When designers Jack Neville and Douglas Grant saw Pebble Beach Golf Links open in 1919, they couldn’t have known that their creation would become one of the most lauded courses anywhere—and perhaps the greatest public course of all time.
A visual stunner that winds its way along Northern California’s rocky Monterey coast, Pebble Beach also has been a fantastic player and tournament venue since it first hosted the Monterey Peninsula Open in 1926.
Next year it’s hosting the 2010 U.S. Open Championship, and the Arnold Palmer Design Company has helped it get ready with a little facelift—not that it needed much.
“I didn’t try to change the golf course. I tried to make some additional things that would play better for the Open,” said Palmer. “We added a couple hundred yards. But you do need to respect the traditions of these great courses.”
In fact, APDC’s work is as much restoration as it is renovation, based largely on the original layout (though they did add a few surprises). The changes weren’t made willy nilly, either. They came after long consideration and planning, and not just by the design team.
Some years ago, the Pebble Beach Company’s Senior VP of Golf R.J. Harper presented Palmer with a few ideas for course improvements. Pebble Beach’s owners and board, which includes Palmer, the actor Clint Eastwood and business icon Peter Ueberroth, among others, discussed the proposed changes and the overall master plan. When Palmer brought the ideas to his team, the reaction was a mix of excitement and awe.
“He walked in with a set of plans and said, ‘I need some help with these plans, guys,’” remembers Thad Layton, an APDC architect. “[Architect] Dave Couch and I looked at each other and said, ‘This is going to be fun.’” The overall idea was to add a bit of length, in line with the modern game, and to restore the original designers’ intended flow of play by restoring the challenge.
Changes
Any other “rehab job” likely wouldn’t have received the same amount of excitement, but Pebble Beach is iconic and it pushed the designers to plan carefully before any shovels went into the ground.
“We were googly eyed about it,” says Layton. “Digging up some old photos from the early 1900s of the golf course, it looks a lot different than it does today. It got a bit rounded off over time. The old black-and-white photos are really flamboyant, really splashy. We tried to inject a little of that old character back into it and bring it up to today’s standards in terms of length.”
The most significant changes were done on holes 6 and 18, on which the ocean was brought more into play with strategic placement of bunkers and Cypress trees. On 6 specifically, the large fairway bunker at the lower landing area was replaced with five new bunkers that shift the landing area towards the ocean. On the iconic 18, two Cypress trees and a fairway bunker were added in the landing area, which forces longer hitters to aim left towards the Pacific.
“I just got to play a few weeks ago, and I hadn’t seen a lot of the changes; It’s a lot tougher than the last time I played,” said Sally Dodge, an LPGA Master Pro (and Pebble Beach Golf Links’ first female assistant pro) who’s been at the course for 33 years. “They’ve got a lot more places where you have to stay out of trouble. On 15 they added a lot of bunkers, and on 6… They’ve done a lot all over. It’s really toughened the course up.”
And how’s this going to affect the 2010 U.S. Open? “It’s going to be pretty spectacular,” she says.
When all’s said and done, four greens and 16 bunkers were rebuilt, altered or installed; 11 tees received enhancements; six holes had trees added or adjusted; and the total course length was extended to 7,014 yards.
“Our goal has been to strengthen Pebble Beach for today’s player, while maintaining its timelessness,” said Palmer of the changes. “I believe we have accomplished this goal with the many improvements made over these past few years.”
Notable Moments
Players of years past would probably agree with Palmer—and the course certainly has posed a challenge. The best evidence of that may have been Tiger Woods’ incredible U.S. Open win in 2000—he was the only player in the field to shoot below par, scoring 65-69-71-67 to tie the Open record with 272. His 12-under-par total was 15 shots better than the joint runners-up, Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez, and the largest margin of victory ever recorded in a major championship.
In contrast, the 1926 Monterey Peninsula Open—the very first tournament at Pebble Beach—was won by Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper of Texas with a score of 293. The first major came in 1929 with the U.S. Amateur. Defending champ Bobby Jones would have made it three Amateur titles in a row had he won, but a Minnesotan named Harrison Johnson had other ideas. (“Three U.S. Amateurs in a row” wouldn’t happen until Tiger Woods finally did it in 1996.)
The 2000 U.S. Open was the fourth to be hosted by Pebble Beach, which also hosted the 1977 PGA Championship. Additionally, since 1947 the course has been one of the venues for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (formerly known as the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am or the “Clam Bake”), while The Champions Tour Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach comes here in September.
