A few weeks ago my buddy Russell invited us on a weekend getaway to Morro Bay, California. His folks have a house on the beach down there, and he and Holly, his fiancé, visit every few months. We planned to visit a few wineries, breweries, walk on the beach, eat some fresh seafood and play a couple of rounds of golf. I didn’t realize we would also go on a hike, see otters in the wild and drive by zebras grazing in the field beside us.
Russell and I work on Saturday, but planned to leave when he got off. He works in Napa and hit some traffic on his way home. Sheryl, Holly and I grabbed some Mexican food for dinner and waited for him to get home. The bags were packed and we were ready to rock… 5 hours later we pulled in. The house is so close to the water, you can literally hear the waves crashing on the shore and was the perfect spot for a relaxing long weekend.
On Sunday we got up early and went for a hike. Then we got the chance to visit Firestone Walker Brewing Company. This brewery has been on our list and is one people travel from far and wide to visit. We booked a Barrel Room Tour, and while it is overpriced and the tour itself felt scripted, it was great to see inside such a popular brewery and to try several beers, including some rare barrel aged beers, in the barrel room. The tour guide and I had a disagreement on where barleywine comes from, but that’s a story for another day.
After the tour we visited BarrelHouse Brewing Co., Three Stacks and A Rock Brewing Company and had dinner at The Galley Seafood Bar & Grill in Tin City. Since Russell works in the wine business, we took a couple of bottles and enjoyed a nice dinner on the water. On Monday Russell and I played Morro Bay Golf Course, a municipal course in the middle of town. We actually got to see the golf course on our hike. Before we teed off I hit a few balls and was ready to go.
The golf course was in great shape, and while the greens, especially on the front, were tough to read, I really enjoyed the layout. The course has a lot of character and was fun to play. If you ever get the chance to play here, just remember that putts are impossible to read and if you think it breaks left to right, chances are good it breaks right to left. It doesn’t matter what it looks like… You need local knowledge out here to score.
Russell took a cart, but I decided to walk so I could track my steps/miles. It felt like every hole out here was uphill. The front 9 ended up being 6,912 steps/3.1 miles. After 9 holes we grabbed a cocktail while we waited for the tee to clear. I played better on the back because the greens weren’t as tricky. But I made a double and didn’t find any birdies. The back seemed like an easier walk, too. It ended up being 6,859 steps/3.08 miles. Because of the undulation, it felt like a longer walk than it was.
After our round we said goodbye to Matt Cradduck, PGA, director of golf. He said they get over 60,000 rounds/year here. For an 18 hole facility, that is a lot of golf. Their team must be busy, too, because the course was in great shape, the greens were fast and true, and the rough was thick and flush. We had a fun day and I enjoyed seeing another layout.
On Tuesday we played San Luis Obispo Country Club. I’ll have a recap of that round ready for you soon. Here are some photos from our hike, our brewery tour and of the golf course. Russell, thanks again for the invite. Look forward to sharing my experience at SLOCC with you next.
Love the ocean shots,,,nice job! Now I wanna go!
Thanks for reading. Yes, Morro Bay was special. Can’t wait to go back. Wait until you see my recap of San Luis Obispo Country Club.
[…] Morro Bay Golf Course, so I figured I’d walk here, too. You can read more about that round here. I even convinced Russell to walk. The golf course was so much fun. The layout was challenging and […]