Celebrating Ten: A Golf Experience Unlike Any Other
At TGR Live we pride ourselves on providing unforgettable experiences at each of our events. However the Tiger Woods Invitational presented by USLI has always been the one I look forward to the most. As a golf lover, this event has been a can’t miss for ten years.
Close your eyes and imagine playing rounds on three of the nation’s top courses with unparalleled views of the Pacific Ocean. Add in a team competition dynamic and time spent with friends and colleagues who feel like family. All of this and more describes the experience of playing in the Tiger Woods Invitational.
The format of the Tiger Woods Invitational presented by USLI sets up as a three-day competition among foursomes. Gross and Net divisions allow for everyone to have a piece of the action. Awards are given out daily for low rounds with a champion crowned following play on Wednesday. Each year, the teams look forward to the challenge of taking home not only the championship trophy but also bragging rights for the year.
Round one takes place at Spyglass Hill golf course. Spyglass Hill serves as an annual co-host of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and has hosted U.S. Amateur Championships, which proves the test is second to none. The fairways are soft, rough is penalizing and the greens require your utmost attention. In addition to the stern test of golf, the setting is equally as impressive. You can almost feel the dew coming off the cypress and pine trees as you make your way through the Del Monte Forest on the challenging layout. It’s hard not to keep your head on a swivel with beautiful scenery and more than a few deer at every turn. Players look to establish a good team rhythm on day one and cap off the round with a celebratory drink walking off 18.
Just when you think you can put your feet up and visualize the birdie putt you sunk on hole 6 at Spyglass Hill, your mind quickly switches to round 2 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course. The Shore Course is an absolute treat, making for a round you never want to end. This round requires precision off the tee and a course map both which are aided by your expert course caddie. The Shore Course is a hybrid of unbelievable scenery and challenging holes that leave you wanting more! As you play 14 holes along the Pacific coastline you can’t help but think- is this heaven?
The final round is played on arguably the nation’s most herald track, Pebble Beach Golf Links. Players must keep their minds sharp during this final round test as the course is set up with the exact pin placements from Tiger Woods’s 2000 U.S. Open victory. Seasoned caddies help guide you around the course and navigate the tricky pin placements. It’s hard to believe Tiger won the event by 15 strokes back in 2000, and after a day playing those pin placements your admiration for that fete only grows. Pebble Beach is the perfect place to culminate this three-day golf odyssey. While teams fight for every last stroke during the round, it is the special touches like a team photo on 18 tee before making the iconic walk up the 18th fairway that make this event so memorable.
The Tiger Woods Invitational champions are crowned at The Lodge following round three. It is easy to see by the smiles on every participants face that win or lose everyone is leaving Monterey Peninsula with memories they will never forget. This event is an experience unlike any other in charitable golf events and one that leaves you immediately reserving your spot for next year!
Lindsey Witham is TGR Live’s Director, Events, specializing in golf operations for TGR Live events. Lindsey competed on the Women’s Golf Team at the College of William & Mary and has been an avid golfer her entire life.