Pebble Beach Golf Links: A Guide to the Iconic Course

Few places in golf carry the weight of Pebble Beach Golf Links. Set on the cliffs above Carmel Bay on California's Monterey Peninsula, it is a public course that has hosted six U.S. Opens and is scheduled for more. This guide to Pebble Beach Golf Links covers where the course came from, how it plays, the holes everyone talks about and what to know if you are planning a visit or shopping for someone who has.

Whether you are counting down to your own tee time or just want to understand why golfers speak about the place in hushed tones, the story starts with two amateurs and a coastline.

A short history of Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach was designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, two accomplished amateur golfers with no previous course-design experience. According to the USGA, they did the work without a fee so they could protect their amateur status. Their design was completed in 1916, construction followed, and the course officially opened on February 22, 1919.

Neville's guiding idea was simple and brilliant: get as many holes as possible onto the rocky shoreline. The result is a figure-eight routing that brings the course to the water's edge again and again. Over the following decade the layout was refined by several notable names, including Alister MacKenzie and Robert Hunter in the late 1920s and H. Chandler Egan, whose 1928 revisions were substantial. In more recent times Jack Nicklaus designed a new fifth hole that opened in 1998, bringing another green out to the ocean.

The championship pedigree is remarkable. Pebble Beach hosted the 1929 U.S. Amateur, the 1977 PGA Championship and U.S. Opens in 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010 and 2019, plus the 2023 U.S. Women's Open. Another U.S. Open is scheduled for 2027. Every February it also hosts the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the event where many fans first saw the course on television.

What Pebble Beach Golf Links is like to play

For a course with this reputation, Pebble Beach is surprisingly modest in length, listed at about 7,075 yards from the back and par 72. Its difficulty comes less from distance than from small greens, wind off the bay and the constant presence of the cliffs. On a calm day the opening holes can feel almost gentle, working inland before the course turns toward the water. Once you reach the coast, the margins shrink and the views become a distraction in their own right.

Expect firm, small putting surfaces that reward accurate iron play more than power. Approach shots into the coastal holes often have to be shaped with the wind, and missing on the wrong side can leave you looking down a bluff. The best advice most visitors hear is to take enough club, play to the fat part of the green and enjoy the walk.

Signature holes

The 7th: the famous little par 3

The 7th is one of the most photographed holes in the world, and it is tiny. In 1917 Neville described it as only 106 yards with a 40-foot drop from tee to green, and it is still listed at around 106 yards. The green sits on a point surrounded by rocks and surf, so the shot can range from a soft wedge on a still morning to a punched long iron into a winter wind.

The 8th: across the chasm

The 8th begins a stretch of coastal holes many players consider the heart of the course. After a tee shot to the top of the cliff, the approach must carry an inlet of the ocean to reach the green, one of the most dramatic second shots in American golf.

The 17th: history on a par 3

The par-3 17th, with its hourglass-shaped green near the sea, is where two of the most famous shots in U.S. Open history happened. In 1972 Jack Nicklaus hit a 1-iron that struck the flagstick and stopped close for birdie. In 1982 Tom Watson chipped in from off the green on his way to winning the title. Storm damage the following winter altered the area around the green, so the exact spot of Watson's chip no longer exists.

The 18th: the great finishing par 5

The closing hole curves along the sea wall from tee to green, with the ocean running down the entire left side. It is one of the most recognizable finishing holes anywhere, and an easy place to linger for a photograph before walking up to the clubhouse.

Tips for visiting

• Book well ahead. Demand is enormous. Check the official Pebble Beach Resorts site for current booking rules and availability rather than relying on secondhand advice.
• Plan around tournaments. The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am each February and major championships close or limit public play, so look at the event calendar first.
• Pack layers. Monterey weather can change quickly, and mornings by the water are often cool and damp.
• Consider a caddie. Local knowledge of the small, sloping greens can be worth several strokes and adds to the experience.
• Make a trip of it. The resort also operates Spyglass Hill, The Links at Spanish Bay and Del Monte Golf Course, so many visitors combine several rounds on the peninsula. Our Pebble Beach golf course prints collection brings several of these together.

Our Pebble Beach Golf Links print

Our Pebble Beach Golf Links print is a mid-century style map with every hole drawn and numbered from real map data, so you can trace the figure-eight routing out to the 7th and back along the coast to the 18th. It is available in 12x16, 18x24 and 24x32 inches, unframed on museum-quality matte paper or framed in black, white or green and ready to hang. It makes a lasting reminder of a trip, or a thoughtful gift for someone still dreaming about one. Golf Print House is an independent shop and is not affiliated with Pebble Beach Company or the course.

FAQ

Can the public play Pebble Beach Golf Links?

Yes. Pebble Beach is a public course owned and operated by the Pebble Beach Company. Tee times are in high demand, so check the official resort website for current booking policies.

Who designed Pebble Beach Golf Links?

Jack Neville and Douglas Grant designed the original course, which opened in 1919. Later changes came from architects including H. Chandler Egan, Alister MacKenzie, Robert Hunter and Jack Nicklaus.

How long is the 7th hole at Pebble Beach?

The 7th is listed at about 106 yards, with a drop of roughly 40 feet from tee to green. Wind can make it play very differently from day to day.

When is the next U.S. Open at Pebble Beach?

The next U.S. Open at Pebble Beach is scheduled for 2027, which will be its seventh time hosting the championship.