Playing Pebble Beach, A Riggsy Review

Hello friends. A few weeks ago I got the greatest email of all time: a friend had won a trip for four to the Monterey Peninsula to play Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill, and Pebble Beach. Their fourth had dropped out late — the spot was Riggsy’s if he wanted it.

He wanted it.

(I actually missed the original email, appalling for a self-proclaimed very-on-top-of-it email guy, but luckily a follow-up was sent. I frantically delivered an affirmative response and two weeks later was on a flight to California.)

It was my first time there. California is nice.

I played Pebble Beach for the first time and this is what it was like.

We actually played Pebble twice. The first time was a spontaneous twilight, not guaranteed to finish 2:50 tee time in which we played 17 and 18 in the dark. The second was a 9 AM the following morning, an ideal one-two punch for experiencing Pebble for the first time. If you see pics that look like they’re from different days, it’s because they are.

Also if you’re wondering how I ended up with so much footage, our caddie Johnnie doubles as an amateur photographer. “I got the reads Johnnie, you just take as many pictures as humanly possible please.”

Pebble was built in the nineteen teens and opened for play in February 1919. Designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, the goal was simple: put as many holes along the rocky Pacific coastline as possible. This resulted in a figure-eight layout that sees the players not returning to the clubhouse at the turn. Subsequently, Pebble has both the most spectacular stretches of holes on the earth… and also a handful of peculiarly mundane holes.

Even with these, I thought Pebble was two or three times better than any other course I’ve played. It’s breathtaking. My expectations were HIGH and it blew them out of the water. I’ve probably played it over 200 times on Tiger Woods and watched dozens of rounds on TV, yet it still delivered ample surprises.

Having said all that, let’s get to the first hole… which is the least impressive first hole of any iconic course on earth. It’s like the world’s most thrilling rollercoaster starting with you going 2 mph in a dark, flat tunnel for 5 minutes.

I must confess, beyond the blandness of it, it is a better and tougher hole than I thought. It’s about a 240 shot to the dogleg, then a mid to short-iron to a narrow, severely left-to-right sloping green. Yes, it is a laughably forgettable opening hole for such an iconic course, but still better than I thought. It requires a bit of strategy and provides a few options off the tee for your nerve-y opener at Pebble. It also sits beside an active pro shop area, adding nerves and character to that first shot.

The second plays as a reachable par-5, recently converted to a long par-4 for US Opens.

With no US Open rough or fescue to speak of, you just blast driver anywhere off the tee, see where you’re at, decide to either go for it or layup short of the massive cross bunker bordered by two field goal-like trees, and scurry your ass towards the cooler holes.

The blues were all the way back here. I hit a good drive, was still 10 yards short of the left bunkers and 245 out, yank-bladed a 3-wood into some fescue about 60 yards short of the green, hacked a 60-degree to 5-feet, didn’t sniff the hole, and tapped in for par.

The third hole I like, potentially because it requires a slinging draw/hook and my shut-face action produces this shot quite consistently. From the back tees, I slung a 3-wood out there to 80 yards and had a lob wedge from there. Easy par, let’s get to the good stuff.

The 4th begins the grandest 7-hole stretch in all of golf. You first see the Pacific on your approach to 3, but it’s mostly blocked out by some hedges and other unknown shit. As you walk from 3 green to 4 tee, you see the approach to 17.

You get excited.

It’s about a 220-240 shot to the sweet spot in the 4th fairway. So naturally, into the wind, I pulled a 4-iron, hit it exactly how I wanted, and deposited one right into the deathly cross bunker.

After you walk past those trees you’re smacked in the face by an overload on the visual senses. Cliffs, ocean, sailboats, creatures, history. I say history because you can see both the 17th green in one direction and the iconic peninsula on which 6, 7, and 8 sit in the other. You orientate yourself to the surroundings for the first time. Your brain begins to piece together how everything comes together.

The holes you’ve seen hundreds of times aren’t just individual holes anymore, but part of a larger, rhythmic landscape on which you’re simply playing a game. You’re actually caught at some internal crossroads of wanting to simultaneously pray for how blessed you are, jerk off for how excited you are, and hit some golf shots. It’s wild.

Fortunately the decision is made for you. It’s a golf course, you carry on.

The 4th is a fantastic short hole. There are bunkers everywhere, and the tiny green is made tougher to hit with its slightly uphill approach.

Here’s the 4th green from the 5th tee.

Speaking of the 5th, I think this is the most underrated par-3 in the world. Yes it gets talked about, but not nearly enough.

This hole is relatively new. You see, where the green sits now used to be property Pebble didn’t own. Pebble had to wait for these people to die or something to purchase the land and move the green to the cliff’s edge. This was done in the 90s, Jack Nicklaus was brought in to design the new hole, and we’ve now got one of the most spectacular par-3s in the world.

From the back tees, it’s about 195 to the middle of the green.

Anything flared out to the right finds the Pacific. Anything short finds the bunker. Anything long also finds the Pacific. The play is to fling one towards the left side of the green, hope you catch a piece, and navigate a 3 from there.

View from the green.

Having fun? We’re not even to the good stuff yet.

6, 7, and 8 is the most incredible 3-hole stretch I’ve played, which is nice because it falls right smack dab in the middle of the most incredible 7-hole stretch I’ve played. What I’m saying is this stretch is good.

