With Tiger Wood’s designed Par 3 golf course, opening of The Hay earlier last year (2021) at Pebble Beach Resort, many people may have wondered where the idea of a cute sea lion with a golf flag in its mouth may have come from. Maybe the local aquatic attractions gave it inspiration? Well no! In fact, the sea lion logo mark is actually part of Pebble Beach’s history dating back to 1938. And according to the Pebble Beach Heritage Book, it’s quite the fun story.
“Cynthia the Sea Lion, advertised as the world’s smartest sea lion, was brought to the golf course at Pebble Beach in 1938 to demonstrate the relative ease with which one could knock the ball into the cup. It was all done in fun for the newsreel cameras of the day. As the party made its way to a coastal hole for more photographs, Cynthia, true to her moniker, evaded her handlers and made a break for the ocean. The fun was now all hers as the temptation of the sea proved too great. Cynthia’s heartbroken trainer last saw her frolicking in the surf of the Pacific Ocean. The show, however, went on with another sea lion, but at the inland Del Monte course, where the ocean was not in play.”
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