If you've ever dreamed of playing golf on your kitchen counter tops, then Angeles National is for you!

Fairways are totally dormant, totally ... » More

If you've ever dreamed of playing golf on your kitchen counter tops, then Angeles National is for you!

Fairways are totally dormant, totally straw. Little to no pad under the ball and hard as rocks even after decent rain. You have to nip it just right or else you'll be skulling or fatting them all day here.

Rough is generally dormant and more or less nonexistent. There are sprouts of some secondary growth popping through here and there and along with some painting (!) of the rough on 1. 10 & 18, the effect is sort of a reverse Palm Springs in winter look, with dormant fairways partially framed by tinged green rough.

Greens had a pretty serious slit cut treatment on all of them which didn't appear to affect speed which was slick, although it did contribute to a few bobbles here and there. Tee positions were all on the edges and very tough no doubt to keep as much play away from the treatment. (Sand and tees both fine.)

Always wonder how this place survives when it's mainly empty on a Sunday at prime time. With rack rates at 130 and discount prices still at 103, I can see why. (I paid 80 on a hot deal tt from gn and that is more than it's worth.)
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Played the 'poor-man's-Pebble'. I would revise that to say it's more like the 'poor-man's-Spanish-Bay' and only half of it at that.

Don't get m... » More

Played the 'poor-man's-Pebble'. I would revise that to say it's more like the 'poor-man's-Spanish-Bay' and only half of it at that.

Don't get me wrong - it's a fine little course and good value for money. But holes 1-10 are completely forgetable, muni-style that play through the neighborhood up and away from the ocean. The holes here are also very short (3 par 3's) and not very challenging either.

11-17 is different story but it's not like Pebble in the sense that you are playing right by the ocean on sand dunes, just like at Spanish Bay. Here the course shines as there is a nice variety and great views on every hole as the course plays through a little peninsula right at the bottom edge of Half-Moon Bay.

Conditions were above average muni with kikuya fairways and poa greens. Sand was fine as were tee-boxes. Solid 7-7.5 rating throughout (although the greens were slow as could be and again lightly sanded).

I paid 39 and would definitely play it again for that - but I would skip the front 9 entirely and play the back twice, preferably. Short course - easy and enjoyable walk.
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3rd bucket list round played mid-week.

Newest of all the Pebble courses, this layout approximates a Scottish links style course and succeeds ... » More

3rd bucket list round played mid-week.

Newest of all the Pebble courses, this layout approximates a Scottish links style course and succeeds in doing so on many levels!

Of all the other Pebble courses, this one by far features the most ocean holes, with only 4 that play up through the resort and in between dense forests. Unlike at Pebble, however, the association with water/ocean is a completely different affair. At Pebble, the views are framed by being in a smallish bay, while at Spanish, the vistas are of wide open ocean (particularly awesome on this day with up to 15 ft breakers coming in off the Pacific). Also, at Pebble you are raised up on cliffs that set up a different drama with the ocean holes and water - at Spanish Bay you are literally playing through beach and sand dunes on several holes.

As for conditions, they were at least comparable to Spyglass - lush fairways, perfect sand and tees, and lightly sanded, moderately fast greens. However, the lush and heavily watered aspect to the course meant that it didn't play like links golf, even if it looked authentically so. No run-out on the fairways and on the holes where you could feasibly bounce it up onto the green through the fringes, it was soft too. Lots of strategic bunkers off the tees with lighter bunkering around the greens, I found the course to be the easiest of the 3 I played this week even though the gold tees play the same distance as Pebble and Spyglass while the slope/rating is basically the same as Pebble.

After the dunes that frame most holes, the most notable feature of the design were the extremely contoured greens - this was the only part of the course that required local knowledge or a caddie. You have to land it in the correct section of the green - not easy as the plateaus were small - or else 3 putts will be common. (Although once on the correct plateau putts were usually fairly straight.)

Aside from the resort-style holes 10-13, this is the track you want to play if you crave a plethora of wide ocean views and a course that complements its most prominent natural feature.
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2nd bucket list round on a Pebble Beach property earlier this week.

Shorter take: best course on the whole plot and toughest/finest course I th... » More

2nd bucket list round on a Pebble Beach property earlier this week.

Shorter take: best course on the whole plot and toughest/finest course I think I have ever played.

