sports 16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 26-february 1, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com The 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links hates you. More specifically, it hates me. After a relatively routine tee shot, I tried to skim the left side of the fairway, aiming for a sliver of grass, but instead found the menacing bunker. In my attempt to clear the sand, the ball ricocheted wildly off a stoney lip of ground into the Pacific Ocean. I had to think back to the 16th, where I managed to punch a 6-iron under a tree and onto the green, to boast about a decent shot. Fortunately, the cost of all this aggravation was five figures less than a round at the famed links and a twonight stay at the Lodge. The course was projected on a screen at Links Club in Carmel—literally minutes from the real deal, but without the environmental damage of ditching a ball into the sea. Unfortunately, the program from TrackMan used in the Links Club’s six golf simulation bays is all too realistic. Cut it too fine on 18 and the course will punish you. And 17 isn’t all that friendly, either. “When I saw TrackMan I was super excited,” says April Montgomery, owner of the bar and entertainment center in the Carmel Plaza. “It’s just like playing.” Indeed, one can size up the lie— fairway, rough or just off the cart path out of bounds—check distance to the pin, account for the wind and select the appropriate club. But one can also just have fun. There are 150 courses from around the world to choose from, all mapped out with elevation changes, trees and neighboring houses. Because of the proximity, Pebble Beach Golf Links is the most popular selection, ahead of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews, Scotland. Guests less accustomed to checking ball speed, launch angle and the other data that pours almost instantly from the computer system can select from casual games of target practice, capture the flag or miniature golf. There’s even a version for kids with fanciful figures that allows them to double or triple the power behind their swing. “It makes it very accessible,” Montgomery explains. “We have people who have never played before.” The golf industry has long struggled with the perception of an older, wealthier clientele and the reality that a gap persists between the ages of 18 and 40 where participation in the game drops off. Life—family, career— begins to interfere with the hours necessary for a round of golf. Yet research into the “near golf experience,” “off-course participation” and “latent demand” finds a different form of play thriving, especially among young professionals. Those inventive phrases track those taking part in golf-related entertainment. Venues such as Topgolf, which combine restaurants, bars, music and a technology-driven form of golf, have become popular havens on a national scale. Tipsy Putt, with craft beer and indoor miniature golf, is scheduled to open on Monterey’s Cannery Row later this year as part of an expansion within the state. The thwack of clubs striking balls in the golf bays at Links Club competes with trivia night, karaoke, live bands and other fun. According to the National Golf Foundation, such off-course participation was growing at 10 percent a year before the pandemic struck. Since it opened in April 2021, Links Club has seen business boom each winter, as well as during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “The business model is not all about golf,” Montgomery notes. “There are a lot of moving parts. It’s an entertainment and nightlife venue.” Montgomery grew up in eastern Tennessee, puttering around as a child on the Gatlinburg Country Club course, and is versed in unique, family-friendly forms of entertainment. Montgomery owns the Mirror Maze on Cannery Row. An indoor golf facility she also operated on the popular strip was shuttered during the Covid lockdown. The pandemic could have derailed Links Club. Montgomery’s planned opening in the fall of 2019 was delayed by renovations to Carmel Plaza. And then March 2020 happened. “We wanted to get open before the holidays,” she recalls. “Missed it.” She persisted, and Carmel Plaza was patient, under the circumstances, as she transformed 6,000 square feet of former retail space into a slick bar and small plates restaurant with high-tech golf. The TrackMan program allows serious golfers to practice. They can work on drives, short irons, wedge shorts and more on a simulated driving range. A test center can work for those looking to improve through a set of drills, and Montgomery has golf pros available for personal instruction. Among the local course selections are Pebble Beach, the Links at Spanish Bay and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. They expect to add the par-3 The Hay soon. “Come here first—you’ll play a lot better,” Montgomery says of those with actual tee times. Perhaps. But my drive on 15, which bounded along the cart path before wallowing well out of bounds, suggests it would be about the same experience, except at Links Club there are street tacos and beer involved. Links Club is at Carmel Plaza, Ocean Avenue and Mission Street, Carmel. 250-7816, linksclubgolf.com. Virtual Reality Teeing off at Links Club offers all the fun and frustration of an actual round, with food and drink. By Dave Faries “We have people who have never played before.” Play at Links Club in Carmel is indoors. And there are comforts, such as a menu of shared plates—street tacos, sliders, truffle fries. But for those who wish either to test themselves against the world’s courses (or just flail away), golf simulation is the attraction. Daniel Dreifuss The Real Deal The 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm pits PGA Tour professionals and amateurs against three courses on the Monterey Peninsula— Spyglass Hill Golf Course, the Monterey Peninsula Country Club and the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links. Celebrities and professionals take part in charitable events on Feb. 1, all located at The Hay. Last year, the team of Alfonso Ribeiro, Hally Leadbetter, Colt Ford and Don Cheadle won the 3M Celebrity Challenge, which raises $125,000 for select charities. Former NFL standout Larry Fitzgerald and pro Nick Taylor captured The Chevron Challenge, with another $250,000 destined to nonprofits. In the Cisco Million Dollar Hole-in-One for Charity, famed chef Thomas Keller— participating in his kitchen whites and tall chef’s hat—was closest to the pin. Play begins on Thursday, Feb. 2. The tournament concludes on Sunday, Feb. 5, when the 60 low-scoring pros and 25 low teams advance to the final round on the Pebble Beach Golf Links. Schedule of Events Feb. 1 10:30am 3M Celebrity Challenge • The Hay 12:30pm The Chevron Challenge • The Hay 2pm Cisco Million Dollar Hole-in-One for Charity • The Hay, 2nd hole Feb. 2-4 8:30am AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am • Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Monterey Peninsula Country Club Feb. 5 7:30am Final round • Pebble Beach Golf Links Times subject to change.
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