The view from the 6th tee is heart eyes emoji city.

6 has everything you could ask for in a par 5. A demanding tee shot, some risk/reward options, a downhill, inviting tee shot followed by a blind, risky second. The Pacific Ocean waiting on the right. Bunkers waiting left. Once you get up to the green, you’ve got the best 360-degree view you can find.

This hole is made significantly easier when the tall grass on the left is cut down, as it was when we played. The smart move is to just blast one left, get yourself a decent enough lie, and whack something up near the green.

I did not do this. Instead, I aimed right down the pipe, yanked one into the bunkers, hit a lip trying to escape with a 6-iron, roped a 3-iron just short of the green, and got up-and-down for par. Felt good, I’m an adventurous guy.

The view from 6 fairway back towards 17 green is nice.

Once you hike up the hill on 6 you reach perhaps the most picturesque single spot in golf. You’re perched high on a cliff with views of Pebble Beach’s 8th, 9th, and 10th to your left, its 7th in front of you, Stillwater Cove and 17 and 18 to your right, and the 4th, 5th, and of course first parts of the 6th behind you. It’s surreal.

Then you play the 7th.

Just 106-yards for us. Nothing else needs to be said, it’s the 7th at Pebble.

The 8th features a blind tee shot over a rock with something less than driver. I hit 3-wood which got me to about 190-yards from the pin. Jack called the next shot the single best approach in golf.

I hit a 6-iron on a line about 10 feet left of the green, got a diabolical kick to 12 feet, and dropped it for my lone bird at Pebble.

there are several more swings on this Instagram above if you just scroll right

This was the hole I was most excited to play — birdieing it is what winners do.

The severity of the cliff between the fairway and the green is legitimately scary.

On 9 I hit a good drive and was still 235 out. 235! (and there’s another tee a good 30-40 yards behind ours). From there I chunk-hooked a 3-iron, flubbed a wedge, and made double.

That’s how you follow birdies folks. PBF guy for life.

The 10th is probably the best hole of this iconic, difficult run of four par-4s in a row. It requires a hell of a drive to split the bunkers left and the Pacific right.

This tee is much further up and well right of the tee we played, but it’s a great view and a really cool, tiny little tee box perched right on top of the beach so I snapped a pic.

One thing I was pleasantly surprised about are the continued views after 10. You hear so much about 4-10 that you build this idea that the views end once you walk off the 10th green. They do not. In fact, the views from 11, 12 tee, 13 and 14 are some of the best out there. You’re just one fairway over from the water and actually more elevated. It’s lovely.

Here’s the view from 12 tee overlooking 11.

11 is a relatively short hole but has the smallest green on the course, which slopes heavily from back to front. It’s a sneaky tough hole.

The 12th plays as one of the more demanding par-3s on Tour every year. Into the wind, it was a full 3-iron or 5-wood for our group.

The 13th is another relatively short par-4. It’s got a new green, as they decided to take some slope out of the previously absurd one.

Again, still great views from up here.

The 14th is one of the trickier and tougher par-5s in the game. The hard dogleg right requires a left-to-right tee shot, then you’re still 270+ out to an elevated, VERY tough to hold green. They redid it recently, providing room for some previously unusable pin locations, but it’s still difficult.

View from 14th tee.

14th green.

15 and 16 are two of the most inland holes on the property. Yes they are relatively mundane but not bad holes by any means. The 15th features a blind-ish tee shot with trees blocking your view of the left side of the fairway and there’s a bunker in the middle of the fairway that must be avoided. 16 is a dogleg right with a small green that would be a very solid hole anywhere else.

Then we come to 17. 17 is tough unless you’re Jack Nicklaus with a 1-iron in your hands.

The pin was up front and the tees weren’t all the way back, so it played just 170 for us. About as easily as it can. This mattered little, as I am not Jack Nicklaus. I pull-chunked one into the left bunker, splashed out to 15 feet, and two-putted for bogey.

The 18th is the 18th at Pebble. Probably the most famous finishing hole in golf, although in my opinion it’s not a top-5 hole on the course.

It’s a tricky little tee shot as anything biting off too much left finds the ocean, leading to bogey or much worse. Anything blocked right finds bunkers, and anything hit too well and too straight could find you blocked out by the famous fairway tree. It’s an awkward, uncomfortable feeling standing over that tee. Not 100% sure on where you’re aiming, why you’re aiming there, or if you should be aiming there.

So I blocked one right, hooked a layup into the long fairway bunker, hit a wedge just short, and got up-and-down from there to save par.

It is a great scene finishing, as The Lodge features several restaurants and folks buzzing around soaking up the sights.

If you’re more of a golf course architectural purist, I’m sure you could argue that Pebble’s not the greatest course on earth. However, for an avid golfer who loves a nice combination of views, history, uniqueness, and challenge, I find Pebble to be the no. 1 course on my list and it’s not even close. The place is stunningly spectacular. The place is famous. The place has hosted 5 US Opens, a PGA Championship, a Tour event every year since 1947, several amateurs, many more top-level tournaments, and will host another US Open in 1919 for the course’s centennial celebration. It’s as beautiful a place as you’ll find on the planet and there’s a major championship caliber golf course on top of it.

Most breathtaking place in the game. This might be a hot take, but I recommend playing Pebble Beach folks. I highly recommend it.