Adam:
About those trees on 18...
If you absolutely don't want to bogey 18, and are OK with par (say, you have a one-stroke lead in the final round, or sitting close to the cut line), isn't a rationale play to hit your tee shot right of the trees, chop out of the rough to the fairway, and be left with something like a 7-iron or less to the green for your third shot? The 18th is one of those rare holes that seems to have improved strategically with the advent of technology, as it has brought going for the green in two more into play, it seems.
I could be all wrong, and have never been to Pebble much less played it, but interested in yours and other thoughts.
Phil, Only now is there rough to the right of the trees. There used to be fairaway. So, the trees basically acted like a vertical center hazard, with the option of playing right or left of them. I have never had a problem with And yes Sean is mostly correct that if one's ball winds up behind them, the player has a difficulty shot, but not impossible or no shot. I have seen a ball come to rest against the base of one, and even then the player still had a shot. Because of the width the center line hazard concept works perfectly well. The trees proportions are not out of place and provide some interest, if only to create a minds eye issue for the unsure golfer.
Juxtapose those to that hideous bunker work on 15. The center line is not too too bad, with some width, but this is the first time I've seen the two on the left. They are HORRIBLE. Built up against the terrain, they are reminiscent of some of the Marzoff( sp?) work at Riviera.
Bill, I'm thinking that the mowing of the grass allowing balls to roll on to their fruition, into hazards, is just about the best thing that could've been done to this course.