Pebble Beach with pictures

[Will Peterson]

This may have been the most anticipated round of golf in my life.  I cannot think of another course that I have wanted to play for a longer period of time.  The only other one that would come close is Augusta, but I learned of Pebble before I knew of Augusta.  As excited as I was, there was a small degree of worry that it would not live up to the idea I had in my head.  I have had some severe disappointments in the past with highly regarded courses, and I really hoped it wouldn't happen here.  It didn't!  Pebble Beach is everything I thought it would be and more.  We played Pebble on our last day in Monterey, and I had been hearing all kinds of comments about the course such as:
-It’s got five or six great holes, but the rest are no good. (This is completely ridiculous)
-Pebble's the pretty one, but Spyglass is the tough one.  (I don't think so.  I found Spyglass much easier.)
I'm still not sure why people made all sorts of comments to downplay Pebble.  I don't have a bad thing to say about it.

The one thing that surprised me the most was the size of the greens.  I've heard how small they are and seen the AT&T and Open on TV (normally I find courses seem smaller in real life compared to TV coverage), but I could not believe how tiny they are.

One complaint that I have heard is that many of the par 4’s are similar, especially the short ones (3,4,11,15), but I don’t agree.  I think each hole requires a different strategy and puts the most pressure on a different shot.  On 3 the drive is about how much you want to cut off, but 4 is all about accuracy off the tee and a skillful wedge – it may be a short shot up the hill but judging the distance, especially in the wind is difficult.  11 is about the shot to the green where 15 is about finding the fairway.  The green on 11 is so small and you are dead if above the pin.  
The green on 14 is a bit crazy, and a legitimate concern.  Even after watching the mess at the Open, I could not believe how small the area on the left is and how large the hill is.

A highlight of the round was when my second shot on six hit the pin, but it was moving a bit, leaving 18 feet for eagle.  Luckily other members in the group went to the top of the hill to see if the green was clear or else I would have never known.

[Scott Weersing]

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the course after playing it?

[Adam Clayman]

Palmered up!

That's how I would describe the difference in how the course looked 10 years ago, versus these wonderful pictures. Many Bunkers at Pebble have been altered to the extent that are now no longer that great. Either in placement or look.

Will, I agree with your opening salvo about how Pebble does not let one down, even with high expectations. As to why people miss it? I can only assume regional bias is at work. Either that, or people who use a strict formula of checking off each hole, as the measure of the whole, miss the boat on the whole, because they are too focused on each individual hole's strength and weakness. It's a golf course, not a collection of 18 holes.

Nice write up.

[Sean Leary]

Palmered up!

That's how I would describe the difference in how the course looked 10 years ago, versus these wonderful pictures. Many Bunkers at Pebble have been altered to the extent that are now no longer that great. Either in placement or look.

Will, I agree with your opening salvo about how Pebble does not let one down, even with high expectations. As to why people miss it? I can only assume regional bias is at work. Either that, or people who use a strict formula of checking off each hole, as the measure of the whole, miss the boat on the whole, because they are too focused on each individual hole's strength and weakness. It's a golf course, not a collection of 18 holes.

Nice write up.

Agreed. Funny how people don't focus on CPC hole by hole in the same manner...

[Will Peterson]

Brian,

I found the conditions at Pebble very nice, and pretty similar Spyglass the day before.  The greens had some firmness to them (with their size I felt it was just about right).  A well struck shot would stop depending on the wind, but a mishit would probably not.  An example was when I hit a great 5 iron into 8 that landed about six feet onto the green and rolled just into the back fringe (slightly downwind from 195).  A well executed wedge shot would have stayed on the green on 14, but anything more than an 8 would have had trouble.  The size of 14 is what most surprised me.  That back left spot is sooo small and the lip on the bunker is above the surface of the green which decreases the effective size since the first part slopes away kicking balls forward.   

Scott,

An obvious strength is the setting.  The course is draped on the cliffs, and is the most beautiful place I have ever played the game.  It also requires a great deal of accuracy, and off line shots are punished severely around the greens.  The greens are incredibly small and well protected.  There size and slope make chipping and pitching much more difficult.  I found most of the fairways to be generous, but you had to hit them.  Coming into the greens from the rough makes things even more difficult. 

There are a number of holes where you will have a short iron in hand, but the cost for a mistake is high.  Seven is one of the best par 3's around.  Its 100 yards; not a problem, right?  The basically sits in the ocean and it’s tough to judge the wind on the tee as it sits down under the sixth green.  Also there is a little drop from tee to green.  I got about halfway down and thought I wonder how much this hill is going to affect it, and eased up just a bit.  Luckily I found the front edge of the green.  I have never had so much go through my head on a 100 yard shot, and there was only a 10 mph breeze when I played it.

I really liked the choices you haev to make on the tee, especially 6, 9, and 10.  You are caught in quite a dilemma.  Each hole slopes to the right and into the ocean and has bunkers on the left.  Do you play down the right and hit a draw?  What if it doesn't turn and you bounce into the ocean.  Do you play down the left and hit a cut?  What if it doesn't cut and you’re in the bunkers?  What if it cuts too much and you’re in the ocean?  I am very accurate off the tee and usually play a straight shot or little cut, but trying to cut a shot with the Pacific on the right was nearly impossible.

[Sean Leary]

Palmered up!

That's how I would describe the difference in how the course looked 10 years ago, versus these wonderful pictures. Many Bunkers at Pebble have been altered to the extent that are now no longer that great. Either in placement or look.

Will, I agree with your opening salvo about how Pebble does not let one down, even with high expectations. As to why people miss it? I can only assume regional bias is at work. Either that, or people who use a strict formula of checking off each hole, as the measure of the whole, miss the boat on the whole, because they are too focused on each individual hole's strength and weakness. It's a golf course, not a collection of 18 holes.

Nice write up.

Agreed. Funny how people don't focus on CPC hole by hole in the same manner...

Not so sure about that. When one is in agreement that it is a fine overall course, it's natural to dig a bit deeper and start talking specifics. Otherwise there isn't much left to talk about. CPC has gotten many a rigorous going over on here - how about the criticism of 18 for starters...

But no one cites CPC as overrated. There are number of holes individually at CPC that one could try to poke holes into if they wanted to besides 18.

[Sean Leary]

Sean, OK, I see what you're saying. I have thought a lot about Pebble since I played it and like it more and more on reflection. I think the fact that I was fully prepared for it to be as good as it was took some of the initial excitement away - that and virtually all of the holes were firmly implanted into my brain. The other thing is the 500 bucks factor - if things don't go your way on the golf course, that starts to sting! There is no denying, though, that the atmosphere is incredible there...

Agreed. Expectations,$500, bumpy greens, 5.5 hour rounds, houses etc all play into it if you want it to.. But for most it is one of the great courses in the world.

[Kevin Lynch]

Thanks for the tour!  I don't think I ever appreciated the amount of elevation change on some of the holes until this thread.  Plus, it's always great to see a famous course when it's not ringed with spectators and grandstands.