Category Archives: Golf on the Monterey Peninsula

Community Events, Golf on the Monterey Peninsula, Luxury Homes, Ocean view and Golf properties

#AT&T Pro Am Golf Tournament 2016 ~ #Pebble Beach

February 11, 2016 Susan Clark

Bill Murray will be able to play after all ~ here he is with a glorious backdrop at a previous AT&T — Bill Murray will be able to play after all ~ here he is with the glorious backdrop of Carmel Bay at a previous AT&T

The AT&T Pro Am Golf Tournament was started by Bing Crosby as the “Crosby Clambake” in Rancho Santa Fe in 1937. Later it was moved to Pebble Beach and has become a huge event and never fails to bring thousands of visitors to the Monterey Peninsula in early February. Since many of our property sales are to second home buyers, this event is looked forward to with great anticipation by the realtor community. All one has to do is check out the Pine Cone (our local Carmel newspaper) and view the pages and pages of “real estate eye candy” to know that the sellers of luxury homes are hoping for a sale to one of these golf enthusiasts here for the tournament.

3044 Cormorant ~ Listed by Alain Pinel Realtors

As realtors we started planning for the AT&T Pro Am Golf Tournament over a month ago by creating innovative advertising for the print media that would beguile and bewitch prospective buyers and invite them to purchase property while visiting the area. During the tournament while the golf crowd heads for the courses, we man our posts at the “Floor duty” desk at Alain Pinel Realtors or host numerous Open Houses at our listings hoping some of our visitors stray from the event. We hope to lure our golf enthusiasts to find the coveted prize – a home on the Monterey Peninsula.

Monterey Peninsula Shore course -view from 3044 Cormorant, Pebble Beach

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday( Feb 12-14th) from 10:00-1:30pm I’ll be holding Open House at 3044 Cormorant Road, Pebble Beach. This home looks directly out onto the MPCC Shore Course, one of the courses that the tournament is played on. I’ll be watching the tournament golfers go by all morning. Come on by and see this fabulous Mark Mills mid-century design on a premium front line Pebble Beach location and join me in waving at the golfers!

1117 Sawmill Gulch Road ~Listed by Alain Pinel Realtors

Also, in the afternoons on those same dates February 12-14th 2:00-4:30pm I’ll be holding open this extensively remodeled single level 3BR/2BA home at 1117 Sawmill Gulch in the Country Club area of Pebble Beach offered at $1,295,000.

The weather is in rare form this year with bright cloudless skies, warm temperatures, and a great cast of celebrities. I remember many previous years with pouring rain and fierce winter storms. I have an indelible picture in my mind of Bill Murray on a TV news broadcast standing out on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf links with waves literally crashing over the fairway soaking him to the skin.

Pebble Beach Lodge and the 18th hole on a lovely day

Many of the tournament goers come to see the celebrities up close and personal. Everyone is glad that Bill Murray is going to play after all, because he not only can play golf well, he has a knack for engaging the gallery with funny antics and high jinks. He wears “funny clothes” and somehow manages to play the clown and also play serious golf at the same time!

Bill Murray clowning around at a past AT&T Pro Am Tournament.

One year he was goofing around with a lady spectator and she ended up falling in a sand trap! Some of the other celebrities that will be playing this year are Kenny G, Andy Garcia, Huey Lewis, Chris O’Donnell, Justin Timberlake, Clay Walker, and Ray Romano.

A couple of years ago I had an amusing encounter with Ray Romano which I will tell you about in an upcoming entry.

The tournament takes place on three courses in Pebble Beach (Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill, and the Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course) with players rotating to different courses each day. On Saturday most of the celebrities will play on Pebble Beach Golf Links which will be televised showing the world the unparalleled beauty of this course where greens meet the sea.

Brandt Snedecker, who won last year in 2015, will be defending his title and will be joined by other pro golfers such as Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, David Duval, Dustin Johnson, Vijay Singh, and Jordan Spieth, who is ranked as #1 golfer in the world. Who will take the trophy this year? We’ll all know on Sunday – for anyone who plays golf, you know that anything can happen.

For the tournament goers that will spend most of their time watching the play or playing golf themselves – we hope they will at least pick up the newspapers and magazines touting our gorgeous homes for sale and return at a later time.

There is nothing more beautiful than Pebble Beach on a clear sunny day and that’s what we are blessed with this week. If nothing else our visitors will take home delightful memories of blue skies, sunlit courses and crashing waves, after bearing witness to some great golf!

Pebble Beach Golf Links ~ photo by Bob Borden

For more information about Pebble Beach and Monterey Peninsula properties call Susan Clark at 831-320-6801

Community Events, Golf on the Monterey Peninsula, Sports Talk

#Sports Talk~ Super Bowl 50 by Allan Freidson, guest author

February 5, 2016 Susan Clark

Hello, my name is Allan and I am the loving spouse of the usual inhabitant of this space – Susan Clark. Since I am a huge sports fan and this is Super Bowl week Susan suggested I pen a little something about the occasion.

