Pebble Beach - California - USA

The history, the accommodations (lodge), the layout, the conditions and the atmosphere are all 9 out of 10 but the views make the place. You often find yourself distracted because of them and its one of the only places that the golf game takes a back seat. I have been extremely fortunate to play many of the best private and public courses in the US and when I leave them its a check off my list. Pebble was different. I was on the flight home trying to figure out how to get back asap!

To write a review about a course such as Pebble Beach is try and critique a Van Gogh painting or Beatles album. So many people know it so well that the review in my eyes, needs to be less about describing the course, and more about my experience of playing it.

Having walked the course at the 2019 US Open, I knew what to expect in terms of the layout and lie of the land, but nothing can prepare you for actually walking these revered fairways with your own ball in play.

My tee shot off the 1st tee was a weak fade flirting with the OB, brought on by a significant amount of major championship history induced butterflies. It took me a couple of holes to really settle down but once I did, I started to see some of the parts of the course I recognised more easily from the TV and this made for some enjoyable golf.

The marquee holes are clearly 4-10 and 17 and 18 due to their proximity to the water and the many famous highlights that have been played out across these holes over the years. Looking at the others, I actually felt the Par 5 14th is one of my favourite holes on the course, as it tests every part of your game and is much more difficult a hole seen up close and personal.

Two points to note about playing a round at Pebble Beach. Number one is that is expensive. I managed to pay the walk up rate which significantly reduced the total outlay. However normally you would need to stay in the attached resort even to be able to book a tee time, not a cheap affair. And secondly, this will not be a quick round, something that I always find difficult to deal with. You can understand at Pebble though, particularly on the front nine. People want photographs from varying vistas on the signature holes and in all honesty, the design of holes 4 through 8 encourage a lot of delays as there are blind shots, difficult holes and two thought provoking par 3’s that all combine to slow down the pace of play.

My key takeaway from playing the course is just how good you need to be from 100 yards in and how placing your drive on the correct side of the fairway is the key to having any chance of a birdie. A classic case in point is hole 11. If you don’t find the left half of this fairway or a good lie in the left rough, a par 4 is most certainly the best outcome you can hope for. These greens are incredibly small and having an angle in to a flag along a decent portion of the green is your only hope at getting close.

Another point you might not see on the TV is just now sloped and undulating a lot of these holes are, particularly on the front half. The run from 6-10 slopes invariably towards the sea, the ball being below your feet for a right handed golfer. I’m sure you’ll agree, that there is nothing more intimidating than trouble to the right with the ball below your feet.

Bucket list golf is defined by courses like Pebble Beach. It’s a pilgrimage for any golfer and is a truly iconic place in the world of golf. The memories of the tee shots at 7 and 18 will be with you until you’re grey and old, but it isn’t perfect. The cost, pace of play and playing conditions (due to the amount of traffic the course gets) mean you will possibly feel pangs of dissatisfaction. But taking a step back and taking in the magnitude of what this course means in the world of golf will, hopefully quell any negative memories that may arise. I will certainly remember this twilight round by the Pacific with the fondest of memories.

Pebble Beach is a must play for many reasons, but you really can't understate how good the land is. Holes 6-10 are pretty much as good as it gets, but Hole 12 is an example of one of the few bad golf holes on the course. I think a restoration would be more beneficial at Pebble than any other course in the Top 20, mainly by bringing back green complexes and bunkering style.

Pebble is a special place. Candidly you step on 1 and think....Am I at Pebble? You play 2 and 3 and similar thoughts rumble. You get to 5 and as you traverse thru to 11 you realize you just played maybe the best 6 holes anywhere. A few more ok holes and then 15 thru 18 are sublime. You'll have those that postulate Spyglass is better....They are uninformed. It's a big bite to play Pebble....Yes, But you can play Pebble.

Price not withstanding, a must play. Holes 5-10 and 17-18 are even more breathtaking in person than they are TV.

Wonderful experience in views that are hard to beat in the US. Like Portrush in Ireland, in my humble opinion it should be outside the top 20 and is not quite as good as Spyglass from a course perspective if you ignore the views. Still a fantastic few hours of golf and accessible unlike many others on the list.

Iconic course that I'm sure would be fun and interesting if I played there every day for the rest of my life. Of course it is hard to separate the experience from the course as some others have stated. In my opinion, the incredible ocean views and fun of playing the same holes as your idols do not cover up a course laking in any quality. The ocean stretch is sublime, but the other holes have great interest with some outrageous green complexes and slopes. For me, it's as close to perfection as I have found on a golf course and I just hope I can get another chance to spend a few perfect hours on this course.

The most over rated golf course in the Top 25. Don’t waste your money. Great experience but 4-5 average holes. 4-5 awesome ones (don’t get me wrong) but if PB was on the coast of Ecuador and not California we it wouldn’t even get a mention. More doe if Tara Iti or Cape Wickham we’re next door to it then either PB would be 50 in the world or TI and CW would be 7&8.... go there for the experience. But not the golf.

Who likes controversy? Ok, I'm just going to say it, Pebble Beach is one of the Top 5 overrated courses ranked in the World Top 50 and arguably #1. That doesn't mean I don't think it's not a great course! Everything in the World Top 100 by definition is a great course so in essence we are always picking at straws when ranking them to a certain extent and then we haven't even touched on the matter of subjectivity.

So let me only speak objectively ha ha...the first 3 holes, really average, I mean they would not be special on a single course in the Top 100. The 4th, ok half the hole is decent. The 5th generally seen as great is highly debatable. Yes it has a beautiful location and it's hard with a narrow green for the length of the shot. Great it is not. 6 splits opinions, I'm going to call it a great hole because it has that rare element of quirk in the US and I really like the approach.

7 and 8 are the best holes on the course and yes all-world holes that deserve most likely to be in the lists of the best holes in the world. 9 is excellent, 10 is very good, then the holes up to 17 while good are not special. 17, I'd argue is considered great largely because of Nicklaus. Not in my book, especially because I'm looking at all courses stripped of their history when trying to rank them. What is special about putting a green that's too small and doesn't have many pin positions at the end of a long shot? Again it makes for a difficult hole but a great hole? No chance.

18 is another great hole, no arguments here. I'm counting 3 great holes, a whole bunch of sleepers and a couple others. An amazing scenic placement which is nearly impossible to think away and tons of glorious history that people can't separate from the course itself.

Doesn't sound like a World Top 20 course to me. Yet still it's ranked in the Top 10.

However, as a publicly accessible course it is most certainly one of the best in the US.

Again, don't get me wrong, it's great and I love the place. What's not to love? 6 hour rounds and a hugely tempting pro shop ala Disneyland to commemorate the experience and one of the best logos in the sport.

Love to hear your thoughts on why I'm wrong or right!

I mean, it’s Pebble Beach! Played here most recently right before the U.S. Open and it was a fantastic walk.