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Shore Course Shimmers at AT&T
by Vic Williams | posted February 15, 2010
While a few things stayed the same at this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am — Dustin Johnson winning again, for instance, or Bill Murray sparring with the crowd — there were more than a few surprises. David Duval nearly won with four rounds in the 60s, the first time he’s done that since Tiger was a choirboy. In preparation for this June’s U.S. Open, Pebble Beach itself revealed a new look on several holes, including new bunkering on holes 4 and 6 and new tees on several back nine holes.
But by far the biggest alteration to one of the PGA Tour’s most popular stops was the re-introduction of Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course into the rotation after 33 years, when it subbed for a waterlogged Spyglass Hill. While the public Poppy Hills bowed out of the three-course event (much to the Northern California Golf Association’s consternation), replacing it with the private Shore Course — which shares a gorgeous slice of Monterey Peninsula real estate with its sister track, the Dunes — was an inspired move. It was also the right one, judging by the reaction of virtually every Tour pro and celebrity FG followed along its fast and firm fairways on Feb. 11. Phil Mickelson called it “the best redesign I’ve ever seen,” while the smiles plastered on the faces of other guys pretty much summed up their thoughts.
Their feedback was spot-on. While Pebble boasts the history and finest string of seaside holes on the West Coast (4 through 10), and Spy’s opening quintet is truly some of Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s best work, The Shore might be the strongest 18-hole circuit overall. Reopened in 2004 after a thorough overhaul at the hands of late North Carolina architect Mike Strantz (he died of tongue cancer in 2005) and his design partner, former Tour player Forrest Fezler, it’s a stirring, scenic, sometimes iconoclastic stroll that begins in the Del Monte Forest, quickly moves toward the Pacific and stays there until turning back inland for the final two uphill holes. Strantz and Fezler basically started from scratch and let the God-given landscape re-assert itself after being hidden by an overgrowth of trees and dreaded ice plant. They completely redesigned a dozen holes to open up ocean views, nested tees and greens into stunning rock formations and penned a dramatic new storyline with traditional links philosophy at its heart.
The very last hole Strantz designed before his death is No. 11, as beautiful a par 3 as you’ll find on the peninsula, and that includes No. 7 at Pebble and No. 16 at Cypress Point. Its tiny back tee is wedged between two boulders high above the 6th green to its left, affording a downhill, 190-yard tee shot directly toward the sea with Cypress itself in the distance. It’s the perfect example of Strantz’s wild streak as a golf course architect and a postcard moment for the AT&T, now and hopefully forever.
Of course, MPCC is private, meaning most of us can’t play it unless we know a member or find another way in. It’s worth the effort; with Spanish Bay to its north and Spyglass to the immediate south, it makes for the meat of the best coastal golf “sandwich” in California.
More more on the AT&T including David Duval’s near-miss, visit www.fgman.blogspot.com.
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Vic Williams is editor and publishing partner of Fairways + Greens, a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to golf, travel and lifestyle for the West and beyond. He has written thousands of stories on golf and will cover every facet of the game right here, primarily travel but also the major tours, equipment, personalities and more. Contact him at
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Check Out FG's U.S. Open Planner
Got tickets to this year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach? Pick up the March-April 2010 edition of Fairways + Greens for a four-page guide to planning the ultimate spectator’s trip to the Monterey Peninsula, including:
• Where to Watch the Action: On-site viewing tips for Pebble Beach, and where to sate your post-round hunger
• Playing Beyond Pebble: Unforgettable public golf before and after the tournament, including the all-new Bayonet and Black Horse courses and the famous courses on the peninsula itself.
• Staying Your Own Way: The most convenient hotels and resorts in the Monterey area, no matter what your budget
• Finding the Perfect Fare: From fresh seafood to authentic Mexican to great pub chow, on and off the beaten track
On newsstands in March!
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