Tiger Woods pictured during his 15-shot victory in the 100th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links
Today
With the changes made by APDC over the last few years, there’s no question the 2010 U.S. Open should be an interesting one to watch. Furthermore, everyday golfers who visit this beautiful property should find the alterations as pleasing as the pros that take it on. As Mr. Palmer himself put it: “Pebble Beach is a national treasure to the game of golf. I am proud to have had a hand in preparing it for the 2010 U.S. Open and for all golfers who come to Pebble Beach to enjoy its many challenges. ”
Stay and Play
For the true Pebble Beach experience, we recommend you don’t just rush in, play the course, and leave. Rather, take your time to appreciate the natural beauty of this marvelous golf setting. Pebble Beach seems to have its own unique light, and the best way to capture the full spectrum is to stay on site for two or three days—experiencing dawn, sunset and everything in-between. Naturally there is a range of accommodation on offer as well as a variety of courses to play. Our favorite is the The Lodge at Pebble Beach; it boasts a truly glorious ocean-side setting and, despite its grand and stately architecture, manages to get the balance between relaxed and elegant just right. Exquisite dining, excellent service and spacious guest rooms all add up to an unforgettable experience.
Casa Palmero is to be found along the first and second fairways. Comprising 24 spacious rooms and suites amongst verdant landscaped grounds, this elegant Mediterranean-style enclave offers the ultimate in modern comforts. At the authentically restored main house, guests enjoy a luxurious living room, library, billiard room, heated outdoor pool, and complimentary evening refreshments in the bar and lounge.
The last option is the largest: The Inn at Spanish Bay is set amongst groves of tall Monterey pines and offers golfers and holidaymakers alike 269 rooms and a whole host of facilities. We thoroughly recommend all three. Do visit www.pebblebeach.com for further information, rates and packages.
What’s New?
A hole-by-hole look at Pebble Beach Golf Links’ improvements in preparation for the 2010 U.S. Open
Hole #1
Rebuilt #1 green to USGA Specifications and enlarged by 700 sq.ft.
Extended left greenside bunker to wrap the length
of the green
Split right greenside bunker into two bunkers
Hole #2
Added new championship tee (15 yards)
Planted trees to create a narrow chute for the second shot just prior to the barranca bunker
Extended last right-hand side fairway bunker into landing area
Rebuilt green to USGA specifications
Pinched front two bunkers into approach area to create
a smaller opening from the fairway
Installed a fairway bunker on left-hand side of fairway near landing area
Hole #3
Rebuilt green to USGA specifications and enlarged
by 200 sq. ft.
Tent Pad renovations—lowering and re-grading
Installed Cypress trees along left side of the dogleg
Added new championship tee (15 yards)
Installed three new fairway bunkers along right side
of the fairway
Hole #4
Planned changes to fairway bunkers—flip pot bunker towards coastline and add a bunker upper left of landing area in the fairway
Hole #5
Installed Seawall to protect the entire green
Lengthened championship tee by 10 yards and rebuild all teeing surfaces
Hole #6
Added new fairway bunker 75 yards short of the green on the left side of the second shot landing area
Removed large bunker at lower fairway landing area and install five new bunkers along the left side
Hole #7
Rebuilt entire tee complex and move cart path out of line of sight
Hole #8
Added upper tee surface
Hole #9
Added new championship tee—50 yards total since 2000
Hole #10
Planned change to add a new championship tee—35-50 yards
Hole #11
Added a new championship tee—10 yards
Hole #12
No changes
Hole #13
Planned change to add a new championship tee
Hole #14
Installed two bunkers along the left side of the fairway to pinch the landing area
Installed one bunker along the right side of the fairway to pinch the landing area
Rebuilt and lowered teeing area
Planted one large Cypress on right side of the fairway 100 yards out from the green to pinch the landing area
Hole #15
Removed roadway (Live Oak Meadow Road) in front of teeing area
Rebuilt green to USGA specifications
Installed five new bunkers along the left side of the fairway, which includes a pot bunker placed 10 yards in the fairway, all near the landing area
Planted Cypress trees along right-hand side of fairway
Hole #16
Rebuilt teeing grounds
Planted three large Cypress trees (two before the barranca bunker to create a chute towards the green and one near the bridge to create a true dogleg on the hole)
Hole #17
Enlarged tee complex
New path and hedge replacement on right side of the hole
Hole #18
Replaced big pine in front of the green with a large Cypress tree
Installed one fairway bunker along the right side of the landing area near trees in the fairway
Replaced two trees in the fairway and adjusted them towards green to protect new landing area—20 yards
Seawall fairway bunker expansion