Pebble Beach Golf Links on California's scenic Monterey Peninsula: A hole-by-hole tour
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Even golfers who have watched the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for years probably haven't seen every hole of the iconic course on the Monterey Peninsula.
Most of the TV time is spent showering viewers with images of holes 4-10 and 17-18 along Stillwater Cove. Since most of us will never get the chance to walk Pebble Beach Golf Links -- either to watch the tournament or to play the course -- here's a handy photo gallery of every hole.
The thing I love about Pebble Beach is the rhythm of the routing. The host of five U.S. Opens starts simple, roars along the rocky shore in the middle of the round and then relaxes before climaxing again at the par-5 18th hole.
The flow and diversity of the holes along the cliffs of the front nine is particularly impressive. Not many realize how dramatically uphill the par-5 sixth hole climbs. The tiny par-3 seventh hole plays simple until weather and wind show up. The cliff-top par-4 eighth hole mesmerizes everybody. The long par-4 ninth hole tends to dish out punishment.
Critics tend to diss the inland holes, although there are really no major design flaws. They simply wander along roads and mansions.
Pebble Beach, the work of the unheralded duo of Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, turns 100 years old in 2019. What a party that will be, celebrating one of golf's true masterpieces.