Famous Golf Courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links
A Concise Guide to Pebble Beach Golf Links, California, USA
Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California is one of the most iconic courses in golf history.
With every hole comes a new challenge and an amazing view that will keep your spirits high even after a bad shot.
Not only does each hole have its own history, but the course has been home to numerous historic tournaments that have shaped the golf world forever.
This article will discuss in greater detail the amazing holes on this course including some yardages, the most famous and historic events that took place here, and a little information about how you can even play there yourself!
Pebble Beach: Iconic Holes
When thinking of Pebble Beach a few holes immediately jump out, a par 5 just alongside the ocean with an elevated fairway and green, pictured above, an extremely short par 3 with waves splashing off the rocks just behind the green.
And of course, the long par 5 finishing hole that has the entire ocean off the left-hand side along the fairway.
These holes would be hole 6,7, and 18.
Hole 6
506-yard par-five with the elevated fairway sitting four stories above the lower green. You certainly do not want to thin a shot there!
Hole 7
The complete opposite, it is a 106-yard par 3 with the tee boxes about four stories above the hole. The green is surrounded by bunkers, and going long on this hole would put you into the Pacific Ocean!
The Pebble Beach website claims that aces have been made on this hole with clubs ranging from three iron to lob wedge, and it is the three iron shot that really confuses me.
However, that is one more ace than I have ever made
Hole 18
Finally, the course finishes with the iconic 18th hole a 543-yard par 5 with the water all along the left. This hole is an excellent way to close out a tournament because anything can happen.
Historic Tournaments at Pebble Beach
Speaking of tournaments, with such an amazing course, Pebble Beach has been the host of numerous golf tournaments throughout the years.
Most famous have been the six US Open championships that have been hosted there, most recently in 2019.
In 1972, the first year Pebble Beach hosted the US Open, Jack Nicklaus won his 11th major championship. In 1982 Tom Watson was the winner, in 1992 Tom Kite, in 2000 Tiger Woods (which we will discuss more), in 2010 Graeme McDowell, and in 2019 Gary Woodland. Let’s take a closer look into Tiger Woods’ victory in 2000.
Tiger Woods at the 2000 US Open
It was the year 2000, and the 100th anniversary of the US Open when Tiger Woods put on a show that will stand the test of time.
That week Tiger Woods set or broke nine, yes NINE, US Open records.
These records included:
The biggest lead after two rounds (six shots),
The biggest lead after three rounds (10 shots) and
The biggest lead after four rounds (15 shots).
The record for largest margin of victory in a major championship with 15 shots.
Tiger Woods destroyed the competition at Pebble Beach
Another astonishing feat was that he did not three-putt all week, in fact, he used only one putt on 34 out of 72 greens, or 47%! The tour average was only 36%!
One more amazing fact is that none of the other competitors broke par for the tournament, just Tiger Woods.
Even after the first day, the audience could tell this would be a historic tournament as he broke the lowest score ever shot at Pebble Beach during a US Open with a score of 65, six under par.
This performance still remains as the most dominant performance in both a major championship and any tournament in the history of golf.
How can I play at Pebble Beach?
Now with all this history and the iconic holes you may be wondering yourself, “Can I play at Pebble Beach?”
The answer is yes!
Pebble Beach is, in fact, a public golf course, but you will have to make reservations well in advance and at a steep price.
It costs $575 to play there if you are staying at the resort and $620 if you are not staying at the resort. It also costs an additional $95 for a caddie fee if you are interested.
It is up to you to decide how much you are willing to spend, how many golf balls you are willing to lose, and how confident you are in your abilities before playing this course.
I would love to play Pebble Beach one day, but right now the cost is simply way too high. I hope you learned something from this article and stay tuned for more information about historical courses just like this!
Pebble Beach - Course and Hole Yardage
| Hole | Yards | Par | Hole | Yards | Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 385 | 4 | 10 | 495 | 4 |
| 2 | 515 | 5 | 11 | 389 | 4 |
| 3 | 400 | 4 | 12 | 213 | 3 |
| 4 | 332 | 4 | 13 | 449 | 4 |
| 5 | 199 | 3 | 14 | 590 | 5 |
| 6 | 522 | 5 | 15 | 398 | 4 |
| 7 | 111 | 3 | 16 | 401 | 4 |
| 8 | 425 | 4 | 17 | 208 | 3 |
| 9 | 505 | 4 | 18 | 535 | 5 |
| 3394 | 36 | 3678 | 36 | ||
| 7072 | 72 |
