Pebble Beach Wanna-Be Golf Trail
The real Pebble... #'s 8,9 & 10 on the coastline
Compiled by Fat Guy, December 2011
The total minimum cost for an advanced tee time at Pebble Beach Golf Links in 2011 was $1,725. Granted, it comes with a really nice room thrown in for the weekend, but seventeen-hundred bucks for a friggin' tee time?! That's a good downpayment on a car where I'm from. Want an ocean view room at the Lodge at Pebble Beach with your tee time? That'll be $2,485, thank you. Damn, a $2,500 tee time should come with a suite, an ocean view, a private beach, a limo ride to and from the course, a steak dinner, an open bar tab, and a stripper in the cart.
"I'll just skip the advance tee time so I don't have to pay for the room and try the waiting list. It'll only cost me the $495 greens fees," you say. There is anecdotal evidence that waiting list tee times are alot more common since the economic downturn, particularly for singles or twosomes. Been there, tried it. I went the waiting list route once back in 1997 and waited in line for a day and half without getting out--including being first on the list from 5AM until Noon. Granted this was at the height of the Tiger golf boom of the '90's, but you are taking a chance. Even if you pull it off, $500 would cover about 6 or 7 rounds at my local upscale track, and I wouldn't have to pay for a flight, hotel room, or rental car.
Since most of us schmos will never be able to afford it with or without the room, here's a list of ocean/bay/lakefront courses you can play for less than a quarter what it costs to book an advance tee time at Pebble. Some of these are "Poor Man's Pebbles," and some are still pretty pricey (hey, oceanfront property ain't cheap). But at least they don't have Pebble's pent up demand to force you into a room reservation on top of a ridiculous greens fee.
I know Pebble Beach is a huge Bucket List check box for most every golfer, but if somebody laid two gift certificates in front of you and said pick one between a voucher for a round and a room at Pebble Beach, and another for 5 rounds on Kiawah Island's Ocean Course, you'd have to think about which one to pick up for a minute or two, right?
Pebble Beach Wanna-Be Golf Trail
East Coast
Samoset Resort, Maine- "New England's Pebble Beach" Designed in 1902 by Robert Elder, this New England resort gem boasts 7 oceanside holes and ocean vistas from 14 holes, with a granite seawall separating golfer from ocean. The signature par-5 4th plays along Penobscot Bay, and the course received a recent renovation by Maine-based architect Bradley Booth. Greens fees run up to $140 for high season prime time, but twilight or off-season rates bring it closer to $80. This first class resort's summer overnight golf packages run $389-$569 per night.
Kiawah Island Resort, Ocean Course, Kiawah Island SC ($275-$360) "The East Coast Pebble Beach" Check your ego, scorecard, and wallet at the door. This is as beautifully brutal a seaside links as you'll find. Hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup (aka "The War On The Shore"; ask your knowledgeable caddy for his stories) and scheduled to host the PGA in 2012. Best played barefoot and taken as a walk on the beach, briefly interrupted by some tough golf shots. Score takes a backseat to the gorgeous 360-degree Low Country and ocean vistas. The elevated fairways (suggested by architect Pete Dye's wife, to give players views of the ocean over the dunes) are closely flanked by waste areas, dunes, and marsh, largely leaving you only 3 types of lies: short grass, sand, or lost. Hitting those raised fairways is key, with windswept, angled tee carries from the Blues. The front is a unique, well-done marshland prelude to the more memorable seaside back, which features ocean winds and cart paths winding through dune complexes. The par-3 17th is an all-you-got knee-knocker 3-wood over water.
Kiawah Ocean Course #17
Nags Head Golf Links, Kitty Hawk NC ($80-$120). "Pebble Beach In Flight" Built on the same dunes as the Wright Brothers' first flight, this compact bayside links reminded me a little more of Spanish Bay than Pebble, but then again Spanish Bay reminds you alot of Pebble in spots. Overall, Nags Head GL just has that West Coast links feel to it. And it's only a couple blocks from the ocean, so the prevailing winds are there. The caveat here is that it's shoe-horned into a McBeach House development, so it's on an 80% scale, very tight in spots, and mostly surrounded by housing. Nonetheless, it's a fun target round with great waterfront holes on the bay, links elements, and great green complexes that give you plenty of short-game options.
