Pasatiempo Golf Club opened in September 1929 as the vision of Marion Hollins, the pioneering sportswoman who hired Dr. Alister MacKenzie to design it. MacKenzie made his American home in a house that still borders the sixth fairway, and he called Pasatiempo his favorite layout, ahead of even Augusta National and Cypress Point. The course has been steadily returned to his intent: Tom Doak led restoration work in 2007, and from 2023 to 2024 Jim Urbina rebuilt all 18 greens and bunkers to the original 1929 designs, finishing in December 2024.

On the course

The par-70 course measures 6,495 yards with a 72.6 rating and 139 slope, numbers that undersell it. The front nine rolls across gentler, tree-lined ground above Monterey Bay before the back nine climbs into a hillside canyon where deep barrancas cut across nearly every hole. The par-4 16th, with perhaps MacKenzie's boldest green, was a stated favorite of the designer himself, and the restored bentgrass putting surfaces demand real thought. The competitive course record is 63, set by Ken Venturi on November 2, 1953.

Who it suits

Pasatiempo is semi-private but sets aside daily public tee times, making it one of the rare MacKenzie designs anyone can book. Golf Digest ranked it 93rd on its 2025 list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses, and the club hosted the Western Intercollegiate for 78 years along with the 1986 U.S. Women's Amateur and the 2004 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur. Built before golf carts existed, it walks well despite some hills, and caddies can be reserved through the pro shop with a day's notice.

Practice facilities are compact but complete, with a putting green beside the first tee, a short game area with its own green and bunkers stepped down the hill, and a small driving range alongside the first fairway, plus a pro shop. The fee is a premium and the greens will humble a careless putter, but for golfers who care about architecture, angles, and history, this is the Bay Area's clearest bucket-list round.

Architect: Alister MacKenzie · Opened: 1929