Courses

2019 West Coast Swing: 7 Iconic Golf Courses

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November 28, 2018

7-iconic-courses-pga-west-careerbuilder-mickelson-2016-getty-harry-how — Phil Mickelson hits a shot during the 2016 Careerbuilder Challenge at PGA West in La Quinta, CA. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

The PGA Tour’s 2019 season kicks off next month with the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. And as is tradition, the Tour starts out on the west coast for the first seven weeks, until late February before heading east for the Florida Swing, with a quick pit stop in Mexico.

This seven-week stretch is known unofficially as the West Coast Swing, and its tournaments are contested at some of the most iconic golf courses in the country, including Kapalua, Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines, and Riviera.

Here’s a quick look at the seven championship golf courses where the tour pros will be teeing it up, starting next month.

KAPALUA RESORT, PLANTATION

Justin Thomas hits a shot during the 2017 SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Golf Resort in Maui, Hawaii. Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Event: Sentry Tournament of Champions
Where: Kapalua, Hawaii
Date: Jan 3-6, 2019
Stats: Par 73 | 7,411 Yards
Designer: Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, 1991
Defending: Dustin Johnson
Interesting Factoid: The only course on the PGA Tour that plays to par 73.

WAIALAE COUNTRY CLUB

Event: Sony Open
Where: Honolulu, Hawaii
Date: Jan 10-13, 2019
Stats: Par 72 | 7,125 Yards
Designer: Seth Raynor, 1927
Defending: Patton Kizzire
Interesting Factoid: The 10th hole introduces features of the 17th Road Hole at St. Andrews in Scotland.

TPC STADIUM at PGA WEST

Phil Mickelson hits a shot during the 2016 Careerbuilder Challenge at PGA West in La Quinta, CA. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Event: Desert Classic
Where: La Quinta, Calif.
Date: Jan 17-20, 2019
Stats: Par 72 | 7,300 Yards
Designer: Pete Dye, 1986
Defending: Jon Rahm
Interesting Factoid: The Pete Dye-design is viewed as the sequel to his legendary work at TPC Sawgrass.

TORREY PINES, SOUTH

Jimmy Walker hits a shot during the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines GC in La Jolla, CA. Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Event: Farmers Insurance Open
Where: La Jolla, Calif.
Date: Jan 24-27, 2019
Stats: Par 72 | 7,698 Yards
Designer: William Bell, 1957 | Rees Jones, 2001 | Tom Weiskopf, 2016
Defending: Jason Day
Interesting Factoid: The course is named after the Torrey Pine, a rare tree that grows in the wild only along the coastline of San Diego.

TPC SCOTTSDALE, STADIUM

Bubba Watson hits a shot during the 2016 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale (AZ). Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

Event: Waste Management Phoenix Open
Where: Scottsdale, Arizona
Date: Jan 31-Feb 3, 2019
Stats: Par 71 | 7,266 Yards
Designer: Tom Weiskopf and Jay Moorish, 1986
Defending: Gary Woodland
Interesting Factoid: The par-3 16th hole at the Stadium Course is the only fully enclosed hole on the PGA Tour.

PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS

Event: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Where: Pebble Beach, Calif.
Date: Feb 7-10, 2019
Stats: Par 72 | 6,816 Yards
Designer: Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, 1919
Defending: Ted Potter Jr.
Interesting Factoid: Neville used a unique figure 8 layout in order to place as many of the holes as possible along the beautiful Monterey coast line. Because of this design, Pebble’s 9th and 10th holes do not return to the clubhouse.

RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB

Dustin Johnson hits a shot during the 2017 Genesis Open at Riviera CC in Pacific Palisades, CA. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Event: Genesis Open
Where: Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Date: Feb 14-17, 2019
Stats: Par 71 | 7,322 Yards
Designer: George C. Thomas, 1926
Defending: Bubba Watson
Interesting Factoid: The movie ‘Pat and Mike’, starring Katharine Hepburn and Babe Zaharias, was filmed at Riviera, as was The Caddy, starring Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, with a cameo appearance by Ben Hogan.

SOURCES: Getty Images, Wikipedia, TPC Network, Pebble Beach Golf Links, City of San Diego