20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 12-18, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com During an atmospheric river storm that slammed the Monterey Peninsula with heavy rains in early January, the Pebble Beach Golf Links briefly made headlines in the golf world. The famous course suffered damage on Sunday, Jan. 4, and golf enthusiasts who played through— despite the flooding and hundreds of pebbles kicked up from the beach below—witnessed the impacts. “The rain came down so fast, it was an unbelievable amount of rain,” says Johnny Eugenio, a Pebble Beach caddy since 2008 who posted video of the storm’s impacts on social media. “I couldn’t believe how it flooded the sand bunkers…that’s just not normal.” The group he was caddying for was on a bucket list trip from Iowa and they were determined to play despite the rain and rough course conditions, he says. They encountered soggy greens and at the 18th tee box they found pebbles everywhere deposited by high waves. “That was a shock,” Eugenio says. They cleared out some of the rocks so the golfers could make their shots. The next day, Jan. 5, the course was already back in playing shape, Eugenio says. “The grounds crew at Pebble Beach, they’re first class,” he says. “It’s the best public golf course in the world. There’s no way they would let that sit there damaged.” Pete Bachman, director of agronomy at the Golf Links, confirms that the course took on a substantial amount of water during the storms, saturating the grounds, particularly in the lower points of the course along the coastline. But improvements made over recent years, particularly to drainage solutions, helped quickly restore the courses to their usual top conditions, he says. Over the past two years renovations have been made to the 6th and 10th greens at Pebble Beach, as well as the 6th and 15th greens at Spyglass Hill. Each green has been outfitted with a system called PrecisionAire, a self-contained pressure system that moves temperature-controlled air into sub-surface drainage systems, which can remove moisture from the ground. It also helps keep the soil at ideal temperatures year round and helps to aerate the soil for ideal growing conditions, even in extreme climate situations. Removing pebbles, however, is a problem best solved by old fashioned methods. “There’s no high-tech solution here,” Bachman says. “Our team is famously not afraid to roll up their sleeves—and in this instance, that’s exactly what it takes. Even in the worst of conditions our outstanding team can have the courses back in playing conditions very quickly.” The work begins ahead of a storm, with close monitoring of meteorological data on a daily basis, he says. “The advantage of having been here for more than 100 years is that we have accumulated a great deal of local knowledge about weather patterns and how they affect our courses,” Bachman says. “When there is inclement weather in the forecast, we have our grounds team on alert to maintain the course and get it quickly back to world-class conditions.” The fact that the course is maintained to such a high standard on a daily basis means there’s not a lot of advance preparation of the courses themselves needed before a storm, he says. They do check that all drainage systems are working properly and free of debris. After a storm hits, the 60-member team is out on the two courses, attending to issues, like draining bunkers and refilling with sand in some cases. Since those heavy rains over a month ago, the winter has been warm and mostly dry on the Monterey Peninsula in the lead-up to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Officials are likely keeping a close eye on the weather, crossing their fingers that another large storm doesn’t come their way, like the one during the 2024 tournament that forced them to call the tournament after three days. “We’ve had great weather for the last month and the courses look fantastic,” Bachman says. The crew has been working the past few weeks to ensure they are at their tournament best. “That is exactly what awaits the world’s best players with millions from around the world tuning in,” he says. WEATHERING THE STORM What it takes to bring world-class fairways up to par after damaging weather. By Pam Marino 2026 AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM Cost thinks of painting as storytelling. “You need good composition. You need good color. Interest. The right size. How much you emphasize certain things,” she says. “Just like in a story, you need to lead the person in so they want to keep reading.” That philosophy carries across subject matter. Whether she is painting a bison in close-up or a fairway unfolding toward a green, the principle is the same: control the viewer’s eye. “If you put detail everywhere, it looks amateur,” she says. “Less paint, more drawing.” Landscapes require more time, she adds, because of the progression of foreground, middle ground, and background. Animals compress that space. Golf landscapes, especially at Pebble, test it. “There’s so much gorgeousness,” she says. “You really have to edit.” One moment stands out in her career. Cost was asked by Jim Nantz to paint Arnold Palmer on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, about a year before Palmer’s death. At the unveiling, Palmer climbed the stairs slowly. When the painting was revealed, he fell silent. “You could feel his memory of his life,” she says. “The waves behind him. The hole he owned. He was really touched.” For several seconds, he said nothing. “That was my happy moment,” Cost says. Her days now are fully devoted to art. In addition to painting, she restores mid-century oil paintings, including her father’s work, carefully removing yellowed varnish. Restoration, she says, is playtime, an exercise in understanding another painter’s vision. She sells prints of local scenes through shops in Carmel and Big Sur, while original commissions remain largely private. Asked about her approach to art, Cost answers simply. “To do the best I can. To be as authentic as possible.” She paints representationally because that is how she sees. Other artists see differently. “There’s room for every perspective,” she says. Back in the studio, she returns to the Lone Cypress drawing. Before the paint comes out, more lines will move. The landscape will change slightly, so that it can finally hold. BRUSH CONT. FROM PG 18 Shelley Cost puts finishing touches on a painting. Whether it’s to prepare the course for tournament play or repair storm damage, Pebble Beach can deploy a team of 60 groundskeepers with a range of equipment to quickly complete the work. Some of the work still requires an oldschool hands-on approach. DANIEL DREIFUSS PEBBLE BEACH COMPANY PEBBLE BEACH COMPANY
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