The 2016 edition takes on more significance than others for those of us residing on the Monterey Peninsula because the game is to be played only an hour from here in a city named Santa Clara. That city is an hour north of us and about the same distance in the other direction from San Francisco, the host city for the event. Partying all week in San Francisco and making the drive to the game on Sunday is nice work for those who can make it happen.

A tasty alternative is to spend the week in Carmel or Pebble Beach before heading to the game, and if that is your choice please take the time to pay my wife a visit and let her show you the house you need to buy immediately. In fact, if you are coming our way at any time for any reason please let her do the same. That said, some Super Bowl memories are in order.

1117 Sawmill Gulch, Pebble Beach offered at $1,295,000

Having spent the first half of my life in our nation’s capitol I always have rooted for the Washington Redskins (sorry for the nickname) and as such I have seen my team play in five Super Bowls, winning three and losing two. I attended two, a victory and a loss. Interesting enough, both of those games have a connection to Susan even though I didn’t know her at the time.

The years were 1983 and 1984 and my team won the first and got destroyed in the latter. Since my memories of the 1983 Super Bowl are a whole lot better I will start there and devote many more words to that experience.

The 1983 game was played in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and although still living back East I jumped at the chance when my cousin offered me the opportunity to join he and his wife at the game. Now, my cousin barely can tell the difference between a football and a piece of squash, but he was in advertising in Washington and through his job had a shot at some tickets and thought…actually, I don’t know what he was thinking, but he wanted to go and had a flight arranged, so off we went. Turns out Susan’s parents were living in Florida and her father was a fan of the loyal opposition that day, the Miami Dolphins . . .

. . . and her brother, who also lived in Washington D.C. had tickets for Susan and her parents as well as for himself to see the game. So there we were on game day seated on opposite sides of the field although not knowing each other from the other 100,000 on hand.

Washington won that day and I finally got to experience the feeling of rooting for a team that won the biggest game of the season. And don’t feel badly for Susan’s father because a decade earlier his Dolphins had defeated the Redskins in Super Bowl VII and to this day remain the only team to win all their games in the same season.

And as for the 1984 game, it was played in Tampa not that far from where Susan’s parents lived. But, again, we didn’t know each other then so she wouldn’t have minded that I beat it out of Tampa in a big hurry after the Raiders, then of Los Angeles, left my Redskins for very dead. At least I had the prior year’s win as consolation and later on in the 80’s they won another one. At that time I still had not met Susan but we did meet in 1990 when she sold me a house and thankfully (for me) agreed to see me socially after the house closed. So it was that we were together when shortly thereafter Washington won their last Super Bowl. Watching me watching that game on television no doubt convinced her it was good to be nowhere near me for those prior Super Bowls as my behavior during that game, although non-violent, did not come close to reflecting the way anyone over the age of 9 should act over a football game.

Now the fans of Carolina and Denver will have a go at the experience while those of us without much of a rooting interest simply will watch in amazement at how the Super Bowl has evolved. Enjoy.

Community Events, Golf on the Monterey Peninsula, Holidays

Happy #Groundhog Day ~ #AT&T Pro Am Pebble Beach

February 2, 2016 Susan Clark

Happy Groundhog Day, my dear readers! Talking about Groundhog Day brings me back to my teaching days when every holiday and event on the calendar became a teaching opportunity and something to talk about other than readin’, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic . . . and it always rated a new Bulletin Board!

The tradition of this day goes back centuries and even to the ancient Romans. The early European Christians celebrated Candlemas Day Feb 2nd celebrating Mary’s ritual purification. If the sun came out that day, there would be 6 more weeks of winter. The Europeans watched the hibernating animals like bears and badgers as a tip off to winter’s end. When the Germans immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1880’s they started keeping an eye on the groundhog as a harbinger of a possible early spring.

And so, the American tradition began and now February 2nd brings the most-watched weather forecast of the year—and the only one led by a rodent.

Legend has it that on this morning, if a groundhog can see its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it cannot see its shadow, spring is on the way.

Speaking of Pennsylvania, “Punxsutawney, PA is home to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, the organization we associate with Groundhog Day due to their iconic tradition of getting dressed up in suits and tails for the annual prediction. Its first celebration was on February 2, 1887 on Gobbler’s Knob, a hill in the city where the prognostication has taken place every year since. Early on it was just a small ceremony in Punxsutawney attended by locals. Now the prognosticating of their mascot, Punxsutawney Phil, is broadcast all over the world.”*

Bill Murray as he appeared in the movie "Groundhog Day" — Bill Murray as he appeared in the movie “Groundhog Day”

It’s impossible to talk about Groundhog Day without thinking of Bill Murray’s iconic movie entitled “Groundhog Day“. Murray plays a weatherman out to cover the annual emergence of the groundhog from its hole in Punxsutawney PA. He gets caught in a blizzard that he didn’t predict and finds himself trapped in a time warp living the same day over and over and over again until he gets it right.

He appears opposite the lovely Andi McDowell in the movie which I’m sure will be playing on all the movie channels tonight.

