Pebble Beach - California - USA

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.

The landscape at Pebble Beach is undeniably gorgeous, and Jack Neville knew from the outset he had to take advantage of that spectacular coastline. And he did with holes 4 to 10 all played along the coastline to the furthest point of the course. This sequence of holes is undeniably one of the most dramatic in golf. Holes 7 & 8 are iconic.

And then there is the championship finish at Pebble Beach, when the links returns to the coast for the epic par 3 seventeenth hole, and possibly THE best finishing hole in tournament golf – the par 5 eighteenth hole. It's pure theatre, and something you will never forget!

While Pebble Beach is instantly recognisable from the images of the holes along the coast, the inland holes naturally suffer by comparison. But there are some good holes there of which I find the par 5 fourteenth and the par 4 sixteenth (set in its own ampitheatre) the most interesting.

Over the years the sandy wastes surrounding the playing areas have grown over, and these days the links is beautifully manicured, more akin to an inland course than a coastal links. The greens are small and unremarkable, but can be an elusive target to hit, even if the wind is not blowing. My advice would be to take a caddy, and strap in for the full experience. The caddies at Pebble are experienced and will save you shots. And some of them are real characters!

And don't forget to smell the roses...Take in the amazing views of Stillwater Cove, look around the course at the travelling caravans of people on each hole with groups of 4 and caddies all moving together. And then there are the zillion dollar mansions along the course boundary. Take photos. Take it all in. And afterward celebrate your round with a refreshment on the balcony at The Lodge overlooking the 18th green.

A round at Pebble Beach is more than a game of golf. It's an experience you will never forget.

Peter Wood is the founder of The Travelling Golfer – click the link to read his full review.

I just had my very first golf trip to California a few weeks ago and had the great opportunity to discover the Monterey Peninsula area and its beautiful courses.

After enjoying rounds at Poppy Hills & Spyglass, we teed up at Pebble at 7.30 on a sunny morning with very little wind & no fog at all. We walked the course and did not have to slow down or hurry up at any time during the round.

The course was absolutely stunning.

From the tee boxes to the green everything was in perfect condition.

We have been very surprised with the nasty rough and the very narrow fairways but a few weeks before the Us Open it is very easy to understand.

Finally, regarding the course, i must say that only holes 13 & 15 were disapointing.

All the rest of the course is as beautiful as you can expect. Holes along the sea are brilliant, beautiful & challenging (for a 3 hcp).

I live in France and have played many famous courses across Europe & GB and i must say that for me Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of the greatest golf experience i've ever had.

Growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Pebble Beach was *it* - the pinnacle of public golf in the United States. Thirty of the top fifty public courses on Golf Digest’s 2018 ranking didn’t even exist in 1991 – and many, like Bethpage for example, were still somewhat unknown outside of their local area. That left Pebble Beach as pretty much the singular fantasy course for a young man fueling his obsession with golf. When it finally came to pass that I stepped onto the first tee at the legendary course with a few dozen people watching, the nerves were almost too much to handle, and I hit one of the uglier duck hooks in my career. Fortunately, my ball remained a few feet in bounds, and things got better from there. The Pebble Beach scenery is unparalleled regardless of direction – from the ocean cliffs to the multi-million dollar mansions – and it makes up for some rather mundane holes interspersed throughout the round. We were lucky enough to play it twice on beautifully sunny, nearly calm days which surely made for a different experience than many others.

As the host of many a major amateur or professional championship, Pebble’s layout is well-known, so I won’t go through the “best” holes, but instead I’ll highlight the three most underrated ones. For me, those are: #4, the uphill short par four with a bevy of options for both long and short hitter, #12, the par three with one of the hardest-to-hold greens anywhere, and #14, the boomerang-shaped par five with a crazy elevated and false-fronted green that (unfortunately) was recently replaced because it proved to be too penal under today's green speeds.

Time marches on, however, and Pebble Beach has been criticized by some modern architecture critics of being too much of an example of target golf given its smallish greens and narrow fairways and due to the unpredictable Monterey weather, not often playing firm and fast. It’s a fair criticism and I agree that I’ve had more fun on occasion playing other golf courses, but all in all I don’t care that much about those criticisms. Pebble is a unique, high-end, world-class golf course, and every golfer should try to experience it at least once.

