I suppose you could consider this column as one of those “time marches on” features. During the past few weeks in the world of golf some pretty interesting items of interest have come to our attention, and they are things that did not happen somewhere inside the gallery ropes at a PGA Tour event in California or Florida.
Spyglass Hill Golf Club is one of the gems of American golf. Situated between the Cypress Point Club and the Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach, Spyglass opens with five of the most stunning golf holes of note alongside the Pacific Ocean. The other 13 holes are no slouches either as the course meanders through the Del Monte Forest. It is pretty easy to describe Spyglass Hill as one memorable golf hole after another. All one need do is mention one of the holes at Spyglass, such as the fourth hole, and you’ll have a long-winded discussion about deceptive doglegs, ice plant, hourglass greens, and difficult holes that clock in at under 400 yards. It’s pretty much the same way with every hole at Spyglass.
It was some 50 years ago that Spyglass opened its doors. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. The unique thing about Spyglass is that it is a high-end public golf course that until recently had a distinctly private club membership in its midst.
Turning back the clock to 1966, the promoters of the golf course determined that it would cost approximately $600,000 to build the facility. For those of you who have had the privilege of playing Spyglass, it’s a nuts-and-bolts golf facility. There is a pro shop near the first tee, there is a halfway house for snacks near the 10th tee and 18th green, and there is one of the world’s greatest golf courses. That’s it. There is no fancy restaurant. There is no swimming pool or maze of tennis courts. There is no real locker room of note. To borrow a phrase from the folks at Bandon, Spyglass is one of those places that is all about the golf.
Way back in 1966, a group of 250 “founders” put up $2,500 each. The deal was that after they paid this initiation fee they would continue to be “members” of Spyglass Hill providing they continued to pay an annual dues amount of $50. The caveat was that the group of 250 founders would be able to access up to nine prime time morning starting times during the week and 12 tee times on weekends. The best perk of all was that the $2,500 initiation and $50 annual would result in having to pay zero green fees. In the 1960s, it cost the public $20 to play at Spyglass. Last year the going rate for a tee time at Spyglass was $395.
Noted golf course architect Robert Trent Jones II, the son of the course’s designer, has been quoted as saying that the Spyglass founders’ rate was “the best deal in golf.” Jones II should know. Way back in 1966, he was an apprentice in his father’s Palo Alto golf architectural firm and he was one of the 250 founders. Others in this group included San Francisco powerhouse attorney and former USGA president Sandy Tatum along with then-owner of the San Francisco Giants, Bob Lurie. At this point in time, exactly 12 of the original 250 founders are still alive.
Yet all good things come to an end and such is the case with the Spyglass Hill deal. Owned by the Pebble Beach Company, the Spyglass founders deal had a 50-year shelf live. The deal came to its conclusion earlier this month on March 11. Jones II called it a “sad day.” He added that “it reminds me how fast 50 years go by. Having been present at the creation and onsite during construction, and having been my father’s representative, it’s bittersweet. Basically it was a good deal for everyone. It has come to its logical leasehold conclusion.”
Time marches on and $2,500 initiation fees and a $50 annual membership won’t get you the same bang for your buck that it gave you in 1966. Yet what a neat thing that must have been for a group of visionaries and investors to get to play prime time at one of the world’s more historic and beautiful golf courses, all the while playing it for free.
Arnold Palmer and the Masters have gone hand in hand since he first donned the green jacket in 1958. Palmer also won the Masters in 1960, 1962 and 1964 to go along with his victory in the 1960 United States Open and a pair of British Open triumphs in 1961 and 1962. Palmer, who won the United States Amateur in 1954, received his first Masters invite in 1955 and finished 10th as a rookie. For the next 50 years, he competed in each and every Masters tournament. Since 2007, he has been an honorary starter at the Masters, hitting the ceremonial first tee shot alongside fellow Big Three compatriots, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
Earlier this week Palmer announced he would no longer serve as an honorary starter at the Masters. The 86-year-old Palmer stated that he was “disappointed” that he would no longer serve as starter, but he also acknowledged that “time moves on.”
Comparing amounts of money from one-half century ago, it is interesting to note that during the course of his 50-plus-year professional golf career, Palmer played in 734 tournaments. His official money earnings for those 734 events totaled out to $1.861 million. This weekend, Palmer hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational at his Bay Hill Golf Course in Orlando. The winner of the Palmer Invitational this weekend will receive a winner’s share check of $1.536 million and the total purse pencils out to $8.7 million. That makes the Palmer Invitational purse the richest in golf outside of the games four majors. Also, because of the historic strength of the field at Bay Hill, beginning this year the Palmer champion will receive a three-year exemption on the American PGA Tour. Winning a major gets you a five-year exemption and regular tour events result in two-year exemptions.
John Brodie is no longer quarterbacks the 49ers, Willie Mays is no longer roams center fielder for the Giants, and Rick Barry is no longer the Warriors’ leading scorer. For that matter, Lyndon Johnson is no longer president. The same is true in the world of golf where the sweetheart deal for free golf at Spyglass Hill Golf Club is no longer and Arnold Palmer is not hitting the ceremonial tee shot at the first major of the year, the Masters. Yes, it’s very true that time marches on.
