Let me start by saying at this point on my list, the golf courses are almost interchangeable. Pacific Dunes in amazing in almost every way. Almost every publication ranks it the #2 ranked public golf course in America (behind only Pebble Beach) and many purists even prefer it over Pebble. It is a consensus top 20 golf course in the world. Pacific dunes certainly lives up to the billing. Tom Doak crafted a an ingenious routing, with 18 fantastic golf holes. Equally impressive, the golf course looks as if it has been there for a thousand years.



My favorite thing about Pacific Dunes is the variety. While the whole course is build on sand dunes, you travel from forest to dunes to ocean to dunes to forest again throughout your round. If you haven't played Pacific Dunes, my guess is you haven't played a golf course with only one par 3 on the front, and only 2 par 4's on the back. Tom Doak laid out the best golf course routing possible and eschewed tradition. The result is an incredibly fun back nine with 4 par 3’s and 3 par 5’s.

2nd Hole


My favorite Part 5 on the golf course is the 3rd hole. This is the hole where you first spot the pacific ocean after walking up to the tee box which is elevated above the hole. From the tee you can see two menacing bunkers in the middle of the fairway...I have been in the same center bunkers twice, it makes the hole challenging to say the least. The best play is left of those bunkers since the 12th fairway on that side provides extra room if you miss left. A shot missed right of the hole is in the gorse, never to be seen again. The closer you get to the green the louder the ocean gets and goosebumps set in. Especially, if you know Hole 4 is up next.



Pacific Dunes two best par 4’s are certainly two of the best in the world. The fourth hole is your introduction to the ocean and it is excellent and unforgettable. With massive bunkers on the left and the Pacific Ocean on the right you have no choice but to step up and hit a straight shot with confidence. Anything right is “off the continent” as my caddie liked to say.

A picture I took of the tee down the fairway of the par 4 463 yard 4th.


An aerial photo of #4.


While the fourth perhaps is the most famous, The 13th is my favorite hole on the course (and 3rd favorite hole in the world). The right side of the hole is framed by 40-50 ft sand dunes that grow in size as you get closer to to the green. The Pacific ocean on the left temps you to drive dangerously close to the sand dunes on the right. A good shot will hit it down slope and roll a considerable distance, however, the further you go the more blind and uphill your second shot will be to a green perched right on the ocean. This hole is so good!



Another view of the 13th, those Sand Dunes right of the hole are amazing.


One very important rule, when you hit a bomb down the middle on one of the best golf holes in the world, you must "rep the Y".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTkwswc61JQ

I would say that Pacific Dunes may have the best set of par threes in the world, certainly right up there with any course I have played. Particularly special are the back to back par 3 10th and 11th holes that play along the ocean's edge. Hole 14 would be the best par 3 on almost any other golf course with a picturesque table top green on top of a sand dune. The 17th is the best of the bunch, Doak saves his Redan hole for his last Par 3, and it is stunning. Probably the best Redan hole I have played. long and down hill, like any Redan the hole is shaped from front to back and right to left. A draw played toward the front of the green should feed to it's center.

206 yard Par 3 10th hole. Might be worth it to sneak back to the back tees on this one.


141 yard Par 3 11th, there is more room right than you think.


Par 3 14th, the front right bunker is a nightmare..soo deep...avoid it at all costs.



Par 3 17th, a Redan hole at it's finest


You can see the traditional Redan sloping here...the smart play will land on the front right of the green or the center for a far left pin.


18th Hole is a great Par 5 finish, uphill all the way.


Pacific Dunes is as good as golf gets. Dramatic, breathtaking, quiet and remote with excellent golf at every turn. There are no weaknesses, it is one of the best golf courses in the world. If you ever get the chance do whatever you need to do to play it...and throw your scorecard out the window.