Ocean Hammock Beach aka Hammock Beach (www.hammockbeach.com, Palm Coast FL). "Florida's Pebble" "Think Nicklaus, the first oceanfront course in Florida since 1929, a British Indies getaway, and a track like Royal Troon with better weather, and you've got Ginn Ocean Hammock (800-654-6538, $185-$205, Palm Coast). A fabulous parcel of sandy hammocks within sight and sound of the pounding surf. Using the earth from 10 manmade lakes to sculpt a prototype shoreline links, Nicklaus created a brilliant strategic test through scrub-covered dunes, oaks, and pines. Green shapes, bunker depths, and hole orientations were used to create a varied canvas that tests shot making to the max. The par-4 9th with rolling dunes framing the right side, is the real deal." [T&L Golf]
Hammock Beach
Amelia Island Ocean Course- Amelia Island GA "Pebble Beach Of The South" The 4th hole is as close to a sandy beach as Pebble, winding along a coastal Atlantic dune ridge. The Ocean Links golf course at Amelia Island Plantation provides golfers with five oceanfront holes, the fourth, fifth, sixth, 15th and 16th. The greens and fairways are parallel to Amelia Island's beaches and wind through a breathtaking coastal hammock. [WorldGolf.com]
Amelia Island Ocean Course
MidWest
Bay Harbor, Little Traverse Bay, MI. "It's been billed as the "Pebble Beach of the Midwest," but the comparison really isn't necessary. Because this 27-hole resort course, which ranks among the top golf courses in the country, is more than just a few holes perched above Lake Michigan. Bay Harbor has three distinct nines that all feature fun, well designed golf holes. The stage set here for golf is truly spectacular - whether it's the Irish-like coastal setting of Bay Harbor's Links Nine, the innovative routing of The Quarry course or natural feel of The Preserve Nine. It's easy to see that over the last decade, Bay Harbor has only gotten better as it matured." [TravelGolf.com]
Arcadia Bluffs, Arcadia MI. "Think of Arcadia Bluffs as the "Pebble Beach of Michigan." Designed by Warren Henderson and Rick Smith, Arcadia Bluffs has a stunning stretch of holes along a 180-foot cliff leading down to the lapping waves of Lake Michigan. Had I been blindfolded and dropped onto the property unaware of the setting, I would've been certain it was an ocean. The 594-yard 11th, the 431-yard 12th and the 190-yard 13th make up Arcadia's version of Amen Corner -- my favorite stretch of three consecutive holes on this trip. Given that Arcadia Bluffs is ranked No. 10 among the 100 Greatest Public, I decided to play it twice." [Golf Digest]
Whistling Straights, American Club, Kohler WI. "Pebble Beach of Wisconsin" An ode to the classic links of the British Isles, the Straits Course is a moonscape of sand dunes, craggy knobs and confounding bunkers hard by the western shore of Lake Michigan. It is striking in its seemingly natural beauty yet almost entirely man-made. Herb Kohler, head of his family’s plumbing-fixtures empire, spared no expense in hiring Dye and having him turn what had been an utterly flat former military base into Ballybunion West. Trucks hauled in sand for months, and to complete the illusion a flock of Scottish blackface sheep was imported and set upon the flanks of the course to graze. Kohler officials once tried to count the number of bunkers on the Straits by examining an aerial photograph, but they gave up because the course has literally thousands, ranging in size from an on-deck circle to a football field. Golfers are further challenged by a buffeting wind and, frequently, pervasive fog. Dye brilliantly placed all four par threes on the edge of a bluff. Two of them (the deep-greened third and the majestic seventeenth) run from north to south, with water looming on the left, and the other two (the heavily bunkered seventh and the short downhill twelfth) play in the opposite direction. [T&L Golf]
Whistling Straits
West Coast
Peter Hay GC (9), Pebble Beach CA ($30). "Mini-Pebble" Surprisingly few golfers know about this 9 hole oceanside short-course gem that's part of the Pebble Beach resort, with the same ocean views as the real thing. It's a great warm-up spot before taking on Pacific Grove, a great spot to share a taste of Pebble with a youngster, or just a seriously cheap dime-sized version of the real thing. "Peter Hay and Samuel F. B. Morse were interested in the concept of a 9-hole course where golfers could work on their short game or squeeze a short round into a busy day. There was a parcel of available hillside between the Pebble Beach Golf Links and the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center with barely enough space—less than 10 acres. The course opened in 1957 and has proved popular ever since." [PebbleBeach.com]
Peter Hay GC
