace of play. The local kids there from carmel and sourrounding towns, know how to play the varying wind and yardages so their advice can be very useful. Having a fore caiddie allows you to still use a cart, if walking such long courses is too taxing. Enjoy it. If i had one regret it would be that i didnt take enough pictures throughout the day.

Back last February, we were able to get on Pasatiempo by checking their website and calling ahead to get a time...it worked out great and the folks there were accomdating.

Its on your way back to the Bay area and as someone else mentioned, it is well worth playing and enjoying.

Now the next question is:
How much to tip

Try Del Monte Golf Course. It's right off the freeway to Salinas in Monterey. The oldest continually operating golf course west of the Mississippi. The Champions Tour just played there in the First Tee Open.

Cost is reasonable at $100 +/- and the golf is very walkable. A real treat. And a piece of history. It's on my don't miss list when I go to Monterey.

If you are down on Cannery Row be sure to eat at Bubba Gumps. An unforgettable experience. Also at Cannery Row is a Pebble Beach Company Outlet store. Same stuff as the pro shop but way better prices.

Evanpar

MUST TAKE CADDIE!! both rounds... if not its SACRELIGIOUS!! LOL.
If you have time for one extra full round. play Fort Ord bayonet course,
if you only have time for an evening nine, grab a six pack and play the back nine at Pacific Grove for $ 20 bucks.
these are the 2 best kept secrets on the penninsula.

HAVE FUN.

I'll put a different spin on this. I played both Spanish Bay and Pebble in November 2005 and took a caddy for both rounds. While I found the caddy to be helpful in showing me where to hit it on some of the blind shots, and in helping to read the greens, my experience wasn't the best.

Caddies double loop so they can make more money. So, if you and your buddy are comparable in terms of handicap and hit the ball about the same distance, you might be OK with the double looping. At Pebble I was not very fortunate. I walked on a single and was paired with a group of three 25-30 handicappers playing from the white tees. At many times during the round, I literally had to jog across a fairway to get a club, or grab a few clubs from the caddy as we walked to our tee shots because the other guy was so far from me. Also, my caddy would get stuck raking sand traps and following the other guy around while I was on the green. I had to utilize the services of the other caddy on many occasions during the round.

And BTW, no matter what size or type bag you bring, they WILL take your stuff out and put it in a PB carry bag which isn't much bigger than a Sunday bag. I took an Ogio stand bag, double strap, and they made me take out my clubs, some balls, and a couple of other things.

If I had to do it again, I would do this: request a single loop and pay the extra fee if they allow it. Or, here's what happened at Spanish Bay. The caddy took a cart with our clubs, and we walked. That way he can drive back and forth between the two players without holding up the pace of play.

Don't get me wrong, overall I enjoyed "the experience", but it could have been a bit better for $500 at PB.

Get one at Pebble and carry your own at Spyglass. THats what I did and would do it again.

I haven't been to either so I can't say that you should have a caddy at one place and not the other. But if it were up to me, I would have a caddy at both courses. Your on a vacation playing some great golf courses, why not enjoy yourself and not worry about carrying your bag.

If you are looking for a second round in the area by all means go to Pacific Grove muni - yes muni.

It's cheap and the back nine will put a smile on your face as it has some great dunes links-like holes by the water.

When I played Pebble in 1997 I had a caddy. The guy was about 45 years old, a vetran caddie there and absolutely made my round 10 times better. He knew every putt, read them all for me and I probably saved atleast 3 to 4 strokes because of him, plus after my 2nd shot into the 1st green, he clubbed me absolutely on the money the entire day. It was scary. He was handing me irons and I didn't even have to question it. It was worth the 75 bucks. (now the rates are probably closer to 100).