Pebble Beach – Like other coastal communities recovering from the storms and subsequent swells of the past few days, areas in and around the golf course at Pebble Beach have been busy clearing debris and repairing damage.
But no course has the confidence that the course authorities will be able to put it away well before the famous AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am hits the end of the month.
After a night of high winds and torrential rains, the Pebble Beach community, which was hit by waves over 25 feet high, emerged from a mid-week winter storm with fallen trees, downed power lines and swarms of debris across roads. (The 17-Mile Drive was closed until Thursday, but reopened Friday morning.)
Most notable in the aftermath of the storm was Stillwater Cove Pier, which closed to the public on Friday and was temporarily closed. The boardwalk of the Inn at Spanish Bay was also hit by a barrage of heavy waves.
Overall, however, the impact, especially on the course, was minimal. Good news for the golf world.
“Despite the intensity of the storm, damage to Pebble Beach Company properties was relatively minor,” said Pebble Beach Company CEO David Stivers. “We do not currently expect the storm to have any significant impact on his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am setup or conditions.”
Even as waves continued to crash against the shoreline, golfers could be seen trying their hand at the course through Thursday evening, albeit reduced from the morning swell that hit the coast. Monte forest.
A quick return to play coincided with a swift push by authorities to review and fix the surf-touched green.
Pro-Am Tournament Director Steve John said: “The people are there. They know what to do. They’ve done it before. It has the ability to restore itself to its original state.”
John, who is also CEO of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which hosts the Pro-Am, said, “I’m confident the course will be in great shape” by January 30, when this year’s Pro-Am begins.
The tournament runs through February 5th and will compete on three courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill and the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club. John assured that all three courses “did not suffer much damage”, and save for some standing water.
Some damage occurred on the Dunes Course at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, but the course is not part of the AT&T rotation. John said Dunes was “hit”, adding that the long-term impact had yet to be determined. A Monterey Peninsula Country Club employee at the scene said on Friday that there was debris in the now-closed hall and that part of the bunker was affected.
John said Pebble Beach was “lucky to have no more carnage”.
Asked about the final stages of tournament preparation, John said, bearing in mind that more storm systems are on the horizon, “There is always the potential for more damage, but it’s important to keep Mother Nature under control.” You can not.”
Fortunately, forecasters don’t expect storm surges of the magnitude experienced on Thursday. Braden Murdoch, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said the next few systems — the first coming Saturday, followed by stronger atmospheric rivers early next week — “won’t get in the way of storm surges.” ” he said.
“The (January 4th) storm was a very strong, well-defined cold front that moved with a lot of energy and created a surge,” he continued. “It doesn’t seem like it’s going to repeat itself.”
John is sure Pebble Beach is safe.
“The staff at Pebble Beach are second to none. …It’s nothing Pebble Beach has ever seen. Anything that comes our way, we can take care of it.” He said.
