where is pebble beach golf course

david tomsJanuary 25, 2023

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Contents

History[edit]
Tournaments[edit]
Scorecard[edit]
Nabisco Championship[edit]
U.S. Opens[edit]
Major tournaments hosted[edit]
Controversy over further golf course development[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Related article

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Club information
The 7th hole in 2005
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Coordinates	36°34′07″N 121°57′02″W / 36.56861°N 121.95056°W Coordinates:36°34′07″N 121°57′02″W / 36.56861°N 121.95056°W
Location	Pebble Beach, California, U.S.
Established	1919; 103 years ago
Type	Public
Owned by	Pebble Beach Co.
Operated by	Pebble Beach Co.
Total holes	18
Events hosted	U.S. Open(1972,1982,1992,2000,2010,2019) PGA Championship(1977) AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (1947–present) PURE Insurance Championship(2004–present)
Greens	Poa annua
Fairways	Winter ryegrass
Website	www.pebblebeach.com
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Designed by	Jack Neville and Douglas Grant(1919)Arnold Palmer&Thad Layton(2016 renovation)
Par	72 (71 – U.S. Open)
Length	7,075 yards (6,469 m)
Course rating	75.5 (U.S. Open)
Slope rating	145

Pebble Beach Golf Linksis a publicgolf courseon thewest coast of the United States, located inPebble Beach, California.

Regarded byTravel and Leisureblog as one of the world’s most beautiful courses,[1]It follows the rough shoreline and provides expansive views ofCarmel Bay, opening to thePacific Oceanon the south side of theMonterey Peninsula. In 2001, it became the first public course to be selected as the No. 1 Golf Course in America byGolf DigestGreens fees are among the most expensive in the world, at$In 2018, the round price was $525 (with a $40 cart charge or a $92.50 caddy fee for non-resort visitors).

The Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of four courses owned by the Pebble Beach Golf Association.Pebble Beach Company, which also runs three hotels and a spa on the property. The other courses are The Links at Spanish Bay,Spyglass Hill Golf Course, andDel MonteGolf Course.

ThePGA TourandPGA Tour Championsplay annual events at Pebble Beach,AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Amand theFirst Tee Open. It has hosted sevenmen’s major championships: sixU.S. Opensand aPGA Championship. It also hosted the 1988 Nabisco Championship, now known as theTour Championship, the PGA Tour’s season-ending tournament. World-renowned, the course is included in many golf video games, such as theLinksseries and theTiger Woods PGA Tourseries.

History[edit]

The course began as part of the complex of theHotel del Monte, a resort hotel inMonterey, California, built byCharles Crocker, one of the California’sBig Fourrailroad barons, throughSouthern Pacific Railroad‘s property division,Pacific Improvement Company.[2]The hotel first opened on June 10, 1880.[2]The famous17-Mile Drivewas initially intended as a local excursion route for Del Monte guests to see the historic attractions of Monterey andPacific Groveand the scenery of what would become Pebble Beach.[3]

Jack Neville and Douglas Grant created the course.[4]and was inaugurated on February 22, 1919. On the opposite side of the Monterey Peninsula, Neville created the back nine at Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Course. His goal was to plant as many holes as he could along the rugged and scenic Monterey coast line.[5]This was accomplished using a “figure 8” layout.

The course was extensively revised in 1928 by H. Chandler Egan. Among the other architects that have worked on the course areAlistair MacKenziein addition to Robert Hunter (1927) and Jack Nicklaus (creation of the new fifth hole, 1998).[6]

On February 27, 1919,Samuel Finley Brown Morsefounded the Del Monte Properties Company and purchased the Pacific Improvement Company’s large properties, which included theDel Monte Forest, the Del Monte Lodge and the Hotel Del Monte.[7][8](After World War II, the Hotel del Monte structure and grounds were purchased by theUnited States Navyto itsNaval Postgraduate SchoolHerrmann Hall was renamed as a result.) Golf Course Histories has an aerial comparison of the changes to the course, notably the 17th hole, from 1938 to 2014.[9]

The course was purchased by a group of Japanese businessmen amid the early 1990s boom in foreign investment in American real estate. The deal, however, sparked controversy when it was revealed that one of the investors had apparent links to Japanese organized crime. It was subsequently purchased by another set of Japanese businessmen before being sold some years later to the Pebble Beach Co.

