I grew up playing Pebble several times a year. People forget the green was constantly beset with fungus problems and the surrounds were drippy and muddy due to little or no air circulation in that corner of the property.
The eucalyptus trees were enormous and for much of my youth, had grown out so far on the left side, the hole was known as "the only dogleg par-3 in America." No problem with my three-knuckle sling draw, but Dad HATED that hole with his feathery fade.
The front bunker got more work than a ten dollar hooker at a truck stop, so the lip got so high a back pin placement turned it into a blind shot. The back of the green was almost always gnarled crabgrass and over the years, I noticed the pitch of the green got steeper and steeper, until it was probably 6-7 degrees of slope.
My recollection is purchasing the house adjacent to the green made it the most expensive individual hole in American golf history - at least until Blaring Trumpet National's 18th hole (in Palos Verdes) was constructed . . . or so blusters the plaque next to the tee.
What everyone forgets is the deep chasm directly to the left of the putting surface on old #5; I used to tell Dad it would be cool to lose all the trees growing out of the creek-bed and move the green right up against it - further away from that funky-ass, el fako stone wall on the right side, that separated the cart path and redirected the rainwater away from the house.
In the end, #5 - when I was growing up - was a piece of shit, the architectural equivalent of putting a tramp stamp and nose ring on Nicole Kidman. Against all odds, St. Nicklaus managed to cough up a terrific replacement, putting aside the fact there it practically demands a cut shot; clearly, he could not resist.
Ironically, Pebble used to have two of the more notable par-3's in the world - and two complete ducks. That leaves only #12 that is, well, just not up to snuff. It is not the worst par-3 in championship golf, but the hole's primary appeal is the beverage cart behind the 11th green - which incidentally needs some bunker repair and an expansion of the putting surface.
Now, while we are on the subject of slaughtering sacred cows, am I the only person who thinks the putting surface on #17 needs to be brought back into the realm of sanity? Does anybody really believe the original intent was a bulbous hump that encourages a nasty scuff (or divot) to get from the right side to a left pin?
I'm sure Archbishop Doak will weigh in, but even the contours of #6 at Riviera provide an opportunity - with a bunker in the middle of the putting surface no less - to roll your ball around Cape Horn without having to piss off your host with a poorly executed flop shot . . . . .
End of rant.