Pebble Beach Golf Links - Beauty and the Invisible Beast

It was initially known as "Del Monte's Second Course" when it opened in 1919. It was the vision of Samuel F.B. Morse, a distant cousin of the inventor of Morse code. It utilizes a "figure 8" layout to place as many of the holes as possible along the rocky and beautiful Monterey coastline.

It's 17th hole is one of the most photographed in the world. It is perennially ranked the No. 1 public golf course in America. It was where the "Tiger Slam" started in 2000. It is the Pebble Beach Golf Links, home of the 2010 U.S. Open Championship (Thursday June 17 - Sunday June 20) and one of the most interesting courses on the PGA Tour.

When you ask folks about the Pebble Beach Golf Links, located on the 17-mile drive in the Monterey Peninsula in California, among the thoughts articulated are: It's a beautiful course and it's expensive.

Pebble Beach hugs the Monterey coastline and has many wide-open water views. In 2001, it was the first public golf course to be selected as the No. 1 Golf Course in America by Golf Digest. Public at a price, that is: $495 plus a cart fee if you are not staying at the resort.

For the PGA Tour, this will be the fifth time the U.S. Open has been hosted at Pebble Beach. Jack Nicklaus won it in 1972. Ten years later, Tom Watson won. Ten years after that, it was Tom Kite. Then breaking the 10-year pattern, the USGA decided Pebble Beach would be the site of the millennium edition in 2000. That year, the winner and only player to finish under par, was Tiger Woods. His 65-69-71-67, 12 under par, was a full 15 shots better than the runners-up.

Jack Nicklaus once said, "If I had only one more round to play, I would choose to play it at Pebble Beach. I've loved this course from the first time I saw it. It's possibly the best in the world."

Pebble Beach Course History

Jack Neville and Douglas Grant designed Pebble Beach at a cost of about $100,000. It opened on February 22, 1919, and was the result of developer Samuel F.B. Morse's vision to preserve the area's coastline. Neville and Grant, two former California amateur champions who had never before designed a golf course, made sure nine of its 18 holes directly border the Pacific Ocean, with memorable views of the water from almost every hole. To pull that off, they used a "figure 8" layout.

In brief, the first two holes are inland. The third runs towards the ocean, with the fourth and fifth holes running coast side. The lower "loop" of the figure 8 is formed by holes 9 through 13. Unlike other golf courses, Pebble Beach's 9th and 10th holes are located away from the clubhouse.

The 14th and 15th are the most inland, with the 16th running parallel to the 3rd hole to complete the figure 8. The short par 3 on the 17th is one of the most photographed in the world. The challenge playing that hole is its unusual shaped green.

The first professional tournament at Pebble Beach was the Monterey Peninsula Open in 1926, which had a $5,000 purse. Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper of Texas won with a 72-hole score of 293 (+5). In 1929, Pebble hosted its first major - the U.S. Amateur. Then a match-play event, it was won by Harrison R. Johnston of Minnesota, but Bobby Jones tied for medalist honors in stroke play.

The U.S. Open Version of Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach Golf Links will be set up at 7,040 yards and will play to a par of 35-36-71. This layout is 194 yards longer than the setup for the 2000 U.S. Open conducted at the same venue. It will also feature greens that average 3,500 sq. ft. in size (comparable to Harbour Town).

There are certain requirements of an "Open" course. A U.S. Open course should test all forms of shot making, mental tenacity and physical endurance under conditions of extreme pressure. The following are some of the factors that impact U.S. Open course setup:

• Length, variation and playing characteristics of individual holes
• Length of overall golf course relative to total par
• Teeing ground locations (i.e. angles of play, variation of distance day to day)
• Fairway width and contours
• Fairway firmness and speed
• Green speed relative to percentage slopes and contours of the putting greens
• Putting green firmness
• Rough height, density and stages of severity
• Hole locations (relative difficulty, balance in location of left vs. right, front vs. back of green, anticipated wind, anticipated length of approach shot)
• Risk and reward options

In addition, each hole will have two distinct cuts in the primary rough. Generally speaking, a ball that barely trickles into the primary rough won't be as severely punished as one that misses the fairway by 15 yards.

Along with being lengthened, four greens and 16 bunkers have been rebuilt, altered or installed. Eleven of the tees have been enhanced and six holes have seen the addition or adjustment of trees.

Arnold Palmer had a hand in preparing the course for the Open. He remarked, "Our goal has been to strengthen Pebble Beach for today's player, while maintaining its timeliness. I believe we have accomplished this goal with the many improvements made over these past few years."