Pacific Grove, "THE Quintessential Poor Man's Pebble Beach" Monterey CA 5,727 yards, par 70 Greens fee: $35-$57, 831-648-5777, www.ci.pg.ca.us Architects: Chandler Egan/Jack Neville. "For years, Pacific Grove was known as THE poor man's Pebble Beach. The unique setting and undersized greens fee make it one of golf's great values. Pacific Grove is as close to a seaside British Isles experience as you'll find in the United States. Chandler Egan's wooded front nine dates to 1932 and while only a couple of holes there offer memorable challenge or terrain, the back nine is scenic and fun, characterized by ocean views, a lighthouse and some of the tallest dunes this side of Ballybunion." [Golf Magazine's Travelin' Joe]
Morro Bay MGC, "Central California's Poor Man's Pebble" (Morro Bay CA, $67 Weekend Ride, www.centralcoastgolf.com). A good value with views of Morro Bay and the Pacific Ocean beyond, and it's in decent shape for a muni. But some holes are typical muni back & forth, I've read complaints that it's a bit of a shooting gallery with some holes dangerously close the driving range, and it's not exactly hanging over the edge of the ocean.
Spanish Bay- "Pebble's Little Sister" "Yes, it's expensive, but it's also roughly half the price of Pebble Beach. This gorgeous layout begins at the sea, eases through marshes and dunes, climbs into the forest and finally returns to the sea. A superb opening par 5 sets the pace; the green affords a panorama of Spanish Bay. Purists say there are too many woods, wetlands and forced carries to call it a true links, but with the breeze, the firm turf and a bagpiper sounding his tune along the first fairway at dusk, this could pass for Scotland — except that the Scots never had it so cushy." [Golf Magazine's Travelin' Joe]
Spyglass Hill. Monterey CA. "Sure, you'll have to swallow the $350 fee, but there's no better starting stretch than Spyglass's first five oceanfront holes, and perhaps no tougher finish than its finale in the trees. ($350-$385; 831-625-8563, www.pebblebeach.com)" [Golf Magazine]
Spyglass Hill #4
Torrey Pines, La Jolla, CA "SoCal's Pebble Beach" It takes muscle to tame these 7,600 yards as they meander along La Jolla's rugged cliffs overlooking the Pacific—particularly the downhill 198-yard, par-3 3rd, peering like a picture postcard above the ocean, and the rollicking 541-yard, par-5 13th, which dipsy-doodles down from the tee like a ski slope, then rises to a diabolically bunkered green. It might all feel terribly trying were it not for the soul-soothing scenery. [T&L Golf]
Torrey Pines South 
Coronado MGC, "San Diego's Poor Man's Pebble" "One of America's greatest values is right in the heart of the action on Coronado Island -- municipal Coronado Golf Course. Spectacularly set along the busy San Diego Bay, golfers can play here, resident or not, for as low as $30. The catch? It's a wildly popular play that requires entering a St. Andrews-like lottery system two days before your tee time, or booking earlier in advance and paying a fee." [WoldGolf.com]
Coronado MGC on San Diego Bay
Lincoln Park MGC "Poor Man's Pebble of San Fran" "High on a headland above the Golden Gate, where the Pacific Ocean spills into San Francisco bay, stands Lincoln Park Golf Course. It can be a challenge to focus on your golf game in this setting. Both Johnny Miller and George Archer grew up playing on this course which was designed by Tom Bendelow and built in in 1908. Jack Fleming redesigned the course in the 1960s. Arnold Palmer Golf Management in a joint venture with the City of San Francisco operates the course. San Francisco Parks and Recreation does a barely passable job taking care of the grounds. From the blues Lincoln Park is 5,416 yards, a par 68 with a rating of 66 and a slope of 109." [GoCalifornia.com]
Pasatiempo "Mackenzie's Pebble of Santa Cruz" Golf Digest's Ron Whitten says, "Pasatiempo is the best example of Alister Mackenzie's artistry available to the general public. Holes at this Santa Cruz, Calif., course look daunting -- greens tumble down hillsides in stair steps, bunkers are splattered across the landscape -- but it's all very playable. Not long ago, Pasatiempo was a neglected work of art. Tom Doak's company spent 10 years recovering green contours, re-establishing bunkers and removing trees. Today it's 29th among America's 100 Greatest Public Courses. Its five par 3s are most delightful, ending with the 169-yard, over-a-canyon 18th. Some suspect the nines have been reversed, but Mackenzie's original plan always embraced a closing climax: 10, 11, 15 and 16 all play over barrancas. The rap against Pasatiempo has been its cramped front nine, squeezed by housing. At least we'll live to tell our grandkids we've played one of Mackenzie's most exciting designs."
