Season of the Six
Summer breaks are a time to make memories. Across the country, from elementary schools to college campuses, students, teachers and colleagues will soon reunite and ask a simple question that often ignites a lengthy dialogue – how was your summer? Well, here at Pebble it has been far from a summer break, but we have plenty to share after making key changes to two of the most recognizable holes on property.
The sixth hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links is a pillar all its own with nothing else like it in the game. Stillwater Cove beckons off the right while a three-story climb waits for players on their second shots. At the base of this hill is where Tiger Woods took a mighty lash at a mid-iron to reach the green in two shots out of vintage U.S. Open rough. On the card it led to a birdie but it also set the tone for the championship which Woods would go on to win in historic fashion, still the largest margin of victory in a major championship.
Until this summer, the sixth green was one of five remaining from the original 1919 construction. Back in April our team embarked on an 11-week project that restored the green to its original size. To the right of the green, the two looming bunkers have been combined into one, creating a look that perfectly matches the design aesthetic of the course. Beneath the green a modern infrastructure has been installed to improve year-round conditioning. This includes the addition of a PrecisionAir system that will enhance the agronomy team’s ability to control moisture.
View this post on Instagram
Just across the property, the sixth green at Spyglass Hill underwent its own set of improvements. An uphill brute of a golf hole that not only challenges guests but plays as one of the most difficult on the PGA TOUR, these changes open new possibilities in terms of hole locations and even if only slightly, gives players a better chance of walking away with a par.
The changes made to the sixth include a widened entry and front tier in addition to softening the middle transition slope. The floors of surrounding bunkers have been raised and the expansion of collars will give players more options from just off the green.
View this post on Instagram
The sixth green at Pebble officially reopened for play on July 19, with Spyglasses sixth doing so one week later. While renovating multiple sixth greens simultaneously was pure coincidence, perhaps there’s some numerology to be had here. Six U.S. Open’s have been contested at Pebble Beach. Tom Kite used a 6-iron when he missed the green at No. 7 in 1992 before his spectacular chip-in. And many players have walked away with a six on the scorecard after playing these holes.
Thousands of guests will make their own history on these greens before the next chapters of major championship history is written at Pebble Beach with the 2027 U.S. Open staged at Pebble Beach Golf Links. In 2030 the U.S. Senior Open and Senior Women’s Open will be hosted at Spyglass Hill over consecutive weeks, a first in USGA history.
So how has our summer been? Busy in a word, but well worth it.