New course in Pebble Beach rotation getting rave reviews

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A redone golf course, the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, is joining the three-course rotation at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which begins Thursday and so far the golfers are thrilled. The Shore Course last was played during the tournament in 1977 and it is replacing Poppy Hills this year.

The Shore Course was redesigned by Mike Strantz and Forrest Fezler, and golfer Brad Faxon said Wednesday that it was ‘the best renovation I’ve ever seen, anywhere.’

Faxon pointed to the views: ‘I believe on 13 of the 18 holes you can see the ocean or get a glimpse of it. And the look of it is fantastic, the bunkering, the waste areas, I think the shapes of the greens, the variety of the course.

‘And it has some quirkiness, like three par-fives on the front. And then there’s three par-threes in six holes. I think it rivals every bit Pebble and Spyglass for quality.’

At the California Golf Writers and Broadcasters dinner Tuesday night, golfer Steve Elkington said he considered the redone Shore Course one of the top 10 in the world.

-- Diane Pucin