Urge to splurge pays off

If you ever get the chance to play golf on the Monterey Peninsula, don't think twice. Just do it. Watching the second round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am yesterday further convinced Oldgolfdawg that he made the right decision to do so in 1992.

In a span of five days, Oldgolfdawg played The Links at Spanish Bay, Poppy Hills, Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach Golf Links during a once-in-a-life-time spending spree. But being a cheap bastard, Oldgolfdawg actually thought twice about forking over $230 to play Pebble Beach on his final day on the peninsula. Today that same opportunity will cost you $530, so it turns out Oldgolfdawg was getting a bargain while he was wrestling with his penny-pinching demons.

At that time, the only way one could get a guaranteed tee time was to spend the night at The Lodge located right on the course. Oldgolfdawg couldn't afford that luxury but found out one could arrive at the course at 6 a.m. and sign up on a list that would give one the chance to play if someone backed out of their tee time unexpectedly. Despite arriving at 5:30 a.m., Oldgolfdawg only managed to be third on that list, which eventually had more than 20 hopefuls sign up that day.

It was a little past 10 a.m. when the first two hopefuls on the list got their chance to fork over $230, and Oldgolfdawg got his chance about 25 minutes later when two guys with bad hangovers decided to be no-shows. Having watched the tournament on television since about age 15, Oldgolfdawg was pinching himself in disbelief when he walked up to the first tee.

He was quickly brought back to earth by the comment: "Man, you're like dog shit on a shoe, we can't get rid out you." Turns out Oldgolfdawg joined a twosome -- two television executives from San Jose -- that he had been grouped with two days before at Spyglass Hill and a high school teacher from San Francisco who was fourth on the sign up list.

The next five hours were pure nirvana for Oldgolfdawg. It was a bright, clear day and sunlight sparkled magically as it reflected off the ocean as we made our pilgrimage around the hallowed grounds. From the white tees, Oldgolfdawg managed an 82 that included a quadruple bogey 7 on the par 3 fifth hole that has since been redesigned. (Should have taken an unplayable lie out of a sand trap but didn't.)

Afterward, the two television executives treated Oldgolfdawg to a cheeseburger and several beers at the clubhouse's outdoor restaurant. As Oldgolfdawg was sitting there eating his cheeseburger and drinking a beer while watching others finish their rounds on the 18th green, he couldn't help but think life is good. The saltwater smells of Stillwater Cove and the splashing sound of waves hitting the retaining wall along the 18th fairway made the moment seem almost surreal. To say it was a day well spent, would be a huge understatement.  Looking back, Oldgolfdawg can't help but think it was the best $230 he had ever spent at a golf course. The kind of day one remembers for a lifetime. Or as one of the credit card commercials used to say: Priceless.