Tournaments[edit]

The Monterey Peninsula Open, with a $5,000 prize, was the inaugural professional event at Pebble Beach in 1926.“Lighthorse” Harry Cooperof Texas won with a 72-hole score of 293 (+5).[10]In 1929, Pebble hosted its first major—theU.S. Amateur.[11]Amatch playevent, it was won byJimmy Johnstonof Minnesota, whileBobby JonesHe tied for first place in the stroke play qualification but lost in the first round againstJohnny Goodman.

Pebble Beach started its stint as one of the host courses for the US Open in 1947.Bing CrosbyNational Pro-Am competition, formerly known as the “Clam Bake,” and currently known as theAT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The tournament is held annually, usually in February, and is an unusual four-round tournament. The final round on Sunday is played at Pebble Beach, but the first three rounds of pro-am play are contested inround-robinformat at Pebble Beach and two other courses—at the momentSpyglass Hill Golf CourseandMonterey Peninsula Country Club, Shores Course.[12]

Scorecard[edit]

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Tee	Rating/Slope	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
2019 U.S. Open	75.9 / 148	380	516	404	331	195	523	109	428	526	3412	495	390	202	445	580	397	403	208	543	3663	7075
Par		4	4	4	4	3	5	3	4	4	35	4	4	3	4	5	4	4	3	5	36	71
Blue	75.1 / 145	377	511	390	326	192	506	106	427	481	3316	446	373	201	403	572	396	401	177	543	3512	6828
Gold	73.4 / 138	346	460	374	307	142	496	98	400	460	3083	429	349	187	391	560	377	376	170	532	3371	6454
White	72.0 / 135	332	428	334	295	130	467	94	373	435	2888	409	340	179	372	548	340	368	163	509	3228	6116
Par		4	5	4	4	3	5	3	4	4	36	4	4	3	4	5	4	4	3	5	36	72
SI		8	10	12	16	14	2	18	6	4		7	5	17	9	1	13	11	15	3
Red	71.5 / 131	309	360	282	253	112	387	90	361	333	2487	341	303	165	289	436	313	309	148	458	2762	5249

Source:[13]

Nabisco Championship[edit]

Year	Winner	Country	Score	Purse ($)	Winner’s share ($)
1988	Curtis Strange	United States	279 (−9)	2,000,000	360,000

U.S. Opens[edit]

Pebble Beach has hosted the U.S. Open six times:1972,1982,1992,2000,2010, and2019and is scheduled a seventh time in 2027.[14]

1972[edit]

The U.S. Open was first held at Pebble Beach in1972, won byJack Nicklaus, who captured his 11thmajorProfessional title (of an eventual 18). It was a historically important win, as Nicklaus tiedBobby JonesJones was a lifelong amateur who won 13 major tournaments, including the U.S. Open.British Open,U.S. Amateur, andBritish Amateur. Nicklaus won the U.S. Amateur twice, in 1959 (Broadmoor,Colorado) and 1961 (Pebble Beach).

In 1972, Nicklaus won with one of the most iconic golf strokes of all time.[15]He arrived at the 17th tee facing deteriorating weather and a brisk wind on the challenging par-3 hole. Nicklaus hit a 1-iron.ironIt bounced once and collided with the flagstick before coming to rest near to the cup for a tap-inbirdie.

Two months earlier, Nicklaus had won theMastersto become the first in a dozen years (Arnold Palmerin1960) to win golf’s first two major titles of the season. At theBritish OpenNicklaus earned a final-round 66 in July to finish second, one stroke behind.Lee Trevino, ending hisGrand Slamrun in1972(Palmer also missed a third consecutive major by one shot at the1960 British Open.) Until 2017, only one golfer had won the Masters, US Open, and British Open all in the same calendar year: Tiger Woods.Ben Hoganin1953.