Andie McDowell as she appeared in "Groundhog Day" — Andie McDowell as she appeared in “Groundhog Day”

Living on the #Monterey Peninsula with the #AT&TProAmGolf Tournament about to begin in Pebble Beach, it’s impossible to think of past tournaments without thinking of Bill Murray and his antics on the course. He was always the live wire who kept it fun for the spectators – from his crazy hats to his hilarious stunts.

In fact, he was horsing around so much with one lady spectator one year she fell into the sand trap!

The fans all loved him.

As I look at the celebrity list of the 2016 golf participants I see Kenny G, Andy Garcia, Huey Lewis, Chris O’Donnell, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Romano (more about him in a future post), but NO #Bill Murray. Perhaps another “character” will emerge from the line-up to take his place – but he is a hard act to follow.

The #2016 AT&T Pro Am Golf Tournament will be played in Pebble Beach February 8-14 beginning with practice rounds on the 8th. The actual tournament will be played from Feb 11th – 14th. If you are not able to come to the tournament in person catch the televised Saturday play when all the celebrities will be playing on Pebble Beach Golf Links. You’ll be able to not only see great golf, but you’ll get to experience the amazing views and what we that live here get to experience every day. Who knows, it might even encourage you to move here!

AT&T Pro Am Golf Tournament ~ Pebble Beach Golf Links over looking Carmel Beach

Golf on the Monterey Peninsula, Homes for Sale, Luxury Homes, Purchasing a home

#Best Buy in #Pebble Beach! Come enjoy the #Pebble Beach Lifestyle

January 5, 2016 Susan Clark

1117 Sawmill Gulch, Pebble Beach, CA

Offered for sale $1,295,000

Open House Saturday January 9th 10:00am – 4:00pm

Open House Sunday January 10th Noon – 3:00pm

Stunning single level residence in the Country Club area of Pebble Beach

Why is the Country Club area of Pebble Beach the choice of so many that move to the Monterey Peninsula? I’m sure there are many reasons . . . for one thing, you can take a short lovely stroll and end up at the beach listening to the surf and enjoying a picnic or an amazing sunset!

It’s a quiet and serene way to live close to nature, yet it’s easy and quick to get to shopping in Pacific Grove or to Highway One to visit the other Monterey Peninsula cities.

It is a mecca for golf with both public and private courses minutes away. Pacific Grove Golf Links “offers the most affordable golf on or near the Pacific Ocean” The back nine has breath-taking views of the coast and the course also offers a pro shop and restaurant.

The famous Monterey Peninsula Country Club is a private club near by that hosts the AT&T Pro Am that will be taking place in early February 2016. In addition to these courses there are many public courses in Pebble Beach as well as in the surrounding area.

The Country Club area is known for privacy as well as quiet. The parcels are much larger than in nearby Pacific Grove. For instance the lot size of the home at 1117 Sawmill Gulch Road is a quarter of an acre allowing space between neighbors.

Ok, back to why is this amazing home the Best Buy in Pebble Beach? I confess this is a bit subjective, but look at the facts. It is priced at a reasonable $1,295,000 (just look at the prices of some of the others!) yet is beautifully remodeled. The owners lovingly did extensive upgrades after they purchased the home updating the kitchen, baths, windows, flooring, fireplace, and installing new baseboards, crown moldings, French doors, skylights, and Casablanca fans. They also upgraded the things you can ‘t see like the electrical, plumbing and outdoor drainage system.

Spacious living room with vaulted ceilings.

Why do I love this home? I love it’s flow. It’s all single level with one room easily flowing into the next. Also, the vaulted ceilings in the living room give it a very spacious feel – you have a sense it is much larger than the 2123 SF it actually is.

And the gourmet kitchen is amazing!

Kitchen with Cambria Quartz counters, maple cabinets, and dual fuel Wolf range. — Kitchen with Cambria Quartz counters, and maple cabinets.

Wolfgang Puck . . . look out!

I love to kick-back and the family room is my kind of place to do just that. Numerous windows and skylights make it a bright, light room.

Family room with slate flooring for easy indoor/outdoor ease.

The 2-car garage is extra roomy with room for storage and a work bench even with 2 cars inside. That would make my husband very happy

If I have peaked your curiosity Take a Complete Tour along with a video if you hang in there. The floor plan and Feature list is also included with the Virtual tour. Or . . . just come by one of the Open Houses this weekend and see for yourself!! Of course, I am always available to give you a private tour.

For a private showing contact the listing agent at Alain Pinel Realtors, Susan Clark 831-320-6801.

Susan Clark, Realtor

Category Archives: Golf on the Monterey Peninsula

#AT&T Pro Am Golf Tournament 2016 ~ #Pebble Beach

#Sports Talk~ Super Bowl 50 by Allan Freidson, guest author

Happy #Groundhog Day ~ #AT&T Pro Am Pebble Beach

#Best Buy in #Pebble Beach! Come enjoy the #Pebble Beach Lifestyle

Susan's Musings by the Sea