There are a number of factors that contribute to this including the dramatic California coastline, pristine golf courses and rich history of legendary and diverse clientele from Teddy Roosevelt to Elizabeth Taylor, Bobby Jones and almost every golfer after him. Bing Crosby is the person most responsible for popularizing this location and arguably the game of golf. Started in 1937 the “Crosby Clambake” was perhaps the advent of the greatest 19th hole event. Crosby first took up the game at 12 as a caddy and although he made his name as a singer and performer, he would probably prefer to be remembered as a two handicap who competed in both the British and U.S. Amateur championships, a five-time club champion at Lakeside Golf Club in Hollywood, and as one of only a few players to have made a hole-in-one on the 16th at Cypress Point.
In 1937 Bing came up with the idea of the pro-am golf tournament and the first “Crosby Clambake”, as Bing himself nicknamed it, was won by Sam Snead. The tournament moved to Pebble in 1947. Rotating among Pebble Beach Golf Links, the Cypress Point Club and Spyglass Hill with the climactic final round was always played at Pebble, helped to establish the course as a major championship venue and a track that every golfer dreams of playing. The tournament was a rollicking success and from the very beginning set the precedent that it was as much about partying as it was about golf. The Crosby golf tournament was part moving cocktail party, part sporting event. A fast favorite watering hole for the Crosby crowd, and all year long, was The Tap Room. This legendary bar has been part of The Lodge at Pebble Beach since 1949 and has established itself as one of the greatest 19th holes.
In Two Good Rounds- 19th Hole Stories from the World’s Greatest Golfers, many Pro Golfers listed the Tap Room as their favorite watering hole to this day. Graeme McDowell chose the Irish bar Brophy’s Tavern in Carmel to celebrate after his 2010 US Open win. This golf inspired Irish bar has been known to quench the thirst of many a golfer. McDowell celebrated with friends and family and said “I may have been the drunkest man on earth. The next day I woke up and saw the Trophy on the table in my room and thought, this is a really great hangover. I had to pinch myself ”.
A visit to Pebble is not complete without having a happy hour drink at the Inn at Spanish Bay where every day in Scottish tradition a bagpiper comes out from the hills as the sun is setting over the water and plays. No better place to enjoy a great California Cabernet than the outdoor fire pit patio that overlooks the ocean and links course while the bagpiper plays until the sun sets.
Elisa Gaudet, author of Two Good Rounds – 19th Hole Stories from the World’s Greatest Golfers, worked for the PGA Tour before founding Executive Golf International. Her syndicated “On the Lip” column has been running since 2003.
