Pebble Beach still one of the lovable, iconic American courses

Among the many challenges that Pebble Beach presents to the greatest golfers in the world, possibly the toughest is fighting the urge to just stay for months and take in the scenery.

Pebble Beach, host to the 110th U.S. Open this week, has witnessed some of the most dramatic moments in Open history: Jack Nicklaus' 1-iron shot off the pin at No. 17 in 1972, Tom Watson's pitch-in for birdie from the rough on the same hole in 1982, Tom Kite's pitch birdie from the rough on No. 7 in 1992, Tiger Woods' record 15-shot win in 2000. All the while, the course never was overshadowed. Sitting right at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, Pebble Beach is as much of a sight as a site.

"I think it's a very special piece of property in the United States," said Nicklaus, who added that when he won the U.S. Amateur there in 1961, "I just fell in love with the place."

Nicklaus won three pro tournaments at Pebble Beach in a span of 13 months, the 1972 and 1973 Bing Crosby Pro-Ams and the first of the four Opens at the West Coast icon. "It's not a very difficult course when the wind doesn't blow. It's extremely difficult when the wind does blow," he said, without having to add that the wind blows there a lot, and hard (not to mention the day snow postponed a round of the 1962 Crosby).

The layout was done originally by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, amateur golfers with a flair for design, leading to a 1919 opening. The trademark finishing hole was converted in 1921 from a straight, short par 4 to the classic par 5 by British architect W. Herbert Fowler. Nicklaus designed a new fifth hole in the 1990s. Since the 2000 Open, several bunkers and greens have been redone at the direction of Arnold Palmer, now one of the co-owners.

For this Open, the U.S. Golf Association asked that the fairways on the fourth, sixth, eighth, ninth and 10th holes be shifted closer to the tall bluffs, to put the ocean in play. At Pebble Beach, "cliffhanger" is not just a figure of speech. Beyond all that tinkering, though, nature gets most of the credit.

"I think it's one of the best golf courses in the world. The scenery is unbelievable," said Vijay Singh, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (the former Crosby) in 2004 and received a special exemption to get into this Open. "The golf course is tough. Old-style golf courses never change. I think 50 years from now, it's still going to be one of the best golf courses. I think it's one of the favorites for everybody."

Play in an Open at Pebble Beach and you'll never forget it. That explains why Rick Hartmann, head pro at Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton, tried the daunting qualifying process this year at 51 (he made it through the first phase, not the second).

"If it wasn't Pebble, I probably wouldn't have. But it's Pebble Beach. There is no better Open than Pebble Beach," he said after the 36-hole sectional qualifier in New Jersey last week. Hartmann qualified for the 2000 Open, made the cut and still cherishes it. He went there with the goal of savoring every second. "Oh, I enjoyed the week," he said.

"Darrell Kestner was up at the practice range, hitting balls until dark," Hartmann said of the Deepdale Golf Club pro and his best friend. "I was on the balcony, having margaritas. I said, 'That's how I'm doing it, I don't care how I play.' It was one of the best experiences I've ever had playing golf."