USA - Pebble Beach Trip (Monterey Peninsula) | 8 nights, 5 games

Opening quite serenely, the downhill, straightaway par 4 is a challenge for any player. Off the tee, play a driver or a three-wood, depending upon which club is the straighter. Even with a solid drive you are left with a challenging second shot low handicappers and big hitters may choose to try to get home in two, but most mortals will lay up, leaving a delicate pitch shot to a green fronted by three large bunkers. The green has two tiers with the pin usually cut to the back. Definitely a tough way to start.

From the tee of this difficult par 4 it is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security. While it is a generous driving hole with plenty of room all around, the fairway does narrow closer to the green. Drive the ball to the right off the tee as the fairway slopes right to left down toward some menacing rough and a recently-restored fairway bunker. The narrow opening to the green will definitely grab full attention on the second shot which calls for a mid to long iron and must be precise to keep away from trouble from substantial traps on both sides of the green. If possible, land to the right side of the green to counteract, if not take advantage of, the hard right to left can't.

One of the toughest par 3's anywhere. The third hole requires a solid two-iron or five-wood off the tee. Shorter hitters should play left of the recently restored bunker in the middle of the fairway. Miss the green to the right and it will be the fortunate golfer who walks away with a bogey. A deep bunker to the right swallows errant balls and a large Cypress tree guards the putting surface which is one of the most treacherous on the course, sloping severely back to front. So make sure to stay below the hole a piece of advice that holds true to a greater or lesser extent to virtually every green on the course.

A relatively short par 4 where par should be the norm and any birdies collected merit a pat on the back. A well positioned tee shot is a must, so it's probably best to hit a three wood, taking aim at the left flank as the right holds a large fairway bunker. The approach shot is a four or five-iron to a long, narrow green surrounded by bunkers. Disaster awaits the player missing his second shot right of the green where plenty of trouble shot opportunities are created by two bunkers and a steep drop off. The drop off actually begins on the green itself with the back right quadrant feeding down to a bowl.

A medium to long, uphill par 3 that requires a carry of 190 yards to make it safely to the green. Select enough club to fly the ball to the green in order to escape the gaping bunker in front that gobbles up tentative, short shots. Be very careful with club selection because it's an almost sure bogey if the shot is long, thereby necesitating a chip back onto a green falling away toward the front. Stay below the hole and to the right.

Hit it far but keep it straight down the outstreched and narrow tree-lined corridor. A driver must find the middle of the fairway since out-of-bounds run down the entire length of both sides of the hole. Finding the fairway with the drive, be smart and lay up with an iron that can be controlled to take out-of-bounds markers out of play. Playing the hole aggressively carries no small risk. At the 150 yard marker turn left and wave to Alister MacKenzies ghost; the MacKenzie home is approximately 100 yards from the green. By the way, an extra club length should be added when the pin is cut at the rear.

The narrowest hole on the golf course, it is a par 4 that forces most golfers to reach for their straight club off the tee. A more generous landing area in the fairway awaits the courageous player who uses a driver. Either way, stay to the left of center of the fairway, which falls down to the right with a large fairway bunker reachable by longer hitters. The approach shot with a mid to long iron must be on target and come in high to avoid the four greenside bunkers protecting the green.

Not as demanding as the first two par 3's on the front side, the eighth hole requires a solid iron shot usually a four or five-iron to a severely sloped green where three-putts are a way of life. The putting green, very wide and canted back to front, is one of the most difficult on the course and demands a delicate touch, especially of the player having to putt downhill. Landing below the hole is imperative.

The par-5 ninth is a chance to score a birdie if played smartly rather than greedily. Although aggression is sometimes rewarded, a well-placed drive kept right of the two fairway bunkers 224 yards out on the left flank, and a contolled second shota long ironthat steers clear of the thicket of trees lurking along the right will set up an easy pitch to the green. Beware of the out-of-bounds marker on the left side of the green and avoid the bunkers in front of the green. You are half way through the round and many interesting shots are yet to be played.

A dog-leg par 4, the 10th hole features a series of intimidating but conquerable ravines. The drive must carry approximately 189 yards to clear the first barranca, leaving a second shot that should be played using a three-wood or two-iron. The second shot is downhill to a sloping fairway and must be accurateright, left and short all add up to extra strokes. A new trap complex has been recently added to the left side of the fairway in front of the green as part of the MacKenzie restoration project.

