Review: Pebble Beach Golf Links Beyond The Contour

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Given the high-profile nature of Pebble Beach Golf Links, it becomes difficult to present this review as anything other than a typical walkthrough of one of the three most famous golf courses in the world (alongside Augusta National and The Old Course). However, my first and only round at Pebble Beach in December 2023 left a lot to be uncovered by being on property. Sure, hundreds of rounds on my Playstation or Trackman, and the numerous US Open’s and the regular occurrence of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am yearly on the TOUR meant I knew ~roughly what I was getting into. Yet, the old Jack Neville and Douglas Grant design unveiled enough to make me compelled to write a good ‘ol fashioned review.

This opening hole, to such an esteemed golf course, is one that leaves quite a bit to be desired. In truth, it would be among the least exciting holes of any Top 20 golf course in America. A simple tee shot, with less-than-driver to the corner of this sub-400 yard par 4 from the back tees is a fairly mundane opening shot.

I did appreciate the approach shot’s difficulty given the short nature of the hole. Bailing out left off the tee means a longer shot, while everyone plays from a right-handed hanging lie. The greens at Pebble are notoriously small, and this one lives up the hype: not a lot of room for missing, but if you ought to miss, dumping it in the bunker right is the best play. I found this green to be relatively mush, but the back portion features a bit of interest.

Much is made about the dichotomy between the oceanside and inland holes at Pebble Beach, notably the sharp contrast in quality. Granted, it would be difficult for any golf course or property to follow up the stretch from the 4th through the 10th, but the 2nd is a standout inland. At 509 yards, this hole is a converted par 4 for the US Open, but for resort guests, a short par 5 awaits.

What TV won’t show you is the severity of this fairway, which slopes pretty hard towards the ocean on the right. Ideally, one aims at the right edge of the left bunker and gravity will take the ball to the centre. In my group, two people landed at the right edge of the right greenside bunkers (above) with a slight fade and they ended up in the bunkers on the right—cool!

For those laying up, it is a relatively straightforward shot as long as you play short of the (great hazard? Barranca?) trench running east-west on the line of play about 100 yards from the green.

Said trench from the layup area. The two cypress trees left and right make it a very precise layup, something I feel is missed in the modern game.

At 397 yards, the 3rd was the hole I was most curious about given how awkward it is on Trackman. A sharp dogleg left tumbling down the hill towards the ocean across that same trench/barranca, I found this to be a thrilling golf hole and woefully overlooked against the ocean holes. The tee shot tempts the golfer to smash it over the trees if possible, but if not, out to the right and having a hard approach shot from a very difficult downhill right-handed hook lie awaits.

What you have to negotiate with off the tee:

A fairly straightforward approach shot, if not for the difficult lie under the golfer’s feat awaits.

The 4th is the start of a brilliant stretch of oceanside golf, with the Pacific Ocean flanking the entire stretch from the 4th-10th on the right side. The 333 yard two-shot hole is shockingly uphill in person, and probably one of the biggest surprises against the preconceived notions of Pebble Beach prior to playing.

One thing that was disappointing is the mow lines following the US Women’s Open, which have been brought in from the left so that left pot-ish bunker is not a centreline bunker. The entire strategy of the hole benefits those playing out to the right closer to the ocean with the green canted to the right, but losing that fairway feels like a big miss. Nonetheless, a classy hole with a very uphill approach shot tough to control in the coastal winds.

Decent view from here, too:

The 189 yard par 3, 5th is a new Jack Nicklaus par 3, where the old hole played more directly towards the 6th tee. Essentially, you would play away from the ocean, rather than parallel to it as you do now. There are reverse redan elements, but I found this to be a bit of a letdown par 3 given how small the green is.

It is obviously an improvement over the old product… until you have to walk back to the 6th tee. However! The old hole looks rather, vanilla, so I can appreciate Jack’s interest in creating something unique, and I do think it has its own individualistic identity within the set of one-shot holes.

Beginning with the 498 yard par 5, 6th, the stretch ending at the 10th is likely the singular best four-hole stretch in golf. If it isn’t, I cannot wait to find it! When I played, the tee shot was slightly botched given the new mow lines make the ocean a long way right, but I was a bit surprised how narrow the chute between the bunkers and the Pacific was. A difficult tee shot, and one you NEED to get in the fairway.

TV cameras and video games do not do this second shot justice. It is so severely uphill it is hard to believe in person, and is a true thrill to hit in person. Hit and hope!

Here is a picture for scale of two average sized men:

The open nature of the green and the ground welcomes the running shot, meaning those going for it have the thrill of getting home in two looming over them with a good approach (if they can get it over the cliff).

The 107 yard par 3, 7th, in all its glory:

One thing about Pebble Beach that is somewhat of an annoyance is the green complexes. While they are small and that’s cool, there is very little contour in them, meaning a majority of the putts on any round are primarily flat. The same issue is prevalent at Bethpage Black, where the layout is absolutely awesome, but the green complexes are rather mundane and dare I say boring. If you expanded them out 20% and added a bit more contour in the spirit of the original golf course, I suspect Pebble would jump back into the Top 10 in the United States… likely where it belongs and should get back to.

At 416 yards, the 8th is a beefy golf hole given the forced layup of about 250 or so yards from the back tee. This is a difficult tee shot to figure out where to go, I know I had no idea. I hit it over the corner of the fescue on the left and was in the middle of the fairway, but with proper mow lines, the eye gets pulled pretty far right.

The approach to the 8th, as difficult as cool as advertised… and quite downhill.

For those laying up or unable to make it on the direct route, there is room left to bail out. The price of admission is worth it alone for this singular hole. Sublime!

