How it all started...

Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes...... each of these golfing meccas are synonymous with the world's greatest destinations!

Saturday 12th March was the day this trip began to find its feet. I was planning my annual leave from work – not an easy task when the Club is growing, getting busier from year-to-year. After scanning over our event planner, there is no better time to do so than in the depths of the Barwon Heads winter!

Rather than take a couple of weeks off work, mowing the lawns, cleaning the dishes and ironing clothes, I wanted to make the most of the time available. I am always looking at ways I can improve the Golf Operations department at Thirteenth Beach. How about I visit one of the world’s leading golf destinations, play golf and observe the day-to-day operations?

Having read a number of articles and publications about some of the world’s greatest golf destinations, it was evident that Bandon Dunes Golf Resort was exactly that.

Located in the state of Oregon, approximately 9 hours drive north of San Francisco, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort possesses four golf courses – Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails and Old Macdonald, on-course accommodation and a golf academy. Three of the four courses hug the Pacific Ocean, while all four are ranked as America’s best. It is here that Barnbougle Dunes modelled its facility on.

In December 2009, the Assistant Superintendent of the most recently opened course at Bandon Dunes, Old Macdonald, visited Thirteenth Beach. I had numerous emails from CJ Kruecher following his visit, expressing his gratitude and enjoyment of playing the Beach Course. CJ also commented that should I ever be in his “neck of the woods”, I should make the effort of visiting Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Little did I know I would planning my visit just 15 months later.

Excited at the prospect of traveling to America in a little over four months, I told my parents of my idea. Mum said to Dad, “why don’t you go along with Ben”. Having pondered the thought of playing some of the world’s best golf courses, Dad turned to me with a smile and responded, “when are we booking the flights?”

“How long can we stay in America for?” asked my father. About 10 days was the answer. “Is there anywhere else you would like to visit?”. “How about the Monterey Peninsula – with a bit of luck, that will give me the chance to have a look at Pebble Beach and Cypress Point.”

To play at Pebble Beach, you need to stay at one of their three resorts. As you could imagine, this wouldn't be a cheap exercise. Having emailed the CEO of Pebble Beach, I received a response 12 hours later from the VIP Client Services Coordinator. “Mr. Jarvis, thank you for your enquiry. The CEO has waived the hotel stay requirement for you. I am happy to arrange your game of golf at Pebble Beach”. The green fee is outrageously expensive – never did I think I would folk out the amount required to play at Pebble Beach, but how often am I going to get this opportunity? You really do get an appreciation of how affordable this great game is in our part of the world!

So, Pebble Beach is now booked with a mid-morning tee-time on the famed layout. Now for Cypress Point!

The joint Head Professional at Barwon Heads Golf Club visited Cypress Point about two years ago and was happy to forward the contact details of the Club Professional – Casey Reamer. Cypress Point is one of the most exclusive Clubs in the world, perhaps only second to Augusta National and is considered as the second best golf course in the world. Here is a summary of Cypress Point, summarised on the Links Magazine website, titled “Cypress Point Club – the Sistine Chapel of Golf”.

Cypress Point is, among golf courses, perhaps the ultimate enigma. It is one of the most famous, has been called the most beautiful and is widely considered to be one of the greatest golf courses in the world. Yet relatively few play it, there is no practice range or high-end logo-filled pro shop, the 1928 vintage, Monterey Colonial-style clubhouse, although comfortable, is quite modest and there isn’t even the refuge of what most golfers consider an adequate 19th hole.

On average, 30 golfers play Cypress Point on a given day, easily making it one of the most exclusive courses in the world. Its members come from the highest echelons of corporate and political arenas, along with a celebrity or two like Clint Eastwood and Bob Hope. All this does make a statement, however: Cypress Point is in a class unto itself, and that’s the way its estimated 200–250 members like it. Membership and golf are matter so privacy in a most conservative sense. Because we can’t see behind the veil, we want to that much more.
There is not, however, an affected aloofness at Cypress Point. There’s a dry sense of humour in the old, discarded golf bags that hang suspended from branches in a towering cypress tree behind the pro shop. Cypress Point Club, which was organized in 1926 and saw its first play on August 11, 1928, is a product of the Great Depression. That might explain some of its conservatism.

According to www.montereypeninsulagolf.com,
Cypress Point is “regarded as the most exclusive course in the world, it is virtually impossible to play a round unless you are invited by a member. The club decides the cost of yearly membership fees by equally dividing the total operating expenses amongst all members. Each member of the club is required to pay the same amount in dues, regardless of the amount of play or the number of visits to the club”.

I hear you ask, “How did you manage to book a tee-time?”
I simply emailed the Head Professional, enquiring about the opportunity for my father and I to play or walk the course (after all, they can only say no). To the contrary, Mr. Reamer’s response was somewhat surprising and incredibly hospitable. “I rarely have access to the golf course but can host you early morning, midweek in July. Give me a couple of dates that work and I’ll book a time”.  I couldn’t believe my luck! I really was on cloud 9 for the remainder of the day.

This will quite possibly be the finest two days on a golf course my father and I will have for the remainder of our lives – Pebble Beach on Sunday 24^th and Cypress Point on Monday 25^th July. Let’s hope I don’t hit too many Pro V1’s in the Pacific Ocean!