Del Monte Golf Course

Charles Maud's 1897 design at Del Monte is the oldest continuously-operated golf course west of the Mississippi River, played on the same land for 128 years and counting. Originally built as nine holes by Maud, an Englishman who helped found the Southern California Golf Association, expanded to 18 in 1902, hosted by what would eventually become Pebble Beach Resorts. The course is short by modern standards (6,356 yards) and tight by any standard, small greens pinched by bunkers, snug playing corridors, doglegs around mature oaks and pines. It doesn't ask for length; it asks for placement and short-game creativity. A different kind of round than its famous siblings 10 minutes down the 17-Mile Drive, and at $125 for Pebble resort guests (or $54 with the Duke's discount card), a genuine value within the Pebble Beach portfolio. The historical pilgrimage round when a group's already spent on the main courses.