Don't be fooled by the distance of the hole. The 11th is a difficult, entirely uphill par 4 that has acted as the spoiler to many a good round. A long and straight drive that finds the fairway is a must. Be careful not to hook. The second shot is a long iron over a deep barranca that opens at the very front edge of the green. A useful rule of thumb is to take an extra club length on the approach, but stay below the hole, avoid downhill putts at all cost. The putting green is one of the toughest on the course, so even when on in regulation, don't relax.

It is easy to become swept up in the panoramic view of the bay driving off the highly elevated tee, but maintain concentration. Play the drive down the right side of the wide fairway and let the ball run down the slope. Land too far left and risk getting blocked on the second shot. Closer to the green, the fairway narrows to a skimpy tunnel of trees dotted with depressions that toy with errant shots. The approach shot must be played directly onto the green, as trouble awaits in front in the forms of a shallow valley and fronting bunkers. The green is relatively flat but sneaky tough.

The final par 5 on the course, the 13th is also the widest and the easiest. If there is one opportunity where aggressiveness carries the greatest reward to risk, now is the time for big hitters to go for the green in two. Definitely play the driver off the tee to make the most of the extra fairway. The second shot is either a three-wood or a solid long iron that must find the center of the fairway to leave a short approach to the green. Don't run the approach shot onto the green because the surrounding bunkers will snare the ball. Instead, come in high with a short iron to a mickey mouse shaped green.

A simple looking tee shot until it disappears down into an irregular grassy swale that wanders down the left side of the fairway. Land here and the green may not be visible, so keep right. An uneven lie may await the second shot usually a mid-iron that must get airborne to carry huge oaks extending into the fairway from the right side. Go for the left of the green not only to avoid the trees but also the large, menacing trap hugging the right of the open, flat putting surface.

A seductive little par 3 that has more hazards than one realizes when standing on the tee. When the pin is placed on the right side, be careful to avoid the pesky oak tree that has been known to reach out and bat balls down into a water hazard. From there, a bogey four is a great success. The smartest and safest route is playing a six or seven-iron, always coming into the hole from the left. Be sure to take enough club, because a ball landing short can spin off the green into the rough.

MacKenzie's favorite par 4, the 16th at Pasatiempo strikes fear into the hearts of nearly all who play it. A blind tee shot calls for some intelligent planning, precise placement with a draw. Too far left, the ball ends up in a barranca, and too far right is OB. Even the best drive leaves a long, downhill second shot to a three-tiered elevated green, guarded by an array of green side bunkers. Be on target or risk severe penalties; the green rests behind a deep barranca and stream below.

A short par 4 with a wide fairway and a large green. Leave the driver in the bag and hit either a three-wood or two-iron to make sure the tee shot finds the tree-lined fairway. Unless youre a short hitter, the approach shot is no more than a five or six-iron, but take enough club as the shot is all uphill. Be careful of the bunker on the right that flanks the green which slopes left to right.

The finishing hole requires a 170-yard carry over a huge barranca that is wreathed by trees and bunkers. Usually a four or five-iron, an extra club length may be called for on this downhill tee shot, depending on headlong breezes that are not detectable from ground level. Look at the tree tops for guidance. Towering trees on the right negate many shots, while shots left short of the hole spin back toward the deep canyon guarding the greenone of Pasatiempos trickiest. This is not the hole to falter on...play it bravely.

Take aim at the right edge of the first bunker beyond the fairway with a 3-wood or long iron and try not to cut the dogleg - it doesn't pay. The approach shot plays somewhat longer than the actual yardage and the green is tightly bunkered left and right.

Find the fairway long off the tee and you can reach the green in two. Another option is to lay up short of the deep bunker or barranca hidden 75 yards from the green.

A slight draw around the corner of this dogleg leaves you in perfect position for a short pitch to the green. If you play it safe to the far right of the barranca, be prepared to contend with the bunkers flanking the right side of the green.

A long iron or 3-wood to carry the long bunker in the center of the fairway is your best bet. This short hole is tightly guarded with a cluster of menacing bunkers and the green slopes decidedly back and front.

Opened for play in January of 1999, this spectacular addition is sure to test your mettle. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, this beautiful par 3 sits naturally upon the bluffs overlooking Stillwater Cove. The ocean breezes will affect club selection. The safest play is to the left-center of this green.

