Flights, 4 Nights, 3 Rounds
Poppy Hills is one of the seven courses that make up the Pebble Beach line-up, opening in 1986 and later revamped in 2013 by the original designer, Robert Trent Jones Jr. That refresh modernised the playing experience and helped the course earn proper recognition, including Golf Digest ranking it Top 20 in California and 62nd in their 2017-2018 list of the best courses you can play in America.
You'll play through the Del Monte Forest with towering Monterey pines shaping plenty of tee shots. It's a very different day out to Pebble Beach Golf Links, but it's still pure Northern California golf, tree-lined, scenic and quietly demanding.
The 2013 work made the course fairer from the tee, with more generous landing areas in places, while the greens and surrounds still ask you to think. If you're in position, you can attack. If you're slightly off-line, you'll be scrambling and that's where the score can drift.
Big, quick greens with plenty of movement, a routing that flows naturally through the forest, and strong variety across the 18 holes so it never feels samey. The conditioning is typically excellent and the course rewards smart course management without punishing every mistake.
If you want a high-end Pebble Beach-area round without paying Pebble or Spyglass prices, Poppy Hills is a smart play to slot into a wider trip. It's the kind of layout that suits groups with mixed abilities, serious enough for low handicappers but fair enough that mid-handicappers won't feel out of their depth.
Who is this for?
Golfers visiting Pebble Beach who want top-tier golf with a bit more value, plus anyone building a Northern California itinerary around variety.
Who is it best for?
Mid to low handicappers who enjoy strategic course management and tree-lined championship golf.
Flights, 4 Nights, 3 Rounds
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Flights, 4 Nights, 3 Rounds
Often referred to as a hidden gem of Pebble Beach, Poppy Hills is nestled throughout the Del Monte Forest which is a serene and somewhat forgotten corner of golf’s most famous postcode. Since the renovation in 2013, which was predominantly to improve drainage and irrigation, many of the course’s features have also been enhanced. Many of the doglegs round the forest’s stunning pine trees are now softer, with all 18 greens having been refurbished with bent grass. To accompany the new greens, which can sit as high as 207 feet above sea level, Trent Jones Jr also amended many of the holes. The 11th is now the shortest par-3 on the course but can strike fear into the faces of even the low handicappers, shooting down to a green which slopes off at the front towards a gaping ravine. The 12th is also a new build and now affords some of the most incredible views on the entire course, overlooking the ocean, Monterey Bay and distant Santa Cruz Mountains. Prior to renovation, par at Poppy Hills was 72 but had now dropped to 71, despite playing at nearly 200 yards longer from the back tees.
Stats:
Par: 72
Opened in: 1986/2013
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr
Tees: Championship - 6,672 yards, Mens - 6299 yards, Womens - 5,215 yards
The clubhouse and restaurant were also renovated back in 2013 and now boast the top ranked dining experience in Pebble Beach. The former clubhouse cafe has been transformed into the Porter’s in the Forest restaurant which offers an indulgent food and wine menu, where visitors can enjoy panoramic views over the forest and distant coastline. The practice facilities at Poppy Hills include a state-of-the-art TaylorMade studio where you can have a specialist fitting and be amongst the latest equipment and clubs.
