"And please, spare me the spiel about how Eastwood and his gang rescued this gem when they purchased it in 1999."

You know I was just about to question the usefulness of John Hawkins' Angry Golfer column, but then he has to go and deliver a beautiful rant about those guys who show up at the Masters in their golf shoes, and follows it with gem on the excessive pricing at Pebble Beach.

Monuments such as Pebble Beach should be reasonably affordable to people who work for a living. And please, spare me the spiel about how Eastwood and his gang rescued this gem when they purchased it in 1999. This is an operation driven by lthe pursuit of profit, making one of the game's transcendent experiences a hazard of red ink to those who would most appreciate it.

I have no problem with the Pebble Beach folks charging what they can get, but I do need to hear a lot less of the sob story Hawkins refers to.

They need to know that many of us heard the numbers they're doing straight from Paul Spengler's mouth. This is no .org we're talking about.