Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach Company Announces Timeline for Gil Hanse Led Renovation of The Links at Spanish Bay

Ted Odorico January 25, 2025

Golf News

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF. (January 13, 2025) – Pebble Beach Company has unveiled the timeline for its highly-anticipated renovation of The Links at Spanish Bay. The golf course will close on March 18, 2026, and reopen in the Spring of 2027, a few months before the U.S. Open will be contested at Pebble Beach Golf Links for the seventh time.

During the closure, Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner, and Hanse Golf Course Design (“HGCD”) will lead the construction process with the goal to elevate the 40-year-old course to the pedigree of the other championship courses in the Del Monte Forest. Hanse’s guiding tenets will be to transform Spanish Bay from an 1980s-era Scottish-inspired links to a modern California Coastal masterpiece while remaining within the existing development footprint. The renovation will also further enhance the golf course’s environmental standing and upgrade its infrastructure for the next generation.

“Working with Pebble Beach Company in a world-class setting like this is a can’t miss opportunity for our team,” said Hanse, President and Lead Designer of HGCD. “Golf on the Monterey Peninsula is an unrivaled experience, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to put our stamp on one of the most spectacular backdrops in the world.”

With a portfolio that includes highly-acclaimed courses at Ladera and Lake Merced – which won awards in 2023 for Best New Private and Best Transformation, respectively – in addition to Los Angeles CC (North), Ohoopee Match Club, PGA Frisco (East), and many others, HGCD brings a proven track record to North America’s No. 1 golf resort.

“The focus of this project is to further enhance the golf experience at Pebble Beach Resorts,” added David Stivers, CEO of Pebble Beach Company. “Partnering with Gil, Jim, and their team gives us the utmost confidence that Spanish Bay will be a ‘must play’ on par with its fellow courses.”

Also included in the project scope is a reconstruction of the iconic Spanish Bay boardwalk, which had been damaged in recent storms. The boardwalk provides public coastal access and majestic views between the golf course and beach. That project will begin in the Spring of 2025.

Images for editorial purposes may be downloaded here.

More information on these projects will be shared throughout the process on Pebble Beach’s website and social channels. For general information about Pebble Beach Resorts, visitwww.pebblebeach.com or follow Pebble Beach on Facebook and Instagram.

About Pebble Beach Resorts

Pebble Beach Company, headquartered in Pebble Beach, Calif., owns and operates the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts®, including The Lodge at Pebble Beach™, The Inn at Spanish Bay™, and Casa Palmero®. The company also operates five renowned golf courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Spyglass Hill® Golf Course, The Links at Spanish Bay™, Del Monte™ Golf Course, and The Hay. Its other famed properties include scenic 17-Mile Drive®, The Spa at Pebble Beach™ and Pebble Beach Golf Academy™. It annually hosts premier events such as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Food & Wine, TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational, and the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee. Future site of the 2027, 2032, 2037, and 2044 U.S. Open Championships and the 2035, 2040 and 2048 U.S. Women’s Opens, Pebble Beach Golf Links® has hosted six U.S. Opens, five U.S. Amateurs, one PGA Championship, one U.S. Women’s Open and numerous other tournaments. For reservations or more information, please call 800-654-9300 or visit pebblebeach.com.

About Hanse Golf Course Design

We are an intentionally small firm, dedicated to the proposition that golf courses are designed, restored and renovated in the field as opposed to solely on the drawing board. Formed in 1993 by founder Gil Hanse, who was joined in 1995 by partner Jim Wagner, Hanse Golf Course Design has patiently nurtured its reputation and its craft to arrive at a position of designing and restoring some of the finest golf courses in the world.

RMHC Northwest Ohio hosts raffle

Ted Odorico April 22, 2024

Golf News

The Golf Trip of a Lifetime: Kevin’s Journey with Lexus Champions for Charity. In a world where good fortune often feels elusive, Kevin Bush found himself in a moment of disbelief and exhilaration. It all began with an innocuous email that could have easily been dismissed as spam. As the owner of Nothing Bundt Cakes, a regular supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), his wife’s intuition nudged him to reconsider. “You bought raffle tickets, it might be legit!” she exclaimed.

Kevin’s instincts initially urged him to delete the email claiming he was the winner of the Lexus Champions for Charity raffle. But with his wife’s encouragement, he reached out to RMHC. The confirmation he received left him stunned yet elated. “It was disbelief. Enthusiasm. Insane feeling to win,” he recalls.

For Kevin, a seasoned golfer of 35 years and a member of Highland Meadows Golf Club, the prospect of playing world-renowned courses like Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, and Spyglass Hill Golf Course was a dream come true. What made it even more special was the chance to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience with his 23-year-old son, Connor, who shares his passion for golf.

From the moment they stepped off the plane, Kevin and Connor were enveloped in first-class VIP treatment. Awaiting them was a Lexus VIP shuttle, ready to whisk them away to The Inn at Spanish Bay, a luxurious 5-star resort. The welcome reception, complete with delectable food, drinks, and hors d’oeuvres, set the tone for the extraordinary days ahead.

