Pro-Am’s are unlike any other tournament out there: from the atmosphere, to the audience, to the players. When you’re at a Pro-Am, trust me, you’ll know it’s a Pro-Am. This past week, arguably the most pristine course in the world, Pebble Beach Golf Links, hosted their annual AT&T Pro-Am. For those of you in the working world, here are 3 reasons why you should save up your PTO vacation time for next year’s AT&T Pro-Am:
1. Meet celebrities:
You can attend a football game and sit uncomfortably 5 stories above the field and barely make out the players OR for the same price as a Pro-Am day pass, see Tom Brady in action (though not with a football) 15 feet away from you. On practice rounds, go ahead and Instagram a photo of Justin Timberlake chatting it up with Dustin Johnson. Don’t forget to rub it in all your friends’ faces with a clever hashtag, like #iknowurjealous. Or go ask Bill Murray for an autograph while he’s chowing down a burger at the Tap Room with George Lopez. Monterey is a small city so it’s not uncommon to see celebrities that week hitting up a grocery store or Starbucks.
Ever wondered what a celebrity is really like? Give him a golf club and his true colors come out.
2. Chance to walk the “Golf Mecca:”
The second-best thing to playing Pebble Beach is getting the chance to walk 18 holes alongside pros and celebrities. The AT&T Pro-Am does you one better: you get the chance to explore not just Pebble, but also Spyglass Hill and the members-only MPCC (Monterey Peninsula Country Club).
3. Oceanfront golf:
Bring your sticks; there are plenty of low-budget courses in the Monterey Peninsula too! As a Monterey native, I’ve been fortunate enough to play countless courses around the Monterey County. And although I wasn’t in a position to fork over $500 every weekend to play Pebble, there are plenty of great alternatives. One of my favorites is but a 5-minute drive to the next town over: Pacific Grove Golf Links. You get the same oceanfront views at the fraction of a fraction of the cost to play Pebble. In fact, Golf Magazine listed it as “one of the Nation's Top 50 Golf Courses Under $50.”
**Harry Chiu founded the Holy Cross Club Golf team in college and now is a young professional who plays a big part in our Nextgen Graduate planning and execution