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Jay’s Mailbag – The Best Public Courses on the West Coast Part 2

DOAK DID A MASTERFUL JOB RESTORING PASATIEMPO
DOAK DID A MASTERFUL JOB RESTORING PASATIEMPO

So back to Helen from Schenectady’s question about where to take a West Coast golf trip this summer…

4. Pebble Beach Golf Resort – There is too much golf history and too much cliffside golf to miss this golf Mecca – even at the uber-exorbitant price. Thank goodness the rise of Bandon Dunes helped somewhat curtail the runaway pricing (some say gauging). Still, when it comes to golf, it’s a day you’ll never forget. The thrill of the cliffside holes, the perfect atmosphere, and walking in a century of history in every step is a memory you’ll remember to your last golfing breath.

5. Pasatiempo – It’s the home of Alister Mackenzie and one of his only public courses in America. Tom Doak’s restoration has brought back ferocious bite in the bunkers and green contours. You’ play some of the most famous holes in the world. There’s the par-3 fifth with its quintessential Mackenzie kidney-shaped green. (It bends at almost a 90-degree angle.) 10-11 – two strong par-4s – are two of the best back-to-back holes in America. The 10th plays over a canyon, then switchbacks to a green tilted severely from right to left and fronted by a massive bunker, while the 11th traverses the canyon, then winds uphill to a narrow green guarded by a deep trench bunker. Then, of course, there’s the 16th with its fiendish green contours and steep slopes.

6. Rustic Canyon – It’s been voted the best public golf value in America by every major golf magazine, but it’s time to start recognizing it as one of the country’s best courses as well. Gil Hanse designed 18 intricate golf puzzles to solve – sometimes using center-line hazards, sometimes using diagonal carries, and always employing intricate green contours. The first three holes are all planning and analysis, risk-and-reward golf at its most exciting. The stretch of 5-8 is exquisite as well, with so many topsy-turvy greens. The back plays through more rugged terrain and is a tougher walk between holes. The par-4s in particular are long and difficult (except the drive and pitch 12th). If you go on a day when the holes are cut in the notorious “Pin Position B” hang on for dear life and enjoy the ride! And enjoy playing the little dog that barks like a big dog!

“This is what golf needs! More sixty-six hundred yard courses with wide fairways, great greens and angles and auirky architecture to make golfer’s think…” – Pat Mucci.

WILD GREEN CONTOURS AND EXCELLENT ANGLES MAKE RUSTIC CANYON ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST
WILD GREEN CONTOURS AND EXCELLENT ANGLES MAKE RUSTIC CANYON ONE OF THE NATION’S BEST

7. Torrey Pines – Okay, so there isn’t much golf course architecture here, so what? You made it from Seattle to San Diego with your clubs and played the whole way! Grab a burrito, do some surfing, go laugh at the San Diego Chargers as they plod around their practice field, and try not to take the restaurant recommendations of free range ballet dancer or art sculptor. Then play along the cliff tops one last time before heading home to Albany, where you’ll be the envy of all your friends.