The room boasted breathtaking views of the ocean and the meticulously manicured courses they were about to conquer. Each day was a new adventure, filled with camaraderie and unforgettable moments. At Pebble Beach, they marveled at the beauty of the course and played exceptionally well. Spyglass Hill presented its own challenges with its narrow fairways and deep rough, but the experience was nothing short of exhilarating. Spanish Bay provided the perfect finale, highlighted by Connor’s remarkable eagle on the 17th hole.

Reflecting on his journey, Kevin’s advice to potential ticket buyers is resounding. “If you are a golfer, it is better than a powerball. You have incredible odds,” he asserts. “This is the kind of experience that money can’t buy. It is special. It makes you feel good. It warms your heart. And it’s the trip of a lifetime.”

What truly stood out for Kevin was the partnership between Lexus and RMHC. Beyond the extraordinary golfing experience, he gained a newfound appreciation for Lexus’s commitment to supporting the community. “Sometimes you have an interaction with an organization, and it really changes your perception of their culture and values. This trip did that for us,” he reflects. As Kevin and Connor reminisce about their unforgettable journey, their story serves as a testament to the transformative power of dreams fulfilled and the profound impact of organizations coming together to make a difference.

Tickets for this year’s Lexus Champions for Charity raffle are on sale now. The cost of purchasing a ticket is $125, and there are only 300 tickets available. If you are interested in buying a raffle ticket to play in the Lexus Champions for Charity tournament, please visit https://bit.ly/RMHCLexusC4C, rmhctoledo.org, or contact info@rmhctoledo.org.

The History of the US Open in California

Ted Odorico June 23, 2021

Golf News

California is a top vacation destination for golf enthusiasts being home to several top rated golf courses. With the 2021 US Open returning to California this June, at the Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, now is the perfect time to take a look at the championship’s history in the region and reminisce some of the most memorable moments.

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California hosted 13 US Opens until the present

The US Open Golf Championship, the third of the four major championships in golf, takes place annually (except in 2020 when it was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak), at a different golf course in the country. Without counting this year’s US Open there have been 13 US Opens in California in the past. Golf courses that hosted the championship over the years:

Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach – 2019, 2010, 2000, 1992, 1982, 1972.
Olympic Club, Lake Course in Daly City– 2012.
Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla – 2008.
Olympic Club, Lake Course in San Francisco – 1998, 1987, 1966, 1955.
Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades – 1948.

The Pebble Beach Golf Links has been the most popular Californian location so far

The US Open first came to the famous Pebble Beach Golf Links in 1972 and returned five times afterward.

The Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of the top rated public golf courses in the country. Tee time here can be quite expensive but at least you can play in the footsteps of legends without being part of the golfing elite. Plus, the course offers some of the most stunning views.

But, before deciding upon Pebble Beach as your next golf vacation destination you should know that this course is not among the easy ones. The great Jack Nicklaus described the course as “playing as close to impossible as it can get” and Jeff Sluman, the 1992 runner-up said about the final round that it was “as much fun as a migraine.”

Two out of the three double eagles in the championship’s history happened in California

There have been only three double eagles in the history of the US Open and two of them happened on a Californian course. The first was achieved by Shaun Micheel on the 6th hole of the Pebble Beach Golf Links in the fourth round in 2010. The second one was shot by Nick Watney on the 17th hole of the Olympic Club course in the first round in 2012.

The other double eagle was shot all the way back in 1985 by T.C. Chen on the 2nd hole of the Oakland Hills Country Club course.

Tiger Woods won with the widest margin of victory at Pebble Beach

Tiger Woods still holds the record for the widest margin of victory with fifteen strokes. He achieved this record in the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links when he dominated the championship, finishing well clear of the runners-up Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

The Torrey Pines Golf Course was home to Woods most impressive comeback in 2008

Every true golf fan surely remembers the improbable comeback Tiger Woods accomplished at the 2008 US Open when he won against Rocco Mediate in the playoff, with an injured knee that required surgery.

Tiger’s run was a bumpy one as he started out playing his opening hole at seven over par. It may be hard to believe but that is right, he made three double bogeys on the first hole. After the championship’s first day things were not looking too good for Woods who looked like he was going to be no threat for the lead.

But he made a magnificent recovery when coming off a bogey at the 12th hole, Woods proceeded to sink an eagle putt at the 13th hole, a birdie at the 17th hole, then another eagle putt on the 18th hole that surged him into the lead.

This was the most recent US Open playoff and the last of its kind (18-hole) with the change to a two-hole aggregate format in 2018.

Hopefully, the US Open will return strong to the Torrey Pines Golf Course and we will witness even more memorable moments that will live on throughout the ages.

About the author: Julio Sanchez is the proud owner of Cardiff Vacations, a luxury vacation rental business in Encinitas, California.