Course Information » Testimonials
Professional Golfers — Past & Present
Pasatiempo is such a difficult course. It really helped me as a professional going to other courses. If you can play Pasatiempo, you can play anywhere.”
— Juli Inkster, LPGA Tour
Pasatiempo is quite a special golf course, one I would truly like to play everyday. One of my best friends in life, Ben Crenshaw, assured me I would enjoy the golf experience at Pasatiempo. The course is a masterpiece, particularly the greens and bunkering.”
— Bill Rogers, 1981 British Open Champion
Pasatiempo is a new favorite course for me. I think it is the hardest course to play for the first time that I have ever played. Great greens. Beautiful trees...heaven!”
— Bruce Lietzke, PGA Tour Player
If you want to win a Western Intercollegiate Championship you better be part Hogan, part Nicklaus, part Tiger and big part lucky! What a course!”
— Johnny Miller, Former PGA Tour Player
Pasatiempo is one of the great golf courses in the world. It is one of my favorites. Pasatiempo brings back a lot of memories and is probably one of the premier back 9’s in all of golf.”
— Ken Venturi, Former PGA Tour Player
Pasatiempo is a fine course that helped my game grow.”
— Mark O’Meara, PGA Tour Player
Pasatiempo is a true quality course. The greens—especially #3, I believe— are very fast.”
— Dave Stockton, Former PGA Tour Player
Pasatiempo was and still is an awesome golf course.”
— Craig Stadler, PGA Tour Player
Pasatiempo is one of the real secret sleepers in the world of golf.”
— Patty Sheehan, Former LPGA Tour Player
Pasatiempo is a tight, tough course and with great variety.”
— Scott Simpson, PGA Tour Player
I’ve never enjoyed a course as much! The best bunkered greens I have ever played. I had it under ten feet on 10 & 11 and never touched the hole!”
— Chip Beck, PGA Tour Player
Pasatiempo was my introduction into the world of great, classically designed golf courses. It still remains in my top 10 of all time.”
— Peter Jacobsen, PGA Tour
The state of one’s game will be revealed at Pasatiempo. All phases of your game will be tested ... and marginal shots won't be good enough. One of my all-time favorites!”
— Mark Lye, Champions Tour/Golf Channel Analyst
Press
In June 2008, Matt Ginella names Pasatiempo as the number 1 public course in America that he’s played, edging out #2 Spyglass Hill and #3 Pebble Beach.
... a classic course with its own fascinating story, a sparkling design pedigree and many thousands of devout fans who consider it every bit the equal of Pebble Beach or Cypress Point. Some will even argue that as a pure, sustained test of golf skill and strategy, it’s even better.”
... at Pasatiempo where there exists a collection of 18 of the finest, most interesting greens which I have ever seen on one golf course ... more interesting than Cypress Point ... The first green at the Old Course at St. Andrews is not so interesting as the 12th at Pasatiempo.”
— Michael Wolveridge (
)
While Pebble Beach and Cypress Point stand without peer among California’s greatest links, golfers visiting Northern California should make a point of playing Alister Mackenzie’s Pasatiempo Golf Club (Rating: 19/20), especially now that Tom Doak is entrenched in a restoration of the majestic layout.”
Pasatiempo ... is known for its bunkering and undulating, fast greens. The course has become a classic ... players never tire of the challenge of Pasatiempo.”
Many of Dr. Mackenzie’s courses are the cathedrals of the game ... [Pasatiempo GC is a] lovely, difficult test of golf, perfectly blended into the northern California coastal forest.”
Golf Course Architects
Tom Weiskopf names Alister MacKenzie as his favorite golf course architect, identifying Pasatiempo and Cypress Point, the two gems MacKenzie built before Augusta National.”
Pasatiempo is the most personal of MacKenzie’s designs, it is bold and untempered. Afterall, he did live there.”
— Tom Doak
... good golfers consider the second nine holes at Pasatiempo the finest in existence. The short holes [are] specially good, and I think the sixteenth hole is the best two-shot hole I know.”
Fellow Golfers
Nothing beats Pasatiempo, unless you can get a tee time at Cypress Point!”
One of my favorite courses anywhere. True greens, and there are some tricky pin placements. #16 is one of the toughest par 4s around. Good luck on that 2nd shot!”
Fabulous golf course. I have been fortunate to play a number of top courses and would rank this one at or near the top ... I recommend Pasatiempo to anyone.”
Best course I’ve ever played in terms of architecture ... proves a golf course doesn’t need to be a 7200-yard beast to be challenging and that a golf course doesn't need to rely on “resort-golf-gimmickry” to be truly memorable.”
... my personal favorite course. I also love Pebble, but Pasatiempo’s style is more traditional and more enjoyable. I can see why Augusta is so great. Alister MacKenzie was a genius.”