Is dad a golfer? Father’s Day is coming up, and this year instead of giving him more BBQ gear or another tie, how about indulging his passion at one of several of the best golf courses in the country: the golf courses at Pebble Beach.
Ah, Pebble Beach. Some of the best golf courses in the country.Click To TweetSituated on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula, Pebble Beach is a small coastal resort community in central California. Some people are mistakenly under the impression that “Pebble Beach” is a single golf course, but there are actually several beautiful courses.
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Golf Digest rated Pebble Beach Golf Links as the Greatest Public Golf Course in America. This beautiful 18 hole, par 72 course has been the site for some of golf’s most prestigious tournaments, including the annual AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and five U.S. Open Championships including the 2010 U.S. Open. The U.S. Open will be returning to Pebble Beach for the sixth time in 2019.
The Links at Spanish Bay
Spanish Bay was designed after the original Scottish concept for the game of golf, established over five hundred years ago. The golf course provides you with the choice of using your regular shot or a low, running shot to play the firm turf while keeping the ball under the steady ocean breezes. The Links at Spanish Bay were also built with a deep respect for environmental preservation, designating certain “environmentally sensitive” areas where drops are allowed outside of these areas to help preserve the native plants, birds and animals that make this course so special. Every evening, a bagpiper closes this 18 hole, 72 par course in Scottish tradition.
Spyglass Hill
This 18 hole 72 par course is rated one of the toughest in the world. It has a course rating of 75.5 and a slope rating of 147. The PGA TOUR consistently lists Spyglass Hill’s holes 6, 8 and 16 among the toughest on the TOUR, and during the 1999 United States Amateur, the stroke average of the field during medal play was in excess of 79. That’s tough!
The course features two distinctly different kinds of terrain that influence the way the holes look and play. The first five holes roll through sandy seaside dunes, challenging you to carefully pick the safest path. The following 13 holes are cut through majestic pines with elevated greens and strategically placed bunkers and lakes to grab the errant shot. Hole names such as “Black Dog” and “Billy Bones” are hints for the unwary.
Del Monte
Del Monte Golf Course is the oldest course in continuous operation west of the Mississippi. This inland course opened in 1897 and its meandering layout has challenged golfers for more than a century. Del Monte Golf Course features wide fairways lined with oak, pine and cypress trees and the back nine includes a treacherous par-5, 512-yard 13th hole. The first California State Amateur was hosted here and Del Monte continues to serve as one of three courses on which the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational is played. Here’s a great article on Del Monte from PebbleBeach.com
Peter Hay Golf Course
Peter Hay is the only 9-hole par-3 golf course open to the public on the Monterey Peninsula. This course is right across the street from Pebble Beach Golf Links and is popular with golfers of all skill levels. This is a particularly great course if your children are learning to play the game.
Poppy Hills
Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill, Peter Hay and Del Monte are all owned by Pebble Beach Company, but Poppy Hills was the first course to be owned and operated by a golf association in the United States. The Northern California Golf Association built Poppy Hills to serve as its headquarters and tournament home. Formerly named The Hilltop Course, this 18 hole 71 par course originally opened June 1, 1986 and was recently renovated and renamed. Focusing on water conservation, the renovated course is firm, fast and fun and runs through the stunning Del Monte Forest.
There are private courses located at Pebble Beach as well: The Cypress Point Club and the private Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s two courses, the Dunes Course and the Shore Course.
While the fees to play at some of these courses are a higher than average price point, it is well worth it. From the beautiful design of the courses, to the magnificent scenery, there is nothing quite like Pebble Beach.
Do you play golf? Where is your favorite course?
Photos credits: PebbleBeach.com, PoppyHill
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