A cool look back shows how dramatic the approach shot is:

The ninth hole is an absolute terror-infused 483 yards, with a very severe fairway waiting balls that land in the fairway. Anything between the bunkers on the left of the 9th fairway and the left edge of the bunkers in the distance at the 10th is a great line. Like the 6th and 8th, getting the ball in the fairway is paramount to the success of playing this hole properly. There are few golf courses that demand such accuracy, and the rough was not long!

From a right-handed hanging downhill lie, this is among the more difficult approach shots you will ever hit. That ocean might be out to the right, but it is MUCH more in play than it looks.

I wish I would have played the 444 yard par 4, 10th from the original tee down on the right, but I suspect that is likely frowned upon. Regardless, the 10th’s fairway is severely sloped to the right, rewarding a tee shot just right of the bunkers up the left. Another spectacular hole, but a (very) small step down against the 8th and 9th.

Another difficult approach from the consistent hanging lie, though this one has a bit of room to run the ball in, at least for those who challenge the ocean up the right.

I suggest taking a look back from behind the 10th green to admire the stretch of coastline golf you just played.

There is a fair amount of discourse about the merits of the 370 yard par 4, 11th and how it follows the stretch of golf along the coast, but I actually enjoyed this hole. Most great golf courses are anything but prototypical, and the 11th is that unusual spice that makes it what it is. A tee shot left of the mansion is ideal. For those keeping track, this is the third blind tee shot in four holes—I, for one, love the funk!

The severe uphill nature of the hole continues on the approach shot, and also plays to a severe back-to-front green. Finally, a green that makes me feel something!

The 12th is an abysmal 202 yard par 3. Playing slightly downhill, this… THIS, is the letdown after a pretty brilliant stretch of golf. I am not certain now anyone over a 3 index plays this hole, but good on you if you can. The green is likely too small and the sand splash coming from the bunker short left makes it borderline impossible to get it close without a 130 foot apex.

I loved the 401 yard par 4, 13th, another severe fairway but the first hole since the 3rd that it features a right-handed hook lie. I enjoyed the green here as well, with the back right portion being pretty demanding but the opening in the front allowing the higher-handicap to get it close. Anyways, from the back tee, getting it over the bunker jutting in on the left is not a cakewalk, so I imagine if the wind was different I would have to play out right and let the slope funnel the ball around the bunker.

A pretty neat, yet demanding uphill approach with everything dramatically sloping towards the Pacific Ocean on the left.

The 14th is a bit of a slog at 559 yards, turning uphill and to the right around the course’s boundary. The tee shot is unusual: unlike the 9th or 11th, where the achievement is simply avoiding choas on the opening swing, there are bunkers littering the landing area, meaning repeat plays are probably preferred to be able to figure out the exact line.

The aforementioned bunkers:

Good for you if you can get home in two here, most can;t, meaning this layup is rather lame.

The cypress tree on the right was a surprise, pushing most to the left of the fairway meaning the massive greenside bunker short left comes into play more. Kinda neat in that respect, but if you can get it down far enough, it doesn’t really matter. Even from the right, the false front right of the greenside bunker is equally as difficult.

I have a lot of time for the 393 yard par 4, 15th, a very fun tee shot to slam down the hillside with the bunkering up the left lingering.

The bunkering does make this a fairly difficult tee shot, but getting it down far enough means it likely won’t matter too much. I wonder if anyone has ever gotten into the greenside bunkers with their tee shots… I was about 65 yards from the front edge, and there are much longer players than me. I asked the two caddies in my group but they didn’t know. Someone call Kyle Birkshire!

The approach is relatively straightforward, but this is a subtle, good green.

I also loved the 400 yard par 4, 16th, which was likely the inland hole I was most excited to see prior to playing. Anything left of the Cypress Tree centre frame is ideal. The fairway does pinch pretty aggressively, so three wood or even less might be the play if it was firmer.

This approach shot is gorgeous, splitting the two cypress trees with some pretty artistic bunkering short.

If anything, I felt the famed 182 yard penultimate hole at Pebble Beach to be a slight letdown, mostly held up by history and its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. I think it’s a ~fine golf hole, but nothing more really. In general, the par 3’s at Pebble Beach are shockingly weak considering the status of the golf course, with only the 7th being a standout and largely off its location, not off its architectural merits.

The green’s shape was cool though!

The 18th was anything but a disappointment however, and a worthy finish to any golf course (but especially Pebble Beach). Credit where its due, English architect Herbert Strong extended the hole by some 200 yards, turning it into the par 5 it is today. At 541 yards, the hole is just reachable enough that playing closer to the Pacific means you might stand a chance at getting greenside in two, but just long enough that bailing out right makes it a tougher three-shot hole.

Anything left of the tree is pretty good. Missing right means you have to negociate with it (like I had to).

The green is small, but I think a good tee shot would allow the chance to get home in two if you were aggressive up the left. The bunkering against the sea wall makes the layup pretty awkward, especially trying to avoid the tree overhanging the right bunkers.

Is Pebble the single best public golf course in the United States? Probably not in my mind. For starters, the green complexes, especially in contrast to a Pinehurst No. 2 or Pacific Dunes, are lacking and among the top 20 golf courses in America, likely the least interesting set around. With that being said, it might be the most exciting golf course I’ve played tee-to-green, and for that, Pebble still deserves the utmost recognition among the world of golf.

Lots has been made about the price of a green fee here, and more specifically, if it is worth it. AT $625 USD, I would say yes, but if the rumours are true about the $1,000 green fee in 2025, likely not at that rate, especially if I could, in theory, play all five golf courses in two days at Bandon for that price (first round full price, second round half, third round free).

With all that being said, Pebble Beach is still epic, but I wish Pebble Beach Company would explore a restoration to bring back some of the classic features lost. If that happened, who knows how high Pebble would rank… for now, I think it is on the outside of the top 10-15 looking in.

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