The optimum placement for the tee shot is left center of the fairway. Your second shot must carry the steep slope but beware of the bunkers on the left.

Club selection is predicated on wind factors. Knock down a short iron and keep the ball from ballooning in the wind. Play it safe to the middle of the green.

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.

Take aim at the left center of the fairway, hit it long, and beware on the left. Side hill lies are the norm for long iron second shots so beware of the ocean right. There is a deep bunkered gully left and short that will punish a timid approach. This is truly the most difficult hole on the course.

A strong tee shot to the left center of this sloping fairway will leave you with a medium iron shot. Take enough club on your approach to carry the inlet on the right. Bunkers left and long will capture errant shots. Green slopes from the left to right.

A well struck tee shot will take you left of center avoiding the bunkers left and right on your approach. Take enough club on this uphill approach, but be careful not to overclub. This green is fast from back to front.

The staggered bunkers in front give a false perspective on this long par three. Club selection is key in approaching this wide but shallow green. Check the wind by looking back at the flag on 11. The wind above the trees, undetectable by eyeing the 12th green, may alter your shot.

This uphill par 4 plays longer than the yardage. Line up over the right edge of the fairway bunker and hit your best tee shot. The uphill approach shot calls for an extra club. Shots to the right side of the green will slide left on this, the most severely sloped and quickest green on the course.

The dogleg right is a three shot hole for virtually all players. A well placed bunker on the right will capture shots aimed at cutting the dogleg. Hit as much club as possible on the second shot and if the pin is tucked upper left, take at least one extra club to carry the huge frontal bunker.

This medium length par four sets up perfectly for an accurate tee shot. A well placed drive in the center of the fairway will leave you with a medium to short iron. Remember: Check the ocean left, as putts will move in this direction.

Take aim directly over the island bunker with a 3-wood or long iron. A driver may leave you with a difficult downhill, sidehill lie, or worse yet, in the deep rough through the fairway. Do not attempt to cut the dogleg - the right side is fraught with danger. Hit the approach to the right side of the green as all shots will slide left.

Check pin placement and wind conditions. These two factors determine choice of club. Beware of the ocean left.

Set up for three shots on this hole. The best tee shot is to the left of the trees. The second shot is ideally placed on the left side of the fairway to avoid the tree overhanging the green. Your short iron into the green must carry the frontal bunker. And finally, putts will tend to fall oceanside.

On a clear day, a player can stand on this tee and see the Santa Cruz mountains, Monterey Bay, and the canopy of the Del Monte Forest. The hole then falls downhill to the left, ending on a large green whose surface resembles gentle ocean swells.

While relatively short, the hole plays uphill and is surrounded by trouble, primarily sand and ice plant. Two very precise shots are required.

There is a spectacular view of the Pacific ocean from this elevated tee which, in the absence of wind, makes the hole play shorter than the yardage. The green is deceptive, sloping from front to back.

This is Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s favorite par 4 because of its options. If the pin is in back then the approach should be played from the right side of the fairway. If in front, then the left side is the better angle. The green, which is encircled in ice plant, is Spyglass Hill's most photographed.

Bird Rock is a straightforward par 3 framed by ice plant in back and three pot bunkers in front, the center bunker being the deepest and most difficult on the course. Another bunker is hidden from view and awaits stray shots to the right.

The character of Spyglass Hill changes from this hole onward. From the tee, players wind their way up and into the Del Monte forest. The view from behind this green is spectacular; however, the severely downhill chip shot from this position is less than desirable.

An elevated tee makes this a reachable par 5. While there are no greenside bunkers, a pond penalizes anything left and short. The right to left sloping green makes chip and pitch shots even more troublesome. This is a tempting hole off the tee, but it requires complete precision from the fairway.

Signal Hill is, perhaps, the longest hole under 400 yards in the world. The second shot is even more uphill than the tee shot. The green is elevated and crowned with the hole's only bunker protecting its right side. This is Spyglass Hill's number one handicap hole.

Captain Smollett is yet another uphill par 4. A massive green (the second largest on the course) is guarded by deep bunkers. Tremendous slope from back to front makes putting from above the hole a challenge.

After two tough, lengthy uphill par 4's to close the front, this is a downhill getaway hole to begin the back side. A drive down the left side may be blocked by a tree which cannot be seen from the tee. Any approach which lands past the center of the green will go over.