Sharp Park GC "Mackenzie's Poor Man's Pebble of San Fran" This waterfront 1932 Alistair Mackenzie links is dotted with wind-etched cypress trees, and is a great value municipal course that local Seniors can play for as little as $13. But Sharp Park has been targeted for closure by the host National Park Service who doesn't want to be in the golf business, and local environmentalists trying to protect two native engangered species of frog and snake, while local golfers and government fight to save it. Play it now before a scheduled July 2012 court date decides Sharp Park's fate.
Sharp Park MGC
Waiehu Muni, "Poor Man's Pebble of Hawaii" "This public, oceanside par-72 golf course is like playing two different courses: The first 9 holes, built in 1930, are set along the dramatic coastline, while the back 9 holes, added in 1966, head toward the mountains. It's a fun course that probably won't challenge your handicap. The only hazard here is the wind, which can rip off the ocean and play havoc with your ball. The only hole that can raise your blood pressure is the 511-yard, par-5 4th hole, which is very narrow and very long. Because this is a public course, the greens fees are low -- but getting a tee time is tough." [Frommer's]
Sandpiper, "Wine Country Pebble" "Given the location, pristine condition and holes running along the water, Sandpiper understandably gets a lot of the area's golf buzz, but that comes at a price -- $175 on weekends. William F. Bell, who was brought in to build Torrey Pines after his father died, also designed Sandpiper, and there is a resemblance. Sandpiper has some memorable holes, but it has too many generic ones to consider it a great course. Four out of the six holes that have ocean views were my favorites: the fifth, sixth, 11th and 13th. The starter told me about one guy who recently played the par-3 11th, with its elevated tee shot to an ocean-side green, and announced, 'I now know where I want them to spread my ashes.' " [Golf Digest]
Sandpiper #11 
Half Moon Bay Ocean Course- "Stiffler's Pebble" "If you're looking for a terrific links golf experience at a reasonable price, the Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links should be on your radar. With the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links down the coast a bit, Half Moon Bay is accessible and affordable, with rates as low as around $150. And you don't have to stay at the Half Moon Bay Ritz-Carlton to play the golf course, although the experience of combining both is highly recommended. The golf course seems easy enough from the first hole, but it progressively gets more difficult. The front nine is somewhat shorter than the back nine, but a couple of the par 4s -- when playing into the wind -- are a challenge to reach in regulation. The ocean and cliffs along the Ocean Course are visible from many parts of the golf course, but those views become monumental as you reach the finishing stretch. From the 15th green and 16th tee, the cliffs and the Pacific Ocean loom to the left, making the Ocean Course a truly special experience." [TravelGolf.com] Half Moon Bay was also the filming site of American Wedding.
Half Moon Bay Ocean Course 
Pelican Hill "Pebble Beach of L.A." "It's classic Tom Fazio, so there's great shaping, especially the bunkers. Some of the tree-lined holes blur together, but the ocean and canyon holes rock. And don't let the short length fool you — a bunch of long par 4s will keep you on the bogey train." [Golf Magazine]