Spectacular Vistas

Pacific Grove Golf Links:

The "Poor Man's Pebble" is Well Worth a Visit.

Posted by: Rick Parnham

The Monterey Peninsula is widely considered as one of the world's truly great golfing destinations. Few can dispute that this area is blessed with a remarkable collection of world-class, highly ranked courses. One of the many area courses that can boast a storied history and combines the ocean-front feel of Pebble Beach with a much welcomed smaller price tag is Pacific Grove Golf Links. Located on the northern tip of Monterey Peninsula the course provides a beautiful park-like setting filled with wildlife and stunning views of both the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay

Coined “The Poor Man’s Pebble,” the quaint peninsula town of Pacific Grove is home to a wonderful municipal course built to provide an opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy the great game. As the Monterey area was being settled S.F.B. Morse solicited H. Chandler Egan, to design the original nine holes that now make up the front nine. Jack Neville, of Pebble Beach fame, offered to design a second nine on a stunning piece of land that surrounds the Pacific Grove lighthouse and provides a backdrop rivalled by few other courses. Routed through expansive seaside dunes and buffeted by the ever present winds off the Pacific, this is the perfect place to connect with Monterey seaside golf on a budget.

Location: Pacific Grove, California

Editor's Shot Maker's Picks: Pacific Grove Golf Links

Feature Holes Descriptions:

The first of the dogleg right holes begins our shot maker’s highlights at Pacific Grove. The original opening to the course, Hole six plays as the hardest on the routing and for good reason. The uphill drive must be struck true and straight to avoid the century trees lining both sides of the tight fairway. Your second on the lengthy par 5 must favor the left side of the fairway to steer clear of a tough wedge shot if you happen to bring the right tree line into play. The beastly par 4, Hole eight, plays as a slinging dogleg right guarded on the right first by gigantic trees and then by OB. The drive must be a formidable strike ideally right of centre to provide a reasonable approach to the sloped green protected on the left by a bunker.

Hole 6

The back nine is a windswept series of holes playing away from the charming neighborhood homes that lined the front to the plentiful ocean-front dunes and breathtaking views.  The longest hole on this side is the par 5 12th hole. Another dogleg right this hole plays along Sunset Drive and a mere few yards from the crashing surf of the ocean. Be aware of the Pacific winds as they will dictate your aiming point so as to avoid the dunes and native plants waiting to impede your path to par. The 13th is another dogleg, but this time playing to the left. This short par 4 puts choice in your hands for your drive as the dunes left are a real possibility with the crossing winds off the ocean. The smart play is a long iron placed down the right side and a mid iron into green tucked in amid the natural dunes; while an aggressive strike left clearing the jutting dune can leave you with a flip wedge from the throat of the green.

Playing just over 5700 yards from the tips this wonderful coastal golf experience can't compete with the big boys of Monterey nor should it try.  The layout is characterized by compact corridors lined with huge trees or exposed dunes with small sloped greens making your work with the flat stick daunting at times. This historic routing provides a terrific feel for what the peninsula has to offer golfers. Grand trees, herds of deer and a picture postcard neighborhood all frame the front. The back brings you to the reason this Pacific Coast prominence attracts millions of visitors, the spectacular beach front and crashing surf. We all know those on a Monterey bucket-list golf trip will have the expected names on the list, but you must consider including Pacific Grove for the old school feel, terrific value and unforgettable vistas.

Course Stats:

Contact:

Pacific Grove Golf Links
77 Asilomar Boulevard
Pacific Grove, CA

93950

831-648-5775

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