Nicklaus also won the Crosby tournaments in 1972 and 1973, and before in 1967, on each side of the Open.

1982[edit]

Nicklaus was also a key player in1982Pebble Beach. On Sunday’s front nine, Nicklaus scored five consecutive birdies on holes 3 through 7, finishing ahead of the last group tied for the lead. The 17th hole was once again the location of one of golf’s most famous shots, as it was in 1972. The final batch includes future Hall of FamerTom WatsonOn the par-3 17th, he hit his tee shot only a few feet off the green, into heavy rough that had grown quite tall and deep, as is typical of USGA Open playing conditions. His succeeding pitch was from above the hole; he needed to strike the ball firmly to get the ball out of the rough, but such an aggressive attack would likely leave a long comeback putt to save par, unless hit perfectly. Nicklaus sounded confident in a live television interview immediately after Watson’s poor tee shot, and given the difficulties of Watson’s forthcoming pitch shot.

Watson was apparently equally confident. He and his companionBruce EdwardsEdwards urged him to bring the ball close while he planned the shot. “Close, heck, I’m going to sink it,” Watson answered. The pitch was superb, landing gently and rolling into the cup. Watson went jubilantly onto the green and said, “I told you so,” to Edwards. He subsequently birdied the difficult par-5 18th hole for a two-shot victory in his sole US Open triumph. Watson has previously won the Crosby tournaments at Pebble Beach in 1977 and 1978.

During the following winter, a storm eroded portions of the 17th green and 18th tee box into the Pacific Ocean. Despite being reconstructed, the exact location where Watson hit his famouschip shotno longer exists.[16]

1992[edit]

The1992With sunny sky and stiff breezes on the weekend, the event was one of the most challenging ever played at Pebble Beach. Only two players finished under par: the winner and the runner-up.Tom Kiteat 285 (-3) and runner-upJeff Slumanat 287 (-1).Gil MorganEarly in the third round, he was 12 under par, but he gradually slipped behind. Kite was a top-ten player on tour in the 1980s, with 19 top-ten finishes in majors prior to 1992. He was the finest golfer of his era without a major until he won at Pebble Beach at the age of 42.

This competition was particularly significant for being the last par-72 course in the US Open, with no converted par 5s until 2017.Erin Hills, which was built in 1998, played as a par-72. It also commemoratedPhil Mickelson‘s first major as a professional.

2000[edit]

Perhaps looking for a special place to host in2000, theUSGAPebble Beach was chosen to host the first US Open of the century and the 100th edition of the event. In some respects, this Open was even tougher than the 1992 contest, with only one player finishing under par – championTiger WoodsWoods tied a U.S. Open record with 272 and established a U.S. Open record by completing 12 under par, nearing Morgan’s mark during the final round but making no bogeys to finish 15 strokes clear of equal runners-up.Miguel Ángel JiménezandErnie Els– the greatest margin of victory in a major event, breaking the 13-shot mark established byOld Tom Morrisat the1862 Open ChampionshipatPrestwick.

Woods’ first U.S. Open title and third career major also marked the beginning of hisnon-calendar year “Tiger Slam”since he also won the three majors that followed to hold all four major championships at the same time (in sequence, the2000 Open Championshipat theOld Course at St Andrews, the2000 PGA ChampionshipatValhallaand the2001 MastersatAugusta National). It also made Woods the first to win theU.S. Junior Amateur,U.S. Amateurand the US Open. This was also Jack Nicklaus’ 44th consecutive and final U.S. Open, as well as the last for two-time championCurtis Strange.