A dogleg right par 5 is characterized by a necklace of bunkers protecting the right side of the green. While beautiful to look at from a distance, these bunkers are very costly to play from.

Water comes into the play on three of the next four holes. The left side of this green should never be a target since balls have a tendency to spin off into the pond.

The fairway rises steadily uphill as it bends slightly to the left. Another elevated green deflects any off-line shot although a straight run-up shot will work.

This is a double dogleg swinging right, then left. A pond protects the right side of this shallow, but very wide green. A difficult chip awaits those who are too aggressive and go long.

This is the shortest hole on the course yet far from the easiest. The green is framed by bunkers in back and another pond in front. Beware, balls spin back into it. Anything left bounces farther down a steep hill.

A drive too long may run through this fairway. A tree which cannot be seen from the tee blocks the right side. However, when past this tree, the green opens up, so it may be worth the gamble. Then again...

Ben Gunn offers a change of pace and is unlike any other hole at Spyglass Hill. Neither the landing area from the tee nor the green surface from the fairway can be seen. The hole's many bunkers and its sloping green offset the short yardage. Above the cup is treacherous.

The tee points toward the right fairway bunker, so a slight draw is perfect. An elevated green with a rise seperating the front from the back awaits the second shot. Any shot that lacks precision will be detoured into the surrounding trouble.

A strong drive to the left center of the fairway makes this par 5 reachable in two. A firm green is guarded left by two large bunkers and right by marsh and dune. A smart lay-up in front will avoid the depression on the right of the green.

This short but narrow par 4 requires an accurate drive or well-placed tee shot left or short of the fairway bunker. The approach can be chipped into the hill or carried onto this multi-tiered green. Stay below the hole.

An accurate 200 yard drive over the left side of the farthest bunker leaves the ball in a grassy swale, inviting a short pitch-and-run to the large green.

A demanding multi-tiered green rewards the strong shot and punishes the weak. Better to be short of this green than long.

This hole is what Spanish Bay is known for: Risk and Reward. Three pot bunkers in the right center of the fairway will gather any shots hit in their area. Stay left to play safe or right over the dune to a narrow landing area. Second shots to the right side of the fairway will kick left towards the green.

A well named hole with nine bunkers protecting the short route to an elevated tiered green. A tee shot away from the bunkers of 200 plus yards will leave a short to mid-iron to the green. From the fairway, aim at the left center of the green.

This fairway funnels to a narrow landing. Risk the shorter approach to the green or lay-up and have 180 plus into this kidney shaped green.

Club selection is the key to success in finding this winged narrow green near the windy seashore.

The entire right side of this difficult hole is out of bounds. However, a shot to the right side of the fairway opens this green up. Take an extra club on the approach and read your putt carefully.

The tee shot on this double dog-leg par 5 is demanding but rewards a courageous shot over the left edge of the portruding dune. Three pot bunkers divide this fairway in the landing area of the second shot. The left route is the riskiest but most rewarding, leaving a short chip to a uniquely tiered green.

A fader's dream. A tee shot to the right side of the fairway missing the corner trees will leave a short shot into a most difficult green. If the hole is on the upper deck of the "top hat" styled green, hit a high soft shot onto the deck or a running aggressive shot into the hill. Don't leave it on the front edge of this green.

A long very narrow par 4 that demands length and accuracy. The fairway funnels to its narrowest point at 220 yards. A deep gully filled with briars crosses the fairway some 30 yards from the green. A short layup may keep the score down on this hole.

This very short par 3 requires a very accurate pitch to this ribbon of a green. The sea breezes here can be the key to a successful shot. Beware of the left green-side bunker.

Breathtakingly beautiful from the tee, this long par 5 is spacious but unforgiving in the wind, with out-of-bounds left, marsh and willow to the right. This green slopes towards the sea. Hit to the front edge.

The island landing area demands the tee shot to be placed just left of the bunkers, leaving a short to mid iron over the gorse and dune to a severely undulating green with marsh and reeds to the right. Care should be taken from the tee not to overclub.

This tee is sheltered from the offshore breezes that tend to push the ball into the right greenside bunkers. The hole favors a low running shot to the left center of the green.

The tee shot here sets up the hole. Carry the drive over the dunescape and to this narrow landing area. The green is silhouetted against the sky making the distance difficult to judge, and is severely sloped from rear to front.

Favor the right side from the tee and on the second shot. Avoid the temptation to go for the green as the wind and gorse will usually get your ball.