Getty Image
Short courses are all of the rage in golf these days and Tiger Woods is in on the trend. Pebble Beach, California opened ‘The Hay,’ a 9-hole, Par-3 course just up the road from its famous neighbor Pebble Beach Golf Links on Friday.
The Hay / TGR Design / Pebble Beach
Built on the original property of Peter Hay Golf Course, TGR Design (Tiger’s company) started and finished the project in just 16 months and it’s pretty spectacular.
Tiger Woods’ new par-3 course “The Hay” opened in Pebble Beach today. 🐅
The 9-hole loop has an exact replica of the iconic No. 7 at nearby Pebble Beach Golf Links and costs only $65.
Views on the course are remarkable! pic.twitter.com/ky6v9hPuHd
— BroBible (@BroBible) April 16, 2021
One of the highlights is the 2nd hole, which pays homage to the iconic Par-3 7th hole on the city’s PGA Tour host. The 100-yard hole plays downhill to a green that is shaped just like Pebble’s— without the cliffs or Pacific Ocean.
TGR Design / Pebble Beach Resorts
The course features holes that range from 47 to 106 yards and is designed to be played with any club in the bag.
“There are a few key ideas that I like to include when we build a short course,” Tiger Woods told Golf Digest. “One of those is being able to use your putter from the tee box. I grew up playing Heartwell, a par-3 course here in Long Beach—and you could tee off with a putter on 17 of the 18 holes. … It makes it a lot less intimidating.”
The Hay’s layout is created to introduce new players to the game while also offering a relaxed environment for skilled players to refine their game or just have a good time.
“It’s a huge honor to be able to add my name to this facility,” said Woods. “Short courses – that’s how I started. I grew up playing a par-3 course in Long Beach. I always thought it’s the easiest way to learn. It can attract the youth to play our sport.”
Whether you’re playing amongst the historic oak trees, or shooting straight at the Stillwater Cove, it’s a beautiful place to play. Woods has always designed courses with variety and The Hay is no exception. Greens feature horseshoes and hummocks, backstops and biarritz gullies, swales and swirling bowls, as well as false fronts and feeding slopes. As easy as it is designed to be, it can be set up to challenge the best in the world.
TGR Design / Pebble Beach Resorts
To make things even better, it will cost only $65 for the loop — a steal when you consider who you are playing and where — and will be free to anyone 12 or under.