The 18th hole also featured a tribute on the eve of the event.Payne Stewart, who had wonthe previous year’s tournamentatPinehurst No. 2but then died in a plane crash in October at the age of 42. Tracey Stewart, Stewart’s widow, and Payne’s friend and fellow professional were among those who spoke.Paul AzingerWhile Stewart’s caddie Mike Hicks and other pros who later played in the event, including as Mickelson, were there,David Duval,Davis Love III,Tom Lehman,Lee JanzenandSergio García. The ceremony finished with golf shots being fired into Stillwater Cove.21-gun salute. García also wore Stewart’s trademark navyplus foursDuring his first round, Nicklaus was paired with Stewart, the reigning champion, in the usual pairings.Open ChampionshipwinnerPaul Lawrieand U.S. Amateur winnerDavid Gossettand requested a minute of silence in Stewart’s honor before his first tee shot.[17][18]

2010[edit]

Graeme McDowellwon in2010by one stroke overGrégory Havret.Ernie Elsfinished third, with Woods andPhil Mickelsonin a tie for fourth. McDowell, fromNorthern Ireland, became the firstEuropeanto win the U.S. Open inforty years. In his last U.S. Open, 1982 champion Watson at age 60 became the second-oldest player to make a U.S. Open cut (afterSam Snead, age 61 in1973), and finished tied for 29th.

2019[edit]

Gary Woodlandwon in2019by three strokes overBrooks Koepka. Woodland prevented Koepka from becoming the first golfer in over 100 years to win three consecutive U.S. Opens. In his last amateur competition,Viktor Hovlandfinished 12th in a tie. With a 4-under total of 280, Hovland broke Jack Nicklaus’ U.S. Open scoring total for an amateur.[19]Nicklaus shot 282 over four rounds atCherry Hills Country Clubin1960.

Major tournaments hosted[edit]

Year	Tournament	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s) Up	Winner’s share ($)
1929	U.S. Amateur	Jimmy Johnston	Match play		4 and 3	Oscar Willing	n/a
1940	U.S. Women’s Amateur	Betty Jameson	Match play		6 and 5	Jane S. Cothran	n/a
1947	U.S. Amateur	Skee Riegel	Match play		2 and 1	Johnny Dawson	n/a
1948	U.S. Women’s Amateur(2)	Grace Lenczyk	Match play		4 and 3	Helen Sigel	n/a
1961	U.S. Amateur	Jack Nicklaus	Match play		8 and 6	Dudley Wysong	n/a
1972	U.S. Open	Jack Nicklaus	290	+2	3 strokes	Bruce Crampton	30,000
1977	PGA Championship	Lanny Wadkins	282	−6	Playoff^	Gene Littler	45,000
1982	U.S. Open	Tom Watson	282	−6	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus	60,000
1992	U.S. Open	Tom Kite	285	−3	2 strokes	Jeff Sluman	275,000
1999	U.S. Amateur	David Gossett	Match play		9 and 8	Kim Sung-yoon	n/a
2000	U.S. Open	Tiger Woods	272	−12	15 strokes	Ernie Els Miguel Angel Jimenez	800,000
2010	U.S. Open	Graeme McDowell	284	E	1 stroke	Grégory Havret	1,350,000
2018	U.S. Amateur(5)	Viktor Hovland	Match play		6 and 5	Devon Bling	n/a
2019	U.S. Open (6)	Gary Woodland	271	−13	3 strokes	Brooks Koepka	2,250,000
2023	U.S. Women’s Open	scheduled[14][20]
2027	U.S. Open
2032	U.S. Open
2035	U.S. Women’s Open
2037	U.S. Open
2040	U.S. Women’s Open
2044	U.S. Open
2048	U.S. Women’s Open

^ Sudden-death playoff, won on third extra hole

Majors were par 72 until 1992, and par 71 after since (2nd hole changed to par 4 in 2000)

Controversy over further golf course development[edit]

The Pebble Beach Company’s planned new golf course expansion has sparked ongoing debate between recreational interests and environmental conservation.[21]The new golf course concept has existed in some form since the early 1990s, while environmental concerns concentrate on the possible harm to the ecosystem.rareandendangered speciesat this location. The Pebble Beach Company agreed to leave 635 acres of forest area on the Pebble Beach property undeveloped.[22]