PB is a world class golf course and world class resort. Went there with my wife for our 1 year anniversary and had the privilege of being the first tee shot off the first tee the day of my round. Played through the gorgeous Monterey Peninsula fog for a few holes before the getting to see the spectacular seaside holes I had seen countless times on television. PB is as very deserving of a top 10 ranking as any course.

If you're visiting California and have always dreamt of playing Pebble Beach, what are you waiting for? Perhaps, like me, you balked at the $500+ price tag, and that's even before you've paid to stay in the lodges (required to make any sort of advanced booking).

All is not lost however, non-guests can ring up the day beforehand and book a tee time, which is exactly what I did on New Year's Eve, securing a 1040 slot on New Year's Day. This short notice isn't practical for everyone but does gives the added benefit of an accurate weather forecast, and the weather will play a huge part in your Pebble experience.

Having read so many reviews from people who had regretted not playing on their first visit, I wasnt going to miss out, and I am so glad I bit the bullet and played. The course is a great test, and such an enjoyable walk. I cant wait to see how it plays for the upcoming US Open.

There are not too many phrases that transcend American sports culture, but if you say The Green Monsta, the frozen tundra, The Big House or Pebble Beach just about everyone knows what and where you are referring to. Is Pebble Beach a great golf course? Yes and no. To answer that, great needs to be defined, Pebble Beach is a concept, a brand, an aura, The Promised Land and Shangri-La all rolled into one.

In New England, February is depressing. The holidays have come and gone, football is over and baseball hasn’t started. It’s gray and cold day after day with the monotony being broken up by a snowstorm that forces you to go outside and shovel. You wake up, it is dark outside and it gets dark before dinnertime. The only good thing about February is that it is the shortest month. While T. S. Eliot claims April as the cruelest month, February just sucks.

When we had a TV that actually worked we had three and half channels, ABC, NBC, CBS and Public Television. As a kid growing up I remember watching the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, or as some referred to it as the Crosby Clambake. (On a historical footnote the tournament was originally held in Rancho Santa Fe, California and did not start its run at Pebble Beach until 1947) Prior to that, golf had always seemed kind of boring to me, but this tournament was different; these people seemed to be having fun! Yes, there were real golfers, but celebrities as well. My favorite was always Bob Hope. Watching people play golf in nice weather in a picturesque setting in the middle of winter seemed foreign to me. It could have just as well been taking place on the moon. At caddy golf one summer I still vividly recall George, “Sully”, Sullivan saying, “Here’s Colin Braithwaite from Marshfield, Massachusetts teeing off at Pebble Beach.” Guess what Sully, I actually made it and it is worth it! One of the few courses that I have played that exceeded my expectations.

Ironically, Pebble Beach was also a real estate play. A hundred years ago the SP Railroad owned the property and directed a young man in their employ; named Samuel Morse (a descendant of the Samuel Morse who invented the telegraph) to dispose of what was thought to be an unprofitable piece of property. Morse created his own firm Del Monte Properties Company and bought the 7000 acres which included the Del Monte Hotel and Del Monte Golf Course. The real value in the deal was the seven miles of waterfront property. Morse knew that to attract high net worth he had to have a high end golf course and Del Monte did not foot the bill. Ultimately, Morse contracted with a co-worker from the SP development company named Jack Neville, who had also won the California Amateur Championship five times

Pebble Beach opened in 1919 and has remained pretty true to the original design. One can argue that the first four holes are pretty pedestrian, although I did manage to three putt three of them. This is especially difficult to do as Pebble’s greens are fairly small by today’s standards. The new par 3 5th has been a huge hit. In 1915 Morse had sold off a five acre parcel and it wasn’t until the mid- 1990s that the club was able to reacquire it. The 5th was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in the fall of 1998. The par five sixth is much more intimidating than difficult. My caddy, Paul, with the wisdom of Solomon told me to avoid the ocean on the right. Something I never would have thought of so I hooked it into the bunkers on the left instead.

On to one of the most photographed golf holes in the world, the 106 yard par three seventh hole. I was extremely surprised when my caddy handed me my eight iron. I looked at him, looked at the hole, looked back and he said, “Trust me.” I said, “But it’s downhill.” Paul responded, “Trust me.” I said okay, but I am thinking this is way too much club. I tried to ease off of it, hit it pretty good but with a little hook. It landed on the green and just rolled off. (Of course the green is only 22 yards wide.) Paul looked at me, slowly shook his head and said, “You didn’t trust me.”

