Page 74 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

GOLF
BY ROBERT KAUFMAN
Swing Away
Diverse geography tees up a bounty of options for fairways and greens
With California’s diverse landscapes
including mountains, valleys, forests, coast-
level and preferred environment, here are
some notable nuggets that will help unlock
GOLF ACROSS
THE STATE
California is one of the world’s top
golf destinations, and no matter
which region you choose, you’ll find a
course to suit your game, whether it’s
in the mountains at Sierra Star GC at
Mammoth Lakes, above, in the Gold
Country at Greenhorn Creek GC at
Angels Camp, or Desert Willow
(Firecliff GC) in Palm Desert.
line and desert, Mother Nature has provided
a canvas for fairways and greens to position
the Golden State as one of the most attrac-
a golf experience of a lifetime.
OCEAN COURSES
tive golf destinations on the planet.
Taking advantage of these geological
assets includes a who’s-who of golf course
architects, from old-school designers like
Alister MacKenzie and A.W. Tillinghast to
modern-day shapers such as Jack Nicklaus,
Robert Trent Jones, Jr., and Tom Fazio who
have crafted challenges to suit every golfer’s
taste and budget.
Today, there are more than 600 public
courses scattered throughout California
ranging from iconic masterpieces like
Pebble Beach Golf Links on the Pacific coast
to hidden gems such as Greenhorn Creek in
the Gold Country. Depending upon skill
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Located along the storied Monterey Penin-
sula, there are few golf thrills like teeing-up
for the first time on Pebble Beach Golf
Links, ranked No. 1 on Golf Digest’s
“America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf
Courses” (2013/14). At the Jack Neville/
Douglas Grant design (1919), golfers can feel
the presence of the game’s biggest legends
that have competed in the annual AT&T
Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and five U.S.
Open Championships. Jack Nicklaus said,
“If I only had one more round to play, I
would choose to play it at Pebble Beach.”
pebblebeach.com
ROBERT KAUFMAN
72 2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A