JULY/AUGUST 2000
www.celtic-connection.com
Page 35
A GOLFER'S DREAM - PEBBLE BEACH
What made it impossible was the breathtaking scenery from every hole....
BRENDAN FLYNN surveys the course as he finally reaches his dream destination.
By BRENDAN FLYNN -When I was a boy back in Ireland, I loved to go to the golf course in Bray with my dad. Come 5 AM every Sunday morning, no matter what the weather was like, Ben Flynn rose to play golf. He could make a yawning 30-foot putt look like a simple tap in from six feet and he could show you how to make those greens look very small by picking a spot somewhere between your lie and the hole.
As the years went on he was often invited to help out at Woodbrook for The Irish Open. He would also bring me along and as a result, in my early teens, I had an opportunity to witness some of Ireland's greatest performers on the green fairways of Woodbrook.
The course was no more than a mile from my house and yet it was a Mecca for Europe's best golfers. Every summer golfers like Kel Nagle from Australia, Gary Player from South Africa came and made their mark.
Among the players were real gentlemen of the game, such as the South American, Roberto de Vicenzo, Welshman, Dai Rees and Englishman, Peter Allis. But, none could draw crowds like Harry Bradshaw, Joe Carr and Christy O'Connor who made Woodbrook their home. I remember walking down Woodbrook's fourteenth along the sea, as my dad and others talked to Peter Thompson and Harry Bradshaw.
Woodbrook is one of the most delightfully located golf courses in the world as it looks out over the Irish Sea for 14 of its 18 fairways. In the early morning the scent of sea air is a wonderful stimulant along with the smell of freshly mowed greens. Even blindfolded, I could always tell which hole I was on. Maybe it was from all the enjoyable hours I spent there as a caddie, earning some extra money for myself.
As the years passed, I left the ould sod for the big smoke in the USA. After spending a summer working
in Kansas City, Missouri, I headed for the west coast because I was surely land bound in the Midwest. I needed salt air in my lungs , so I toured the west coast with a friend.
We travelled up and down the Pacific coast, taking in all the scenery California had to offer. Heading south from San Francisco, we decided to head for the Monterey Peninsula. We drove by Pacific Grove and Carmel By the Sea. We toured around until we found the famous 17-mile drive and finally came upon the gates of Pebble Beach late one evening as the sun was setting over the Pacific Ocean.
Years earlier, as he watched a game on television, I had heard my father say how much he would like to play Pebble Beach. By pure luck, I had found one of golf's greatest courses and I promised myself that by hook or by crook, I would return to play Pebble Beach some day.
The years would pass and eventually, I made Vancouver my home in the Pacific Northwest. But, the thought was always there about returning to Pebble Beach.
I finally realized my dream one morning in 1992, when I walked out of the Pebble Beach pro shop with green fees in hand, just weeks before the US Open would be staged there. I had by chance found the only place available that day... which had been cancelled five minutes earlier. I was in golf's Mecca of Mecca's.
As I walked onto the tee, the excitement was overpowering. Getting off this mound was going to be impossible unless I stopped shaking like a leaf. The place oozed golf from every corner. I focussed on the shot and sent it straight down the fairway.
My second shot lay just off the edge of the first green. I chipped within a foot of the hole and pared the hole. This was beyond belief, if I could only maintain this performance. The second was more difficult. I duffed an iron on the fairway but ended up with a bogey____ one over par after two
holes. Then, reality set in.
By the time you walk on to the tee on number three, you know you're on Pebble Beach. The similarity between playing Woodbrook and Bray years earlier came flooding back. For the next 16 holes I went along, doing my best to get a half-decent score.
What made it impossible was the breathtaking scenery from every hole and many with so much history behind them. I know it's a lame excuse but I'm sticking to it. My score wasn't great but I was happy with it.
As I walked up the eighteenth fairway, I realized every step was bringing me closer to the end of one of my dreams. My partners from Texas had tried to murder this hole with drives out over the ocean. They never saw those balls again mind you.
I played a long iron safe into the middle of the fairway. My second shot past was nicely placed to make the green but I hooked it into the seaside bunker. One chip and I was five feet from the hole. I made the putt. I had pared the eighteenth at Pebble Beach. No dream. Just pure magic.
Now, as June 2000 comes to a close, one master, Jack Nicklaus bowed out by playing his final round in the 2000 US Open on Pebble Beach. Another maestro has come to fill his shoes and literally turned Pebble Beach upside down with the most incredible golf display ever seen.
Tiger Woods completed hole after hole in remarkable fashion to demolish all US Open golfing records and win it. In the end, he finished 15 strokes ahead of his nearest competitor. In reality, he had made Pebble his own for 72 holes. At the eighteenth, Tiger's mother watched on as he sank a six-footer to equal the lowest US Open scoring record. My own mum had also looked on as I made my final putt in 1992. A time to treasure for sure.
A young Dubliner named Padraigh Harrington came very close at times and put in one of Ireland's > greatest performances in international golf competition. In years] to come, many Irish will recall, this gutsy performance given that Tiger Woods was the eventual winner. Perhaps next time, the American commentator might recall that Padraigh was not British but an Irishman. Credit where credit is due.
Many will recall in years to come how Tiger Woods won the 2000 US Open. Many Irish will remember how Padraigh Harrington came so close but still provided so much joy for Irish golf.
29925 207 South East Covington, Washington Tel: (253) 638-1200 Fax: (253) 638-1440 druidsglengolf.com email: taddavis@seanet.com
DRUID'S GLEN GOLF COURSE
Druids Glen
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Most challenging par 3's in Washington State Tree-lined fairways with majestic views of Mt. Rainier 9 ponds include forced water carries to many of the greens Lookout for elk, deer and cougars as well as other nationally protected wildlife
Lessons and clinics are available on natural practice tees Ideal setting with natural amphitheatres for group or tournament play
Hosting Men's Washington State Amateur and Women's U.S. Open Qualifier and the Merrill Lynch Western Washington Pro-Am
Hosting corporate events for the Seattle Hotel Association, Costco National Managers, Southwest Airlines, Ikon Office Solutions, Boeing Employees Credit Union, Burien Lions Club and the Covington Days Annual Golf Tournament
EARLY BIRD & TWILIGHT SPECIAL
$25 per person*
Must tee off before 8:00 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday. Wednesday AM only - INCLUDES CART * Excluding Holidays
1143 KINGSWAY, VANCOUVER, B.C. V5V 3C9 (604)874-6510
Saturday, August 5
The 23rd Annual Men's Golf Tournament
The G. Smith Memorial, Fort Langley Golf Club
Sunday, August IS
1st Annual Women's Golf Tournament Mylora Golf Club
Saturday, September 16 British Ex. Mixed Tournament , Mylora Golf Club
Limits apply to all tournaments ■ Sign up early - AH welcome
End of August - Start of English Premier League Soccer - Charity Cup
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GAME DATES AND TIMES, CALL THE GAME LINE AT (604) 874-6200
MEAT DRAWS EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY 5:00 TILL 6:30 p.m. 16 Draws each Day