Pasatiempo Golf Club

Set in the hills above Santa Cruz with sweeping views of Monterey Bay, Pasatiempo Golf Club is widely regarded as one of the finest and most historically significant golf courses in the United States. Designed by the legendary Dr. Alister MacKenzie — the architect behind Augusta National and Cypress Point — and developed by golf pioneer Marion Hollins, Pasatiempo opened in 1929 and remains one of the very few MacKenzie designs in the world open to daily public play. A recent multi-year restoration has returned the greens and bunkers to MacKenzie's original 1929 vision, making a round here as close to the architect's intent as anywhere on earth.

Quick Facts

Course History

Pasatiempo was the vision of Marion Hollins, a U.S. Women's Amateur champion, golf promoter, and one of the most influential figures in early American golf. In 1928 she announced plans for an ambitious sports and real-estate community anchored by an 18-hole championship course, and she recruited Dr. Alister MacKenzie to design it. The course officially opened on September 8, 1929, when Hollins was joined for the inaugural round by Bobby Jones, reigning U.S. Women's Amateur champion Glenna Collett, and British Amateur champion Cyril Tolley — a world-class foursome followed by more than 2,000 spectators. MacKenzie was so taken with the property that he built a home beside the sixth fairway, where he lived until his death in 1934.

The Design & Architecture

MacKenzie's design philosophy — natural beauty, strategic options, and greens of extraordinary contour — is on full display at Pasatiempo. The course flows from a relatively gentle front nine into a dramatic, barranca-crossed back nine that many consider among the best closing stretches in golf. Its crown jewel is the par-4 16th, which MacKenzie called his favorite four-shot hole in his book The Spirit of St. Andrews: a blind tee shot sets up an approach across a deep barranca to a heavily contoured, triple-tiered green. Between 2023 and 2024, architect Jim Urbina — who has guided the course's restoration for more than two decades — rebuilt every green and bunker to MacKenzie's 1929 dimensions, replacing the aging Poa annua greens with modern Pure Distinction bentgrass while preserving the original shapes.

Playing Pasatiempo

At 6,615 yards to a par of 70, Pasatiempo plays far tougher than its scorecard suggests, with a course rating of 72.5 and a stout slope of 141. The challenge lies less in length than in position: MacKenzie's angled fairways, deep bunkering, and bold green complexes reward thoughtful, strategic play and punish the wayward. Firm, fast conditions and swirling coastal breezes add another layer of difficulty — this is a course that demands, and rewards, repeated study.

Know Before You Go

• Access: Semi-private, with a limited number of public tee times available daily — book well in advance.

• Location: 20 Clubhouse Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, just off Highway 17.

• Amenities: Full-service clubhouse, pro shop, dining, practice facilities, and professional instruction.

• Tip: Play it at least once for the back nine and the famous 16th — a bucket-list experience for any student of golf history.