Onto eight, I took a deep breath and fired away at the aiming rock. That’s when the real fun started, I had 180 yards to the pin, which sadly was tucked back right. I debated what to hit and ultimately Paul said to hit a four iron to the middle of the green. I looked at him and he said, “You have to go over the chasm regardless. Just play it like a normal 180 yarder and give yourself a shot at making par.” After seven, I figured I had better start listening to him. I took the four and caught it a little chunky. Both Paul and I yelled at it to go, then Paul started saying, “Get in the bunker,” but it landed just short and started rolling down the cliff towards the ocean. Miraculously, it got caught up in some underbrush. I grabbed my sand wedge and started switch backing down the cliff. Paul said, “Are you nuts?” My response was, “The only way I am going to par this hole is if I try to make an up and down.” I should have listened to Paul, because I ended up with a triple bogey. There appears to be a trend here, two holes in a row I had not heeded my caddy’s advice and had paid the price. That almost sounds like a country song, “Heed Caddy’s Advice or Pay the Price.”

We finally made it to nine, a long downhill par four with the ocean to the right. Paul suggested I favor the left side and rolled his eyes. I was already on his do not invite list. I got up on the tee box; convinced myself to listen to my caddy and I hit a good drive. Sure enough it favored the left side, but between my draw and the wind it kept drifting left, landed in the fairway took a big bounce forward and left and came to rest in the bunker. I waded into the bunker and Paul said as he handed me my six iron, “Better to be short and try to make an up and down.” I nodded my head, set myself, made good contact and the ball came out nicely. I was rooting for the ball to stay right so that my pitch would be easier, when it hit a sprinkler head and catapulted forward to the left. Sure enough, I was in the greenside bunker, with a tight pin location and the Pacific Ocean behind that. I scraped it out and barely kept it on the green and made a two put bogey. Paul consoled me by saying that nine is the toughest hole on the course. I was jelly legged and looking for a drink.

Onto the back side. Sadly, the tenth looked like a replay of the ninth. I was in the fairway bunker off of the tee and then a greenside bunker on my approach shot. When I stood on the tee with the ocean right I could not bring myself to aim down the right hand side of the fairway. The par 5 fourteenth is a dogleg right with a kidney shaped green protected by a yawning bunker on the left. This bunker is at least five feet high and the green contours around it with a similar slope. Surprisingly, I did not end up in this bunker and I had a 12 foot birdie putt on the number one handicap hole at Pebble Beach! I was a little past pin high and the pin was in the middle near the crest line. Paul gave me a read and cautioned me not to be too aggressive. I, of course, was thinking I can birdie the number one handicap hole at Pebble Beach. My 12 foot birdie putt was the prelude to my 25 foot par putt. The par putt was predictably short, as the third putt was predictably long. I was petrified of repeating the sequence and mercifully lagged my fourth putt to within two feet for a smooth five putt. Talk about penthouse to outhouse.

Eventually, we got to the seventeenth which is a par three headed right back towards the ocean. This is a narrow figure 8 shaped green. Many of you may remember Tom Watson’s memorable chip shot at the 1982 US Open. I was fortunate to hit the green and had an18 footer for birdie. This one I was able to roll in.

The 18th hole at Pebble Beach, a lyrical and almost mystical phrase; if that doesn’t quicken your pulse, what will? I stand on the tee box take a practice swing, address the ball and let her go. A decent drive, by my standards, dry, findable and at least 198 yards. As we commence one of the top walks in golf I notice a wedding reception taking place at the Lodge. One certainty is that daddy has money, but I cannot help thinking, “That couple is doomed.” Without a doubt a wedding day is a great day, regardless of where it is, but how do you top a reception at Pebble Beach? I am sure that couple also had a heck of a honeymoon, but where do you go from there?

I get to my drive and Paul says keep it left. I sure do, overcook it and just as I think it is headed into the ocean it hits the retaining wall and bounces into the sand trap. I hit a nice 8 iron just short of the green, good chip and sink a three footer for par. As we walk off the green I reflect on my round; it seemed like I spent a lot of quality time in bunkers. After counting them up, it was fourteen in total. No wonder it seemed like a lot, almost one per hole. I was especially proud of the fact that I did not lose a single ball. Now the ball I started with was certainly battle scarred when we finished but it did serve me well. While I did shoot a less than optimal 92, I prefer to remember that I was one under par for the last two holes at Pebble Beach.