Hole by Hole Highlights

Hole #1: The green has been enlarged by 700 square feet. The left greenside bunker has been extended.

Hole #2: Planted trees to create a narrow chute for the second shot just prior to the barranca bunker. Extended last right hand side fairway bunker into landing area. Pinched front two bunkers into approach area to create a smaller opening from the fairway. Installed a fairway bunker on left hand side of fairway near landing area.

Hole #3: Installed Cypress trees along left side of the dogleg. Installed three new fairway bunkers along right side of the fairway.

Hole #5: Installed Seawall to protect the entire green. Rebuilt all teeing surfaces.

Hole #6: Added a new fairway bunker 75 yards short of the green on the left side of the second shot landing area. Removed large bunker at lower fairway landing area and installed 5 new bunkers along the left side.

Hole #7: Rebuilt entire tee complex and moved cart path out of line of sight.

Hole #14: Installed two bunkers along the left side of the fairway and one bunker along the right side of the fairway to pinch the landing area. Planted one large Cypress on right side of the fairway 100 yards out from the green to pinch the landing area.

Hole #15: Removed roadway (Live Oak Meadow road) in front of teeing area. Installed 5 new bunkers along the left side of the fairway, which includes a pot bunker placed 10 yards in the fairway all near the landing area. Planted Cypress trees along right hand side of fairway.

Hole #16: Planted three large Cypress trees (two before the barranca bunker to create a chute towards the green and one near the bridge to create a true dogleg on the hole).

Hole #18: Replaced big pine in front of the green with a large Cypress tree. Installed one fairway bunker along the right side of the landing area near trees in the fairway. Replaced two trees in the fairway and adjusted them towards green to protect new landing area 20 yards.

Note the number of mentions of Cypress trees. A signature of Monterey, this tree has a high wind tolerance, becoming increasingly more attractive under heavy wind conditions. Basically, one could interpret this to mean the golfers will have to deal with wind - the invisible force of nature that can greatly impact how the course plays. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, golf course architect, Robert Trent Jones Jr. remarked how "the wind and changing weather are as much a part of Pebble's defense as the bunkers. "

Signature Hole

The long par 4, 8th can be considered one of the signature holes on a course where that designation is hard to narrow down to a particular hole. It runs alongside the 6th hole, heading back towards the coastline. A dogleg right, the ocean borders the entire right side of the hole. A long drive can easily end up in the drink. The landing area is elevated on a cliff above the green, providing players with a good view of the small landing target. Nicklaus has said this is his favorite approach shot in golf.

The website description: "Tee it up over the aiming rock and note wind conditions. A well-placed drive of 240 yards will leave you with a middle iron shot across a deep oceanic chasm. Take a deep breath and fire to the middle of the green here, but take heed: this green is sloped severely from back to front."

Also notable is the 109-yard, par 3, 7th hole, which will be the third-shortest par 3 in U.S. Open history (post-World War II). In 2000, it measured 106 yards, becoming the shortest hole in U.S. Open history. The picturesque par 3 that sits alongside the Pacific Ocean played to 107 yards in 1992 and 120 yards in the 1972 and 1982 championships. Tom Weiskopf hit a hole-in-one there in 1982 during the fourth round. In 2000, Todd Fischer had a hole-in-one there during his second round.

Benefits from Winning the U.S. Open

• A U.S. Open exemption for the next 10 years
• An invitation to the next five Masters Tournaments
• An invitation to the next five British Open Championships
• An invitation to the next five PGA Championships
• An invitation to the next five PLAYERS Championships
• Exempt status on the PGA Tour for five years

Also, the top 15 finishers (and ties) are exempt for the 2011 U.S. Open with the top eight finishers (and ties) earning invitations to the 2011 Masters Tournament.

Wrap-up

The 2010 U.S. Open should be one to delight the fans and pro golfers. June on the Monterey Peninsula is known for its fog, but rain should be out of the picture. It will be the wind that may give the pros fits.

Fans will be happy to know there will be at least 30 hours of television coverage with NBC airing at least 16 hours and ESPN handling 14 hours over the first two days of play.

"Playing the Open on the West Coast in June allows us to showcase this championship in prime time" said Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports and Olympics. "It should make for a great Father's Day weekend with the best golfers in the world competing on one of golf's most picturesque courses in prime time.""

NBC Sports has scheduled the third round broadcast to end at 11 p.m. ET, with coverage of the final round ending at 9 p.m. ET. That gives Father's Day golfers plenty of time to get a round in before settling down to watch how the pros handle the challenges of Pebble Beach.

No doubt, the beautiful images of Cypress trees and the Monterey coast will be as memorable as the style of play.