Number 18: Pasatiempo

Ceiling: 90.5

Rating: 87.5

Trend over Time: 7.5

Pasatiempo is one of the more complex courses to rate. The delta between its best days and its worst is rather high, and much of what I considered here is what it will be post restoration that Jim Urbina is currently working on. That said, I am confident in where I am putting it because when its good, its something else, and knowing Doak’s track record of improving courses, the sky is the limit for Pasa. ANOTHER Alister Mackenzie masterpiece, Pasatiempo is the little sister to Cypress Point in every way. Only halfway down to Monterey from San Francisco, lower key, absolutely wonderful but not a top 5 in the world, and a bucket A site for a golf course, just not Bucket A of Bucket A of Bucket A. When Pasa is firing on all cylinders, few places are better, the question is how often can Urbina get it to play that way.

Culture:

Pasatiempo screams northern California. It is the little sister to Cypress but the fraternal twin to Valley Club. The way Valley Club is unabashedly SoCal, Pasa is to NorCal. The dramatic, hilly property it sits on, the large red woods and eucalyptus trees scattered throughout, views of the Pacific ocean and Monterey Peninsula, almost always a stiff breeze. When you are at Pasatiempo, there is never a doubt as to where you are, and that is one of the best things a golf course can have going for it. What’s different about Pasatiempo than many of the other top ranked Mackenzie’s is the fact that rather than being highly exclusive, it is in fact only semi private and can be enjoyed by anyone. While this maybe doesn’t give it the aura of a Cypress, Valley Club, Crystal Downs, or Augusta, it gives it something that none of those courses have, an ability to share the Good Doc’s genius with anyone. And that is something to celebrate.

Competition:

Writing this gives me equal parts nightmares and dreams… I was fortunate enough to play 4 Western Intercollegiates at Pasa, and I can say with confidence it was always my favorite event on the calendar. While I do still have PTSD from cup out 3 footers that could end up 60 yards from the hole (I’m serious, I’ve seen it), competing at Pasa was such a blast. Equally challenging yet scorable if you play smart and execute, 72 is never too bad and 67 is always quite good even though the course is only around 6600. The greens are wild but (mostly) fair, and the way you have to think through where you truly cannot leave your golf ball is unique to anything else you will see in major collegiate/amateur golf these days. A few notables to have won at Pasa include Patrick Rodgers, Scottie Scheffler, Maverick McNealy, Johnny Miller, and Ken Venturi. They always say the best courses identify the best players and there has never been a doubt that Pasatiempo does just that at the Western.

Architecture:

The two words I think of in the category of architecture for Pasa are bold and whimsical. Bold because the property lends itself to many bold features and holes to be created, particularly on the back nine where 2 central ravines are used on every hole but the 17th. And whimsical because so many of the greens have a playful charm to them that, unless they get just a tad too quick (which they can), aren’t meant to cause agony, just act as a consummate reminder that you better keep your head on straight for all 18 holes. Mackenzie’s best stuff is exactly this way. Immensely playable under 99% of conditions, but close enough to that edge that when the greenskeeper does want to have some fun, the same can’t be said for the golfers. The back nine at Pasatiempo is not a top 25 nine in the country, it’s top 10. The same can be said for the set of (5) par 3’s at Pasa. There are few sets better anywhere. The ceiling for Pasatiempo realistically could be closer to a 93, I just can’t quite make that judgement yet, but when it is all said any done, an already brilliant Mackenzie gem could be easily the best course out there that anyone can get on the tee sheet at. And once again, that is fantastic stuff.

Cheers, HS