Pebble Beach Golf Academy & Practice Facility debuts with sharp tech, Jim Nantz and ample gusto.

Television icon Jim Nantz has been the lead broadcaster on a lot of emotional moments in sports.

Several lifetimes worth, really.

But it would be hard to name one where he got visibly or audibly emotional,  at least beyond excitement.

That was not the case today, as he introduced the sparkling new Pebble Beach Golf Academy & Practice Facility to a group of 200 invited guests, staff and collaborators as they sipped wine and grazed on fresh oysters on the half shell, among other sundries.

He stood next to a goal post like structure, formed by a red ribbon crossbar and the poles inserted in the driving range to hold it up, in a sweeping cradle of manicured grass where the dusty polo grounds once stood.

The venue is impressive. The 4,500-square foot putting green almost glows. The "putting studio" uses scanning camera technology on your shortest swing—and reads 26 things like club face, launch angle, and timing. The high-resolution 3D motion capture machine next door observes 21 different more movements like spine side bend (or "trail lead") and pelvis rotation, and compares it to the equivalent PGA Tour pros measurements. A brand-new course simulator lets paying guests or private event attendees swing through the most popular holes in the world.

But that's not what had Nantz sounding a little misty.

"This doesn't even seem real," he said, with the 350-yard-long, 40,000-square-foot swath—which doubles as a practice course and a driving range—behind him. "Pebble Beach, to all of us, is a special place. To me it's spiritual. I care deeply about its history, I love how it's been preserved, and I care as much about its future."

He proceeded to unearth a catalog of historic golf moments centered around Pebble Beach, reaching back to the early side of the 19th century to evoke the first West Coast appearance made by pro golf forefather Bobby Jones, who promptly set the record at Pebble Beach with 5-under-par 67, then played Cypress the next day and fell deeply in love with the design. That led to a partnership with its architect, Alister MacKenzie, and that in turn led to their design of Augusta National Golf Course.

Fables of Pebble's power provided a heartfelt set up for a talking point—maybe intentional, maybe not—heard in varying forms from Pebble Beach Company team members around the facility: This cutting-edge school was the piece the world-class golf brand was missing.

The project took nine months to complete (after years in the approval process) and opens to the public tomorrow morning.

For his part, Nantz is putting his money where his emotion is. He and his wife Courtney were the first two to sign up for school memberships, which, according to one guest, run $1,700 for a bundle of different diagnostics, access to the course/range for a year plus a year membership with the par-3 pitch-and-putt neighboring nine-hole course Peter Hay.

Pebble Beach Company CEO Bill Perocchi spoke next, framing his admiration for the new space differently than Nantz: "It's perfect for players struggling in one area, or—like me—all areas."

His thank yous weren't limited to but included longtime club pros Laird Small, whose instructional book was given away to guests, the California Coastal Commission, the county board of supervisors and the local property owners association, which he reported opened 635 acres of easements to Del Monte Forest in exchange for the build-out's footprint.

Its 85 driving tees nearly triple the old number.

PBC staffers and pros teed off on an initial drive to cheers from the crowd.

A tall pavilion looked on from north side of the space. The temporary but substantial structure will house the players lounge come the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am next month.