This was fun! Nine weeks ago, we began soliciting your ideas for hole names at Pebble Beach on social media. While this is purely an academic exercise, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the outpouring of creativity, admiration and stories you’ve shared with us.
We’ve combed through your nominees and picked our favorite names for each hole on the front nine at Pebble Beach. Here’s our list:
THE FIRST HOLE
OUR FAVORITE:
@jmont11 Fairway to Heaven
Many of our fans have compared a round at Pebble Beach to a religious experience. Bonus points for turning a Led Zeppelin song into a golf reference.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Anthony Mormino The Altar
Tim Sipprell Threshold. A lot of people, myself included, visit Pebble Beach before they actually play the course. That first time you play, The feeling is amazing and indescribable walking up onto that first tee finally and you cross the threshold.
THE SECOND HOLE
OUR FAVORITE
Tim Sipprell Clambake. Because this is a hole in which you can and must feast.
We love the Crosby reference, and the reasoning is sound. You’ve got to collect your birdies early at Pebble Beach!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
@anthonycorvoslt “The Trench”
Robin G Akins Thread the needle
THE THIRD HOLE
OUR FAVORITE
Tom Hood Bunker hill.
A fun American history reference that accurately describes the hole since Arnold Palmer armored the hillside with fairway bunkers ahead of the 2010 U.S. Open.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
@sdlittlefield I Sea You
Becky Newhouse Pacific window
THE FOURTH HOLE
OUR FAVORITE
Jim Gallaher “First Look”
It’s a moment that melts your heart and introduces you to the heart of the Pebble Beach experience. That first up-close look at shimmering Stillwater Cove and the picturesque Pacific Ocean from the middle of the fourth fairway is unforgettable.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Tom Brennan Bullseye
Darrin Fossum Sandy
THE FIFTH HOLE
OUR FAVORITE:
Dan Keck The Lost Hole
Before Pebble Beach Resorts Founder Samuel F.B. Morse knew he wanted to build a golf course here, he regrettably sold this piece of land. That forced the old fifth hole inland for some 80 years, until the land was finally reacquired. The current fifth hole was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1998. This missing link — hey, that’s not a bad name, either — now completes a sensational stretch of seaside holes from Nos. 4-10.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Billy Gibbs “Fade to Back”
David T Dube Golden Bear!
THE SIXTH HOLE
OUR FAVORITE:
@therealjustjosh 6 is what I would call “Koi No Yokan” – a Japanese translation noting that it’s “the feeling upon first meeting someone knowing that you will inevitably fall in love with them.”
Beautiful. We’re sure many feel the same way when they reach one of Pebble Beach’s most beloved holes.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
@clsmoooth6 The cliffhanger!
Sherri Taber-Acosta Jay’s bay! That sand trap looks like a silhouette of Jay Leno
THE SEVENTH HOLE
OUR FAVORITE:
@evan_schiller_photography 7th Heaven 😳
It rhymes, and it’s one of the most beautiful holes on the planet. Works for us! (Extra credit for taking this magnificent photo, too.)
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
@dbecks8 The Promised Land
@davidrchen The Ledge
THE EIGHTH HOLE
OUR FAVORITE:
John Steele Clint. Clint is an auld Scots name for a Cliff or precipice. So a nod to the origins of the game. Of course it also gives a nod to one of Pebble’s great characters, Mr. Eastwood.
We didn’t know that! Wonder if Clint does. A perfect name.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
@tombrady Perfection!!!!!💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
Darrin Fossum Edge of Glory.
THE NINTH HOLE
OUR FAVORITE:
Mike Pancerny Baywatch.
The crest of the ninth fairway is a photographer’s favorite perch during tournament play. A clever nickname that captures the Carmel Beach-watching that often takes place here.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Patrick Marron Nature’s Portrait
Mark Simowitz Top of the ninth