One comment about my review of #1 which was slightly criticized by Tim Bert. My review was somewhat low on detail because I don't really see much great or noteworthy about either opener. At Pebble I hit 3w-PW on the hole and at Pacific I hit 2i-GW. I noticed that one good poster here said he hit driver on #1 at Pacific, so I suppose that is an additional option, but not one I'd ever take, and in truth, given the way the wind blows from right to left in the summer, I can't see many people at all taking that option off the first tee. But overall, my review was short because I just don't see much to talk about on either hole, they're not terrible by any stretch, but not great.
As an additional comment, one that really came to mind as I was writing the review below, is that I can't really recall many of the green features. At a course like Tobacco Road, I can remember the features, because they are all Macro features, very big. But both of these courses typically have very subtle features within the greens and those tend to be hard for me to remember after few plays. [I do remember the features at Old Macdonald, but those also tended to be macro features or much larger and sweeping 'subtle' ones] So, if I happen to miss some slope or feature in the green, I apologize.
Hole 2
Pebble Beach= Par 5/4 511/502 yards
Pacific Dunes= Par 4 368 yards
This is a tough comparison. On the card, from the blue tees, Pebble Beach has a par 5 second hole. Catch is, the people who aught to be playing this course from the back tees are mostly all long enough to reach the green in two shots given the hole plays downhill from the tee and with the prevailing wind. So, in many ways, I find myself reviewing this hole as a par 4, as it plays from the US Open tees. Each time I played this hole I hit Driver-6 iron to the green, hit once and missed right once. As a par 4 it is rather boring and devoid of options. The player either hits the fairway and hits to the green without much risk or misses the fairway and does whatever he chooses. But as a par 5, the way the hole was designed to be played, it forces the player to make a decision on where to play his second shot based on where the tee shot wound up. Hit the tee shot far enough and out of trouble (and yes, I know the hole didn't have the same bunker configuration years ago that it does today) and decide if he is in range to try to make the carry over the cross bunker short of the green. As a par 4, this is just a tough, long par 4 that requires two straight shots, but as a par 5, the way it was originally intended to be played [and unfortunately, better players don't play it this way anymore] it is a very, very good hole.
At Pacific Dunes, the player is presented with a fairly wide fairway [perhaps it is "wide" but whatever] and several options off the tee. The right side, or a line short of the centerline bunker, provides the player a safe play but a semi-blind or blind shot to the green, either having to hit a large draw on line with the angle of the green or over a large dune and bunkers with the bottom of the flagstick not visible. However, the more aggressive play takes the player over the center bunker and likely flirting with the bunker on the left. This option gives the player the best line into the green and a look down the longest angle of the green.
Both green complexes are very good and the holes, as they were designed to be played, are both very good and have options, either off the tee at Pacific, or how to play the second at Pebble. So, if I were to compare these two holes as par 4's, as I play them, I would say that Pacific has the better hole, of course it's easier for a mid-length par 4 to be better and more interesting than a long one, but as it stands, Pacific has a par 4 that is demanding off the tee and Pebble has a par 5 that brings real interest and thought into the second shot, something rare in many par 5's today.
Once again, I call this one a draw, but this time a draw between two really good holes.