Having played Pebble a number of times for real the greens here seem pretty accurate. On the course the slopes are not that severe, and thus the breaks not crazy, but the grain is a huge factor and results in a lot of unusual breaks and movement that must be accounted for .... a local caddy is indispensable. The 3-5' putts here maintain the challenge with a little more break to deal with. There always is some wind, fog is prevalent, flat lies are rare and the greens are very small .... resulting in a most challenging course: playing here in UEL is a much more realistic experience. If they could just turn on the fog to simulate the heavy air, have the wind come consistantly from the right direction and have 3 pin positions per hole, (would be pretty lame at this stage to have a single fixed spot) it would complete the experience. But all in all a fun round here.
The opening stretch is always pretty tame, 1-5 are manageable, but things pick up at #6 which plays easier here then irl....it is hard to line up that 2nd shot up the hill and you usually end up way left. 7 is all about the weather, can go either way. 8 is strange, I never recall a worry about driving through the fairway ... just aim for the rock and let her go, but here it is real concern; 2nd shot always a thing of beauty. 9 & 10 play as tough as can be with 10 having a sloped fairway full length that is hard to hold. 11 appears easy but has a weird fairway orientation off the tee,, and like the 2nd shot on 6 here, will play much easier as you get the aerial and advance views you cannot see from the course. 12 is a straightforward par 3, the bunker up front gets plenty of action. 13 is uphill and pretty straight, but has the hardest green to putt on the course with severe slope to the ocean. 14 is #1 handicap, a long dogleg right par 5 with a 2 tier green. You can catch your breath on 15, pretty easy P4. 16 is hard, but will likely play easy here on even lies as the fairway lie for long drives is eliminated. 17 into the wind is just brutal, the green is shallow as it runs parellel to the tee and well bunkered. 18 takes two well placed shots to tame it, a thing of beauty. Bring on the back 9 WGT !