Pacific Grove Golf Links

         Located in Pacific Grove, California, Pacific Grove Golf Links is in the shadow of the famous  Pebble Beach courses and Cypress Point. However this muni packs a punch, with eighteen holes containing plenty of good views and a back nine designed by Jack Neville that plays on the coast amongst sand dunes. Golf Digest ranked it one of the most fun courses in the nation and now, after playing it, I understand why.

          Now, I'm just gonna go ahead and say this, the front nine is not anything special. The only thing that keeps you going are the beautiful glimpses of ocean you can see through the trees, and the abundant wildlife. Think of it more as a nature walk as you make your way toward the splendid back nine. I'm not saying the front nine was all bad, there were some fun holes, including a trio of holes #7-9 that are good, old-fashioned golf. But I'm just saying that the real fun comes on the back nine.

The back nine starts off easy enough with a short par 3. But you can tell by the views of the ocean and the sea-breeze that there's going to be a lot of fun ahead. As soon as you step on the 11th tee, the WOW factor really hits you. From the tee box, the ocean, the tumbling dunes, and of course the fantastic golf course come into view. The 11th is a short par 4 with a downhill tee shot, a green backed by dunes, an OB fence left, and a wide fairway with a lot of room for a slice. This reminds me of how St. Andrews was designed: trouble on one side, room on the other. But the closer you get to the trouble, the better the angle to the green.

The 11th

 Now for the 12th, probably the greatest hole on the course. It is a par 5 that winds its way to the right around dunes with spectacular views of the ocean and sand dunes in play on every shot. There is no pLace I'd rather be.

The Oceanside 12th

Next, the 13th hole is a very solid short par 4. It doglegs left around a string of dunes to a green tucked into a natural amphitheater.

 The 13th Hole

Following 13 are two par 4s both similar to each other in length, that wrap through the dunes and near the ocean. On these couple holes there are excellent, post-card worthy views of the tumbling dunescape and ocean. The 16
th hole is a par 4 with a tee box situated in the dunes, right next to the Point Pinos Lighthouse. The hole doglegs left and drops down to a green guarded by bunkers and water.

Great Views on the 16th

Point Pinos Lighthouse

The 17th is a par three that plays over a water hazard named Crespi Pond to a green framed by large cypress trees. This is one of the better par 3's on the course. Lastly, the 18th hole is a straightforward par 4 that offers a final scoring opportunity. However, you can't be too reckless on this hole, because the 18th has one of the narrowest fairways on the back 9. After your round, sit back and relax in the clubhouse to remember a great round, especially the links-style back 9.