If your vision of a perfect day is a tee time at an architecturally brilliant, historically significant course that is a joy to play at a friendly, low-key club that exudes a vintage, wonderfully atmospheric aura, there s no better place than Pasatiempo Golf Club. Even though the club s location in Santa Cruz just off the freeway and near the University of California campus, makes it perfect for an add-on tee time when going to or coming from Pebble Beach and the Monterey Peninsula, Pasatiempo somehow has always been a bit under the radar. And that s despite its lofty place among America s top-100 courses. Pasatiempo Golf Club is a masterpiece of golf course architecture by Alistair Makenzie, whose credits include Augusta Nation (with Bobby Jone, Cypress Point, and Crystal Downs. Mackenzie liked the club so much he lived course-side during the last years of his life. Thanks to a long-term project by Tom Doak s Renaissance Design, Mackenzie s classic parkland layout has been faithfully restored and updated. The thrills begin on the very first hole at Pasatiempo Golf Club. From the elevated tee boxes you look out toward the Pacific Ocean and set off on a joyride over up and down and canted terrain, around artistically crafted bunkers, all leading to imaginative, undulating greens. Mackenzie, who was a pioneer in developing military camouflage, used deception here to befuddle golfers who think they see one thing only to discover a much different reality. On the 1st hole, the bunker that appears to be near the front of the green on the right is actually well short of it. Here s another tip Pasatiempo Golf Club plays long. Though the yardages on the scorecard may seem short, this is a par 70 with three par fours that play in excess of 400 yards from the middle tees and numerous uphill holes. The thick air that engulfs the course also won t give you your usual carry on your shots. Pasatiempo Golf Club presents a parade of fabulous holes. Mackenzie considered the par-4 16th his all-time favorite two-shotter. It features a blind tee shot and a huge false front at the huge, three-tiered green that is guarded by devilish bunkers. Pasatiempo Golf Club has a full practice area and simple but classic clubhouse with a well above average food and beverage operation. What more could you ask for? Pasatiempo Golf Club is not to be missed.
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