Pebble Beach’s newest attraction? The renovated 19th hole

We remember the moment and the man. But what about the club itself?

On the afternoon of June 20, 1982, Tom Watson stood next to the 17th green at Pebble Beach, tied for the US Open lead, his ball nestled in the rough some 20 feet from the pin. What happened next – a clipped sand wedge that checked, jumped and fell for a birdie – became part of the sport’s history.

More than four decades later, that same club – a 56-degree Wilson Dyna Power wedge that Watson adopted after 1981 US Open champion David Graham left it – has found a new and fitting home, on display behind glass in the newly reopened Tap Room at Pebble Beach, one of the game’s most famous watering holes.

The renovation, completed this fall, is less a reinvention than a respectful renewal of a venue that first opened in 1949. Deep green walls and leather booths still define the look, just as post-round conversations still define the atmosphere. The updates are in the details, including a new bar (the original cherry wood bar was removed during the revamp and repurposed to accommodate custom putters) and a private dining area called the Champions Room, where a wealth of golf memorabilia hangs on the walls – anchored by Watson’s wedge and complemented by rare photos, scorecards and other memorabilia from Pebble’s century-plus life.

The menu stays true to form, with smartly executed steakhouse standbys and a bar program based on bourbons and craft beers.

The drink is top shelf. The sand wedge hangs closer to eye level, intended for viewing, not touching. Of course it also serves as a topic of conversation. Before Watson hit the shot, his caddy, Bruce Edwards, told him to get close.

“Is it close?” Watson replied. “Damn, I’m going to do it.”

Watson mainly talked to himself, he later admitted. But that’s golf. As much as we shoot, what matters is the stories we tell – to ourselves, to our friends and to anyone who will listen – after rounds we’re unlikely to forget.

3 things I’m thinking about

The whereabouts of the wedge: I’m curious about Watson’s wedge. How long did he keep it in his bag after his big win at the US Open? Did he use it on his way to senior tour titles? Where did it go when he was done with it? But Watson’s team did not contact us before this post went to press. For now, all I can say for sure is that before it showed up at Pebble Beach, the wedge had a home at another major resort: It was on display at the Greenbrier in West Virginia, which isn’t shy about its own memorabilia, much of it relating to local hero Sam Snead.

Bad parenting, good golf: The last time I played at Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Beach, California, my daughter Scarlett had just been born. I don’t know how I managed to make rounds at home with a small child. But I do remember my wife not being happy. Luckily, she had some time to get over it, because that blatant display of parental neglect happened more than twenty years ago. I haven’t set foot on Pelican Hill since. But soon I’ll have a good reason to come back. For the first time in, yes, twenty years, both Tom Fazio courses at Pelican Hill – the north and south – are undergoing a revamp. Brian Curley is carrying out the work, which has just started and will unfold in nine-hole phases, leaving 27 holes open throughout the project. The upgrades, which will focus on bunker restoration, tee alignment and green area adjustments, are expected to be completed by the end of 2026. That gives me enough time to come up with a good excuse to tell my wife.