Photo courtesy Pebble Beach Company
Here we are down to the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8 of our ACES March Madness Top Golf Holes in Northern California!
We have previously released the First Round, as well as the Round of 32 matches! Now it’s time to cut the field to four!
Remember the only qualification is these must be holes I have played! I am sure some of your favorite will not be on the list but that is because in most cases, I will not have played the course!
Enjoy!
Sweet 16
Tiger Woods Region
Pebble Beach No. 18 (1) vs. Pebble Beach No. 9 (4): Get enough holes from Pebble Beach in this contest and inevitably they must start facing each other. In the end it’s an easy choice here when you are talking about one of the greatest 18th holes in the world.
Pebble Beach No. 17 (3) vs. Olympic No. 18 (2): This one is a battle as both have serious memories in the history of golf. In the end I went with Olympic as having been inside the ropes on both holes during U.S. Opens the 18th at Olympic is the winner. There is nothing like having thousands hovering over the green on the hillside amphitheater that surrounds the green.
Freddie Couples Region
Half Moon Bay No. 18 – Old Course (1) vs. Spanish Bay No. 3 (4): Both are beautiful golf holes, but the 18th at Half Moon Bay on the Old Course is majestic. You see pictures from the tee, and it looks like a painting. Stand on the tee and you get the same feeling. Surrealistic. If you have not played the course, the next time you are in Half Moon Bay, stop at the course and talk the walking path out to the tee box. Even if you are not golfing, it’s an amazing view.
Edgewood No. 17 (3) vs. Pebble Beach No. 7 (2): Two great, scenic par 3’s and I would be happy if I could play both every day for the rest of my life. In the end, when you stand on the 7th tee at Pebble you get the feeling like you’re at lands end, and in reality, you are. The 7th at Pebble is one of the wow moments the first time you play the course.
Jack Nicklaus Region
Harding Park No. 18 (1) vs. Ruby Hill No. 18 (5): Being a Pleasanton kid I would love to have Ruby be your winner, but it has to be Harding. If is such a great finishing hole. A nerve-wracking tee shot that demands accuracy as the uphill approach to the green can go south quickly if you are not in a good spot. You can’t miss left here and anything short leaves a daunting chip.
Monterey Peninsula No. 11 (3) vs. Spyglass No. 3 (2): Wow – two amazing par 3’s in the Monterey Peninsula. Both have incredible vistas, but at the end it comes to the it being Spyglass Hill. After the great opening hole at Spyglass, you come right back just one hole later to this hole. Love it.
Jordan Spieth Region
Pebble Beach No. 8 (1) vs. Spyglass No. 1 (4): If you have not played Pebble Beach, it is impossible to appreciate the second shot at the 8th hole. There is nothing as beautiful and intimidating all at once as that view.
Coyote Moon No. 13 (3) vs. Pebble Beach No. 10 (2): It is time for Coyote Moon to leave the competition, but there is no shame falling to the 10th a Pebble. I think knowing that 11-13, three mundane holes for Pebble Beach, follow the 10th hole. You soak in the views at the 10th and carry those with you until you get to the 14th.
Elite 8
Tiger Woods Region
Pebble Beach No. 18 (1) vs. Olympic Club No. 18 (2): I knew getting to this point would be the toughest in the tournament. Two of the great U.S. Open finishing holes, rich with history and heart break. In the end, well, Pebble is Pebble.
Freddie Couples Region
Half Moon Bay No. 18 – Old Course (1) vs. Pebble Beach No. 7 (2): I may get some throwback from this choice, but I am going with Half Moon Bay here. I get and love everything that the 7th at Pebble brings to the table, but the feeling you get after emerging from the inland Old Course to the final hole and standing on the tee is hard to describe if you haven’t played it before. Plus, it is a rush to stick your approach knowing there are plenty of people watching.
Jack Nicklaus Region
Harding Park No. 18 (1) vs. Spyglass No. 3 (2): I just keep going back to the feeling I got the first time I walked on to the 3rd tee at Spyglass. You are standing up on the tee box, looking down on the green and the water beyond. Breathtaking.
Jordan Spieth Region
Pebble Beach No. 8 (1) vs. Pebble Beach No. 10 (2): Another Pebble battle and for all the reasons listed above I must go with the 8th here. The first time I played Pebble, I flushed my approach over the ravine, and it was such a fulfilling feeling to watch the ball flight and hit the small green. One of the best golf feelings I have had.
By Dennis Miller