Pebble meets Paris
Play America’s premier tournament venue or tackle the towering dunes and well-protected greens of the Albatros in France
Pebble Beach – USA
Set on the Monterey Peninsula with stunning views out to Carmel Bay and the Pacific Ocean, Pebble Beach is often acclaimed to be America’s top public course. Created by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, this masterpiece has been a regular host of the US Open since 1972 and there are few designs that can rival it.
Over the years, the course has seen numerous changes but all have been done in a respectful manner to maintain the layout as it was intended to be played.
With narrow fairways and devilish rough, players must navigate a series of holes with daunting approaches played over deep chasms with the ocean below. Playing it is not easy, and you will have to part with the best part of £500 to play here. But few
courses can be hailed in the same class as Pebble. A timeless classic in every way.
Best hole: 7th - A tiddler of a par 3. Only a wedge is needed from an elevated tee, but few holes possess such wow-factor with the Pacific dominating its backdrop. The par-4 8th is equally stunning.
W: pebblebeach.com
Golf National Albatros – France
The 2018 Ryder Cup venue plays through sweeping dunes with a number of elevated tees to islandstyle greens. Golf National, developed on land that had previously been a rubbish tip by Hubert Chesneau and Robert von Hagge, lies just a short drive from the hustle and bustle of Paris and was built specifically to host tournament golf. A venue built for the grandest of occasions.
Best hole: 18th - Another elevated tee means a good drive to the heart of the fairway can leave a mid-iron to carry water to the green. Fairway traps lurks right. Hit those and there is no chance of hitting the green in two. W: golf-national.com