|
|
Golf Digest, USA publishes a golfing guide called, “Best Places to Play”, which describes and rates 3,500 of North America‟s best golf courses which are open to green fee players. The rating system is based on hundreds of thousands of ballots submitted by about 20,000 readers, sharing their opinions and experiences on 3,500 courses out of more than 6,500 in the USA, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. The publication is considered the bible for courses which are accessible to visitors, in the USA and nearby.
Ratings are as follows:
* Basic golf
** Good but not great
*** Worth getting off the highway to play
**** Outstanding. Plan your next vacation around it The Monument Course, Troon North
***** Golf at its absolute best.
Listed below are the courses on your itinerary – you will notice that none of them score below 4 stars, with 4 ½ being most common and with one, Pebble Beach, scoring the maximum. Not too shabby!
THE COURSES OF THE MONTEREY PENINSULA
After all that has been said and written about this famed golfing destination, additional comments seem almost superfluous. You have to play here to experience for yourself the magic that is golf on the Monterey Peninsula. In addition to the 3 courses on the Pebble Beach property itself (Spyglass Hill, Spanish Bay and Pebble Beach) you also play 2 other nearby local legends, Poppy Hills and Pasa Tiempo. Comments and Golf Digest‟s ratings on each course follow:
Poppy Hills Golf Course
6,561 yards, Back Tees. 5,421 yards, Forward Tees. Opened 1986. Architect: Robert Trent Jones Jr. Just 10 minutes from Pebble Beach this gem is a parkland course, but only a few miles from the Pacific. It is one of 3 courses included in the annual televised AT&T National Pro-Am (formerly known as the Bing Crosby Clambake). In those days the third course used to be Cypress Point, but that Club‟s refusal to allow any „minority‟ memberships, resulted in them being replaced by Poppy, nowadays a popular, acclaimed partner in the famous tournament (and since 1991 always playing the toughest).
Golf Digest rating: 4 ½ stars
Pasatiempo Golf Club
6,500 yards, Back Tees. 5,715 yards, Forward Tees. Opened 1929. Architect: Alister Mackenzie, best known for designing The National at Augusta and of course, Royal Melbourne. The name is Spanish for “pass the time”, and what a nice way to pass the time in California. This is a pinetree-lined course, reminiscent of North Carolina‟s famous Pinehurst # 2. Comments from players include “a true classic” where “every hole is memorable”; and “a must play in the Bay area”.
Golf Digest rating: 4 ½ stars
Spyglass Hill Golf Course
6,534 yards, Back Tees. 6,123 yards, Forward Tees. Opened 1966. Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr. Part true links, part pine forest, this course has stood the test of time. Robert Louis Stevenson received his inspiration for Treasure Island when he visited this part of the Monterey Peninsula in the 1800‟s. From the championship tees Spyglass is one of the toughest courses in the world – fortunately you will be playing from somewhat kinder tees!
Golf Digest Rating: 4 ½ stars
The Links at Spanish
Bay 6,422 yards, Back Tees. 6,043 yards, Forward Tees. Opened 1987. Architects: Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Watson and Sandy Tatum. This is a true links, right down by the water with the Pacific crashing all around you. The nearest thing to Scotland on the West Coast. After your round, back at the hotel, the mournful sound of a lone piper will make you stop and wonder where you really are!
Golf Digest rating: 4 ½ stars
Pebble Beach Golf Links
6,737 yards, Back Tees. 5,198 yards, Forward Tees. Opened 1919. Architects: Jack Neville, Douglas Grant and God! The course hugs the rugged coastline, providing wide-open vistas, cliffside fairways and sloping greens. Ranked No. 1 Public Access course in America by Golf Digest in 2007, Pebble has been the site of golf‟s most prestigious tournaments including the US Open in ‟72, ‟82, ‟92, 2000 and again in 2010.
Golf Digest rating: 5 stars
THE COURSES OF THE ARIZONA DESERT
Golf courses in the desert are something special – the scenery is spectacular, the condition of fairways and greens unbelievable and the courses are like links, except instead of gorse you get towering cactus and instead of the sea, out-of-bounds, rattler-infested desert!
Grayhawk, the Talon Course
6,973 yards, Back Tees. 6,391 yards Middle tees. Opened 1994. Architect: David Graham Venue for many PGA events, this course is frequently visited by Arizona‟s favourite son, Phil Mickelson. Desert courses are subject to overseeding and depending on its condition you may have to play its sister course, Raptor. Both typify the best of desert golf – lush fairways, undulating greens and unforgettable desert scenery.
Golf Digest Rating: 4 ½ stars
We-Ko-Pa, the “Cholla” Course
6,740 yards Back Tees, 6,436 yards Middle Tees. Opened 2001. Architect Scott Miller “Cholla” is the original course on this property having been joined in ‟06 by Ben Crenshaw‟s “Saguaro”. Both courses are noted for their beauty and great condition; but what sets them both apart from most others is their location on lands owned by the Yavapai nation – they are routed through unspoiled Sonoran desert, free from residential or commercial development. In fact there is not even an out-of-bounds fenceon this pristine course where endless mountain vistas provide the backdrop. “We-Ko-Pa” means “Four Peaks” in the Yavapai language. In golfing terms “Cholla” tends to just get the nod over its sister course.
Troon North, the Monument Course
6,682 yards, Back Tees. 5,874 yards, Forward Tees. Opened 1990. Architects: T. Weiskopf , J. Morrish. This was the course which absolutely established Tom Weiskopf as a world-ranked golf architect, later leading to such masterpieces as Loch Lomond, the annual venue for the Scottish Open. Players‟ comments include, “truly outstanding desert golf” and “fairways like carpet and greens even better”. The name Troon is Tom‟s tribute to the venue of his only Major victory, Royal Troon in Scotland.
Golf Digest Rating: 4 ½ stars.
Tournament Players Club of Scottsdale (TPC), Stadium
Course: 6,525 yards, Back tees. 5,455 yards Forward Tees. Opened 1986. Architects: T. Weiskopf and J. Morrish. This course is a „must-play‟ even if only for its fame as the venue of the FBR Open (formerly the Phoenix Open), the largest spectator golf event in the world. The 16th is the famous (infamous?) par 3 which, during the televised event, resembles the Roman Coliseum rather than a golf tournament because of its natural, stadium-like setting, where a well-oiled gallery wildly cheers shots close to the flag and heartily boos those that are off the green! Tiger had a hole-in-one here on his first appearance as a professional and Aaron Baddeley won the tournament in 2007.
Golf Digest Rating: 4 stars |
|