It's easily as stern a test as TPC Stadium at PGA West or the dreaded Lost Canyons Sky track. But unlike those two that seem to get much of their toughness through tricked out layouts, Spyglass was also tough - but fair - and had a traditional, majestic quality that belies its relatively short 50 year history. It felt like it had been here for ever and was destined just to be so. No iota of artificiality or the heavy hand of a designer was visible anywhere.

Course starts with a truly awesome par 5 that sweeps way downhill about 100 feet while dog-legging hard to the left. You stand on tee #1 and have no clue where the hole goes, which somehow in this case seems just right. The last 75 yards of fairway are just festooned with bunkers that protect a big, undulating green - with its wide fairway and generous landing zones, it sets up the whole grandeur of what awaits you in the rest of the course.

Unlike a lot of comments I have read about this course, I was less of a fan of the next four holes that play through a primordial dune-scape by the ocean. They are certainly interesting and memorable, but are totally out of character with the other 14 that play exclusively through the majestic forest up the hill. The course - if it is ever guilty of this - is perhaps most gimmicky down at the waterfront (I am thinking especially of #4 with it's minutely narrow green that is about 6 or 7 paces wide but 35 yards deep and tucked in between 2 considerable sand dunes).

But, from 6 through 18 you then play away from the ocean back up the hill and through the Del Monte forest in a layout that I can only characterize in its lushness and hilliness as being 'Augusta-like' - especially in how each hole is framed by massive pines that give a sense of awesome scale to most holes. Truly spectacular stuff.

Water - as it does at Augusta - also makes an appearance here and there, but subtly and in good measure (just like at the Masters). Most memorably IMO, it adds vivid character to 2 of the par threes (12 and 15) which are almost hidden from view inside deep little valleys so much so that you don't see them or even know they are there until you step up to the tee box. With the winter sun filtering in at a low angle through the forest, it is a completely captivating experience that is seared into my mind.

Incorrectly, the pro-shop told me it's not a hilly course and easy to walk (which you should do anyway as the cart path only rule renders driving a waste of time); but it contains lots of elevation changes so be prepared for a serious (although well-worth it) hike.

If I had to split hairs, it would be that the closing hole is, strangely enough, one of the most standard ones on the course! Otherwise, each hole - like at Augusta - has it's own character formed into a complete whole by the integration with the natural forest it cuts through.

Have I raved enough yet?

Conditions: better than Pebble, and less crowded overall means the fairways were lusher with less divot damage, although the rough was perhaps even healthier and more penal. Tee boxes (I know - you don't spend much time here) were the best I have ever seen. Billiard-table flat and perfectly cut, they were the perfect start to every hole. I played golds again (one step down from the tips - and that was PLENTY of golf course at 6450.

Sand was perfect and although the greens were once again lightly sanded (moderately sanded in one or two cases) they ran faster and truer than at Pebble. Many holes feature raised greens heavily guarded by bunkering that you are playing up to from uphill lies, so the course plays longer as many approaches have to be deep through the air (which combined with the relative heaviness of the ocean atmosphere in the shady forest meant the ball did not fly nearly as much as usual).

Nice range and grill near the pro shop and if you play the same day as Pebble you get about 40% off the rack rate. After finishing at Pebble around 12, we drove over here, had some lunch and got out as a walk-on 2some at 1 PM, finishing in the twilight around 5.

I will play here again for sure and would recommend this 101% to all. If Pebble is on your list then do yourself a favor and make sure to play here too. I think it's actually, overall, the superior course.
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50th birthday bucket list round.

First off - all the hype about the views and the overall spectacle of playing here is true. I'd say it's wor... » More

50th birthday bucket list round.

First off - all the hype about the views and the overall spectacle of playing here is true. I'd say it's worth the 5 bills just for that (at least one time). Otherwise, read on:

Check-in/warmup: All smiles from the front desk people. Range is awesome but is about a quarter mile up the hill, so bargain on having to take the little shuttle that runs every few minutes to get up there. Alternatively, park at Pebble, check in, then drive up to the range then back down in time for your tt. There's plenty of parking and that way you don't have to worry about the shuttle turning up in time. Also, the range seems to open earlier than stated (which is around sunrise) so don't be shy about getting up there early especially if you are in one of the first groups off.

Starter/first hole: It's a bit chaotic on the first tee as there is not much space there and they make pretty much all golfers who are using a caddie switch there clubs to an old crappy Pebble Beach golf bag with a single strap as the caddie carries 2 bags and is servicing 2 players throughout the round (more on this later). So there's a fair bit of confusion as they dump your clubs in the new bag while you ferret around to find all the other essentials in your own bag like balls and tees and transfer those over to the course bag. They ask if you have a 0-5 handicap if you want to play the tips (blues) but don't seem too fussed how well you play when you hit off the other tees. We played the next set which is golds that tip out at about 6450 which is plenty of golf course here.

