Page 65 - 2018 Travel Guide to California

9-hole, natural grass putting course and a
53,000-square-foot clubhouse, this “muni”
golf experience in the desert is unparalleled.
indianwellsgolfresort.com
OCEAN COURSES
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.” 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 Cham-
pionships. Jack Nicklaus said, “If I only had
one more round to play, I would choose to
play it at Pebble Beach.” pebblebeach.com
Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Taking a page from Robert Louis
Stevenson’s classic novel, Treasure Island,
Spyglass has hole names such as “Black
Dog” and “Billy Bones,” hints for the
unwary at this demanding 6,960-yard
layout. Designed (1966) by Robert Trent
Jones, Sr., holes 6, 8 and 16 are listed
among the toughest on the PGA Tour. Spy-
glass features two distinctly different kinds
of terrain that influence how the fairways
look and play: the first five holes roll
through sandy seaside dunes while the
remaining 13 holes cut through majestic
pines with elevated greens and strategi-
cally placed bunkers and lakes to grab
errant shots. pebblebeach.com
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Celebrity GC at
Indian Wells Resort, Whitehawk Ranch
Golf Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links.
MOUNTAIN COURSES
Whitehawk Ranch Golf Club
Carved from the natural terrain of the
Mohawk Valley, approximately one hour
north of Lake Tahoe in the Plumas National
Forest, the fairways are framed with native
grasses and a profusion of wildflowers.
Seven meandering streams through tall
pines, cedars, firs and quaking aspens con-
tribute to the challenge and beauty of the
6,955-yard, Dick Bailey-designed course.
golfwhitehawk.com
Coyote Moon Golf Course
Nestled in a serene setting at 6,800 feet above
sea level in Truckee (Lake Tahoe) among tow-
ering pines and enormous granite
outcroppings, the 7,177-yard Brad Bell design
serves up one of the best mountain golf expe-
riences in the country. With generous
fairways and not a single home to spoil the
dramatic views, this upscale daily-fee course
provides dramatic elements of risk, including
the 13th, a 200-yard par 3 that drops 80 feet
from tee to green. coyotemoongolf.com