This should stir up some discussion, as now we get to the first of the par 3's on either course.
First, the holes are somewhat similar. They each play similar yardages on the scorecard. They each play with the prevailing wind. And they each occupy exceptional settings, Pebble by the ocean overlooking the 6th and 7th holes, and Pacific nestled comfortably in the dunes as though it has been there for a thousand years.
Pebble Beach, par 3, 192 yards: As a disclaimer, I have not played the old 5th. I think this hole is a very good hole. It does get a very slight bonus for playing along the water as it does/can come into play. The green is somewhat gently contoured, but from the tee it has the shape of a reverse Redan without the kick slope. This is the only par 3 at Pebble that realistically allows the player to hit a fade off the tee. The bunkers are also very well places, one short and right for a player who might fan one off the tee or underclub to a back pin, one long for the player who does not fade the ball as he expects or pulls it or just plainly hits it long, and two long and right for someone who hits a fade that comes in a little too hot and runs through the green. The ocean also comes into play here, though only in the players mind. Given that the preferred shot shape is a fade, the player must guard against hitting too large a fade and having it drift into the ocean, I don't think this is a very likely outcome, but one that the player must consider as he is planning his shot.
Pacific Dunes, par 3, 199 yards: This hole plays generally downwind and also slightly uphill. Hole has bunkers right and left of the centerline of the green and one bunker quite short of the green and right. The two flanking the green are obviously there to punish shots struck off line, the one short I am not certain about, I should think it is there to punish a less than well executed run up shot that bounces sharply right off the mounds short of the green. This green, to me, is one of the more boldly contoured greens on the course with a rather large ridge separating the front and back sections; quite fitting given RSG this week, the green seems to be rather like #3 at RSG and given what I saw today at the Open (on TV) it would seem they may tend to play somewhat similar. This is another top notch par 3.
These two make for a tough comparison. Both holes likely call for the same club to be used, but the shot types can be widely varied. Pebble can either be played as a straight high shot, high fade, or, for those with this shot and guts enough to try, a low running fade onto the green. Pacific can also be played with the high shot landing somewhat near the hole, straight shot landing well short of the hole on the green and running out, or a pitch-and-run style shot, though the latter might be rather problematic. All in all, I have to call this one a draw because they both present abundant options for the player and work very well maintaining the flow of the round.
Draw: Pacific 1 up