What It's Like to Play Pebble Beach Golf Links

The PGA Tour arrives at Pebble Beach this week after a stop-over at Torrey Pines in San Diego. By an extraordinary coincidence, on a trip to California in 2008 I played both courses.

Pebble Beach is one of the most iconic courses on the planet and I count myself incredibly fortunate to have played there. Like Torrey Pines, it is described as a public course. Let me tell you right off that it is like no other public golf course I have ever played.

Pebble Beach - A Public Golf Course Unlike Any Other

I grew up in Glasgow and played much of my early golf on municipal courses where you would bowl up, put your ball into a slide and patiently wait your turn. The tees would have next to no grass on them, the fairways were full of divot holes and the greens were like putting on the surface of the moon. You also ran the risk of some scallywags running on to the course and making off with your golf ball. And the green fee used to be the equivalent of about 25p. If you were lucky, you could get a cup of tea and a stale bacon sandwich.

Let’s just say that the Pebble Beach experience is a little different. If you want to play there now it will cost you in the region of $600. 

One of the big advantages of what I do for a living is that if I contact a golf club in advance and tell them I would like to review the course then I am treated like royalty, with the green fee waived. That did not happen at either Torrey Pines or Pebble Beach. I paid around $380 at PB, as it is known locally. It was a lot of money at the time - and it still is. But I did not begrudge a penny.

What Happens Before Your Round at Pebble Beach?

As you drive up to the club you are greeted with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean - a feature that also dominates this incredible course. And the clubhouse is a work of art, like no municipal clubhouse I have ever seen.

So once you have paid your money you get a pyramid of balls on the driving range - a state-of-the-art driving range, obviously. You also get a buggy with GPS, and and ice bucket filled with bottles of water.

And you get called on to the tee. If you haven’t played golf in the USA, one of the peculiarities you can look forward to is that if you turn up at any course on your own they will always partner you with another group. This in itself is an interesting experience. 

When I tackled Pebble Beach my handicap was seven. I was paired with two Californians who informed me that their handicaps were 10 and 11. I took one look at their swings and immediately doubted the voracity of the numbers they had given me. And I was right. 

Some American golfers have a lot of peculiar habits. If they find a ball in a lie that they don’t fancy they simply pick it up and place it. And if they hit a ball into thick rough they simply don’t look for it. Oh yes, and they are slow.

But not as slow as the field who will tackle this course during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. You can expect them to take the thick end of six hours to get round. We managed it in a funereal five hours. But the advantage to this is that it does give you plenty of time to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.

Everybody who plays at Pebble Beach gathers around the first tee in plenty of time, waiting for their names to be called. I am not going to lie to you - I was incredibly nervous. Right up to the moment when I watched the first group teeing off. Drives were topped and sliced all over the place. It is not pretty to watch but it does calm your nerves somewhat.

What's it Like to Play Pebble Beach?

So what is it like to play Pebble Beach? You always know you have played a special golf course when, 17 years later, you can remember not only specific holes but many of the shots you played.

To be frank, the opening hole is something of a disappointment. It is a 380-yard par four with buildings on both sides of the fairway. But at least it gives you a chance to play your way in.

The first of the truly memorable holes is the par four fourth. Slice your drive and you are in the Pacific Ocean, go too far left and you will end up in a bunker. Hit the middle of the fairway and you have an approach to a tiny green surrounded by three large bunkers. I somehow managed to get up and down from one of these traps to save my par. 

The fifth is a spectacular par three with the water to the right. Three bunkers on the right of the green will prevent most wayward shots from tumbling down the cliffs. I found a trap on the left and was left with a terrifying bunker shot to a green sloping away towards the ocean and thanked my blessings that I walked off with a bogey. 

What Are The Best Holes at Pebble Beach?

The seventh is a tiny par three played from an elevated tee and can call for anything from a six iron to a lob wedge, depending on wind strength. There was no wind when we got here and I hit a wedge to three feet - and holed the putt for my only birdie.

The 10th is another challenging par four. The ideal line is to the right but go too far right and you can wave goodbye to another ball - and that is exactly what happened to me. 

The 12th is a magnificent par three measuring around 200 yards depending upon which tee you play from. The real challenge here is that you need to hit the ball high to have any chance of stopping the ball on the green, which is protected by a cavernous bunker. I found the sand with my tee shot and, incredibly, nearly holed my bunker shot. A par to remember.

And then you come to the 17th and 18th, two of the best finishing holes in the world. 

The 17th is a par three played to an hourglass-shaped green surrounded by thick rough and seven bunkers, one of which is enormous - many club golfers could end up in there and never be seen again. I managed to find the heart of the green and two-putt for a par. 

The 18th hole is a masterpiece of a par five. On the day I played the tide was fully in and waves from the Pacific were crashing onto the fairway. You really don’t want to hook your drive here. There is also a tree on the right that can cause all sorts of problems with your second shot. As clear as day I remember hitting a perfect drive, nailing a three wood, hitting a wedge to eight feet and lipping out.

What a course and what a setting!

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