Caddies (or other options): I took a caddie and am generally glad I did as some holes you would have no clue on the sight-line off the tee (I am thinking of #3, 8, 11, 14 and#6 on the second shot which basically plays off a down-sloping fairway up a cliff about 60 feet tall that you don't get any sense of scale from watching it on tv. Also, caddies are good at reading most putts as the breaks on the greens are usually subtle and frequently go the opposite way from what you see. That said, even the caddies got confused by the green speeds and conditions (more of this in a minute). Here's my beef with the caddie sitch though - each player pays 92.50 plus tip for what I thought was your own caddie. But like I mentioned, the caddie carries 2 bags and services 2 players. Pebble Beach don't make this clear on their website, promotional materials or when you call to reserve one. (They do mention the issue with single strap bags - which no-one uses nowadays - but I suspect they would transfer your clubs to their bags regardless of whether your bag had one as this no doubt also cuts down on weight which I think is their main concern). Aside from being poorly advertised, having one caddie for 2 players is a pace of play issue. Many holes are very wide from side-to-side, so if you and your playing partner are on opposite sides of a hole after your tee shots, then the caddie is 100 yards away tending to your partner as you stand idle waiting for him when you could be hitting away. I noticed that the 4 groups in front of us did not use caddies and they were going much faster. In fact, because we were fifth out and the groups in front were racing away, we got barked at by a grumpy marshal a few times even though we were keeping pace with the course and were not getting pushed from behind. As I say, while I appreciated the caddies help and knowledge (and good humor in putting up with us) I would not bother if I were to play here again. Nor would I recommend a cart as it's cart path only on all the Pebble Beach courses and they all feature wide fairways necessitating a long walk from path to ball on many occasions.

Course conditions: wet, heavy and slow at first.
Fairways: very nice but it's clear they get a lot of play (and they don't want you sanding divots your self or really replacing any sod other than the biggest scalps, according to our caddie - maintenance does that themselves.) Consequently, there are a fair amount of divots in landing areas. It's overseeded rye over bent grass for the winter. (8.5)

Tees: near perfect, level, evenly cut with just the usual divot areas on par threes. There is often a fair distance between the blues and the golds, but there is often not much between gold and white so I would recommend playing gold if you are any sort of decent player as you will get your monies worth from them. I saw no pro tees further back than the blues, so I presume they play the max distance of ~6900 yards too. (9.5)

Rough: brutal, they are growing it up for the ATT in Feb and for the US Open in 2019. So it was generally one of those situations where you couldn't see the ball until you stepped on it. Plus it was heavy and wet for most of the round. Avoid at all costs. (10)

Sand was perfect. The course is heavily bunkered especially around the small greens so you will likely some time at the beach here. (10)

Greens: disappointing. From the moment we stepped on the first green, even the caddies remarked on how it was bumpy (and slow). Lots of footprints and quite a few poorly repaired pitch marks. On quite a few occasions our caddie misread the speed on downhill putts and was amazed the ball didn't make it to the hole. Even though we played earlier, overall the greens had that 'sprouty' poa annua quality and look throughout (that is typically not visible with greens like this until later in the day). Additionally (and this was the case at all the Pebble courses) a light top dressing of sand was visible on many greens and I saw evidence of slit cuts (probably a few weeks old) on several. (7.5)

Although disappointed in the putting surfaces and how they organize the caddie sitch, in spectacular weather like we enjoyed this is almost a surreal experience. You can't help but thinking about all the famous footsteps you are walking in and the great shots that have been hit here. Plus, if you have only seen it on TV, then you don't really get a sense of scale or how awesome the approach on 8 is, for instance. Layout-wise, 4-10 and 17/18 are all ocean holes. The other 9 holes are more traditional in nature and while handsome in most cases (such as #2) they have an otherwise more standard feel to them (unlike at Spyglass where every hole feels like a classic).

As for score, it's a really tough track so don't worry about that part. You can score well on some holes but many just utterly punish bad shots (I am thinking of 6, 8-10 and 14) so you can rack up triple and quad bogies easily and quickly). First time for me and I shot 95, which I thought was a fair reflection on the state of my game and how it stacked up to the course.

Worth the green fee? Sure, one time at least. I won't forget it, that's for sure.
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