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Resort,
18 holes,
$$$$$
To step onto the first tee at Pebble Beach is to risk an anticlimax. Like Augusta National, golfers know the course so intimately from television that it can seem less dramatic in person. After all, as an annual stop on the PGA Tour, this isn't a course that only steps into the major spotlight every decade or so. Telecasts often lavish attention on Pebble's closing holes, but the real magic is to be found on the front nine. The most spectacular series of holes you'll find anywhere are Nos. 5 through 8, which are on the promontory between Stillwater Cove and the Pacific Ocean.
The truth is that Pebble Beach is bland off the tee -- this is entirely a second-shot golf course. You can survive misses with your driver, but misfiring on your approach shots will make it a very long day. (It will be a long day regardless -- a round will take upwards of five hours.) You won't be writing about the opening few holes in your postcards home, but beware the deep cross bunker in the fairway on the second. Caddies call it the Yao Ming bunker after the 7-foot-6 Rockets center entered it and disappeared from view.
For most golfers, Pebble is all about the final two holes. Who doesn't want to try recreating Tom Watson's chip-in from the 1982 U.S. Open or Jack Nicklaus' 1-iron that clattered against the flagstick a decade earlier? That's the charm of Pebble: a mixture of familiarity, history and superb golf. Is it worth the pricey greens fee? Sure. At least once.
-- Eamon Lynch, from The Road to Pebble Beach
The director of the Pebble Beach Golf Academy is Laird Small, a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher. In his article, My Fab 5, Small wrote that Pebble Beach is one of his favortite courses in the United States. Here's what he said:
"The course is only about 6,800 yards long, so length is not really an issue, but the course demands accurate iron play. The target complexes are small and the weather conditions can change quickly so you really have to hit good shots."
Course features:
    
| Tee |
Slope |
Rating |
Yardage |
Par |
| Gold |
137 |
72.30 |
6348 |
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| White |
134 |
72.10 |
6116 |
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| Red |
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5198 |
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| Blue |
142 |
73.80 |
6737 |
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Year Built: 1919
Designer: Jack Neville & Douglas Grant
Greens Grass Type: Poa Annua Grass
Fairways Grass Type: Winter Rye
Water Hazards: Yes
Sand Bunkers: 81-90
Yardage Markers: 200, 150, 100 Yrd Markers and Sprinkler Heads Marked |
Accepts tee times: Yes
Earliest call for tee time: 6:00
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Driving Range: N/A
Training Facilities: Putting Green, Chipping Area, Teaching Pro
On-Site Golf Pro: Chuck Dunbar |
Dress Code: N/A
Spikes: Yes
Guests: Open
Access: Path
Discounts: Twilight
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Rental Clubs: Yes
Carts: Electric, Path access
Cart fees: $20-25 per cart (18 holes), N/A per cart (9 holes)
Pullcarts: $0-5
Caddies: Not Available
Walking: Allowed
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Restaurant: Restaurant, Snack Bar, Beverage Cart
Bar: Full Bar |
Hours: Open 6:00, Close 6:00
Available products: Clubs, Apparel, Accessories |
County: Monterey
Homes on Course: Yes
Golf Community: No
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