PEBBLE BEACH

By Neville Leck Last updated: 11th February 2010

The Pebble Beach Golf Links, where two rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am are to be played, is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque courses in the World with some of golf's most breathtaking views.

Hugging the rugged cliffs and spectacular coastline of the Monterey Peninsula, a little over an hour's drive south of San Francisco in northern California, it also has the distinction of having been singled out in 2001 as the USA's first 'public' course to be selected by Golf Digest as the No 1 golf course in America.

This year it was ranked as America's No 1 public course.

The word 'public' in this case means a privately-owned club that is open to the public and not necessarily a public course owned and operated by a city or municipal authority such as Torrey Pines in San Diego where last year's US Open was played.

Pebble Beach has hosted four US Opens, the last in 2000, the Year of the Tiger, with a 5th scheduled to be staged there in 2010.

Along with the nearby Links at Spanish Bay, Spy Glass Hill GC and De Monte GC, the Pebble Beach Links is owned and operated privately by the Pebble Beach Company.

At $495 per round plus a R25 cart fee, Pebble Beach's green fees to non-resort guests are among the steepest in the world and yet getting a tee off time often requires booking it two or three months ahead in the summer months.

From Thursday the pro-am field will play one round each at Pebble Beach Links, Spy Glass Hill and nearby Poppy Hills before those making the cut return to Pebble Beach for the final round.

EARLY COURSE HISTORY

The course at Pebble Beach was designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant and first opened for on February 22, 1919.

Neville, who never designed any other courses, had one main object and that was to place as many of its holes as possible along the rocky and beautiful Monterey coast line which he felt would be best accomplished by using a "figure 8" layout.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The first professional tournament, the Monterey Peninsula Open, was played at Pebble Beach in 1926 and carried a $5,000 purse.

Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper of Texas won with a 72-hole score of five-over 293.

In 1929, Pebble hosted its first major - the US Amateur.

Then a match-play event, it was won by Harrison R. Johnston of Minnesota.

Starting in 1947, Pebble Beach became the host courses for the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am tournament, sometimes known as the "Clam Bake", and now called the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

The four US Open's hosted by the 82-year-old Pebble Beach Golf Links have produced four of the game's most highly regarded champions including Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tom Watson (1982), Tom Kite (1992) and Tiger Woods (2000). It is was also the venue of the 1977 PGA Championship, which was won by Lanny Wadkins.

THE COURSE

The Pebble Beach Golf Links is an 18-hole, par 72 measuring 6,828 of the back (Black) professional tees as used for the US Open:

It's ratings are:
- Black Rating (US Open Championship): 74.3/Slope 144; Yardage - 6,828
- Blue Rating: 73.8/Slope 142; Yardage - 6,737
- Gold Rating: 72.3/Slope 137; Yardage - 6,348
- White Rating: 71.2/Slope 134; Yardage - 6,116
- Red Rating: 71.9/Slope 130; Yardage - 5,198

The first two holes are inland, the third runs toward the ocean, and the fourth and fifth holes run along the coast.

This arrangement allowed Neville to make use of a peninsula which juts straight out into the Pacific Ocean, allowing the construction of what, today, are two of the most breathtaking and strategically interesting holes in golf, the par-3 7th and the par-4 8th..

The lower "loop" of the figure 8 layout is formed by holes 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, which brings much of the inward nine inland.

Unlike virtually all modern courses, Pebble's 9th and 10th holes do not therefore return to the clubhouse.

Holes 14 and 15 are among the most inland on the course, but the 16th hole runs alongside the 3rd hole to complete the figure 8 and bring the dramatic closing holes back to the Pacific Coast. These include the long par-3 17th, whose place in golf history was assured when both Jack Nicklaus (1972) and Tom Watson (1982) made key shots there to win their US Open titles.

SIGNITURE HOLES

It is impossible to name a "signature hole" at Pebble Beach Golf Links, but the obvious candidates would be Nos. 7, 8, 17, and 18.

- The par-3, 7th, which is just over 100 yards, even during major championships, is one of the most photographed holes in the world. From an elevated tee high above the green, players hit straight out toward the Pacific Ocean, with nothing in the background but the often violent Pacific Ocean surf crashing against the rocks.

This disorientating background, the elevated tee, the small landing area and often-brisk ocean winds make the tee shot here a tough mental and physical challenge.

- The par-4 8th, on the other hand, is a dogleg right with the ocean a constant companion along the entire right side of the hole.

The landing area is extremely generous in width, but a long straight drive could leave the fairway and enter an inlet of the sea.

Because the landing area is elevated on a cliff above the green, players have a good view of the small landing target which is a mid-to-long iron away.

Jack Nicklaus has called this his favorite approach shot in all of golf.

- The par-3 17th is situated on a smaller peninsula to the west of the one that holds the 6th and 8th holes and although there is an ocean view and the sea runs along the left side, the major challenge of the 17th is its length (it plays between 180-210 yards during championships) and its unusually shaped green which is long and thin and tilted about 45 degrees from the angle of the golfer on the tee.

Depending upon pin position and wind, a golfer may use a great variety of clubs for the tee shot and, although the green is large in area, the landing area for any approach is relatively small. A large sand trap guards the front and left.

- The 18th is a medium-length par 5 (over 550 yards) with the sea running all along its left flank to the green.

Ironically, what may be one of the greatest closing holes in golf was originally an unremarkable par 4, but in 1922, William Herbert Fowler added almost 200 yards to the hole which now also features a tree in the middle of the fairway and a long 100-yard bunker running back from the green and along the fairway on the ocean side.

TOUR OF THE COURSE

For a tour of the Pebble Beach Golf Link click here.

OTHER GOLF AMEMITIES:

The Pebble Beach Golf Links includes:
- Chipping and putting greens and the Peter Hay Par-Three Golf Course, practice range and a golf academy.
- It's superbly stocked Golf Shop which carries some high-quality Pebble Beach clothing and accessories, sits opposite and first tee which is located close to the practice greens and the The Lodge.

ACCOMMODATION:

Pebble Beach's group of club's offers a wide range of accommodation varying in price from $580 to $2650 per night at the Club's Inn at Spanish Bay. The Lodge at Pebble Beach and Casa Palmera.

WINING AND DINING:

Whether savoring an award-winning entrée, or catching a refreshing drink and casual bite before or after your round of golf, Pebble Beach Lodge with its wide variety of restaurants, grill rooms, cafes and cocktail bars can probably satisfy all your needs through its:
- Stillwater Bar and Grill (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Club XIX (diner)
- The Tap Room (Lunch and dinner)
- The Beach Club (Lunch)
- the Terrace Lounge (full cocktail bar)
- The Gallery Cafe (breakfast and lunch)

OTHER RECREATION:

- An exclusive enclave with breath taking views, three turfed tennis courts of tournament standard, and an outdoor swimming pool are also offered to private club members and Pebble Beach Resort guests of the Pebble Beach Beach & Tennis Club at Stillwater Bay
- The 2,000-square-foot, full-service Spa at Pebble Beach, nestled in the heart of the nearby Del Monte Forest offers a variety of massages, body scrubs and wraps, water treatments, skin care, nail care, and hair care.

CONTACT THE CLUB

- Resorts and Golf
Reservations: (800) 654-9300
Reservation Fax: (831) 644-7960

- Sales, Conference Services and Catering
Reservations: (800) 654-9300
Fax: (831) 644-7958

The Lodge at Pebble Beach
1700 17-Mile Drive
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
Phone: (831) 624-3811
Guest Fax: (831) 625-8598

Web: http://www.pebblebeach.com

Neville Leck