Recent changes and restorations at Pebble Beach Golf Links aim to restore its original design, enhance strategic play, and prepare it for future major championships. But the update hasn’t exactly won over two-time major champion Justin Thomas. The PGA Tour star made his displeasure clear, taking to social media to launch an unfiltered rant over the changes.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Some minor changes to the 16th hole at Pebble Beach,” Joel Stewart revealed on Instagram. “The right tree that previously made the goal post has been removed. My guess is the USGA, in preparation for next year’s US Open, asked them to remove it.”
Yes, workers took down a tree on the right side of the 16th hole, which opened the dogleg. Now, players can no longer hit over the right-side tree, changing how they play the dogleg.
Back in April 2022, the USGA and Pebble Beach announced that the U.S. Open would return to Pebble Beach Golf Links in 2027. The landmark partnership also secured the course as an anchor site for future U.S. Opens in 2032, 2037, and 2044. Regardless, Thomas quickly joined the conversation, claiming the changes won’t make it better.
“Such a great hole. Makes no sense to me why they’d do this,” Thomas said, commenting on the post. “When are places going to realize getting rid of trees is not the answer to making courses better, haha?”
Stewart replied that the trees were removed to avoid a bug infestation, with concerns that it could spread. He also noted that the tree on the 16th was not part of the course. It was planted years later and did not fit the character of a course built in 1909. However, Thomas wasn’t happy with that explanation.
“Natural stuff like that happens,” Thomas wrote back. “I hope not for the sake of the tree (that felt weird to type), but I hope so for the sake of the decision to take it down haha. I’ll die on the hill [that] trees are a major part of golf course strategy, and they help get rid of the bomb and gauge game plan.”
The “bomb and gauge game plan” is a strategy in which players prioritize distance off the tee, hitting the ball as far as possible before assessing the conditions for their next shot. By taking an aggressive line with the driver, players can leave themselves shorter approach shots, then “gauge” the remaining yardage, lie, wind, and pin position before attacking the green.
However, per Thomas’ claims, when trees are placed strategically, any player who bombs a driver without considering its position can find themselves blocked out. This forces them to pitch back into the fairway or leaves them with a hard angle into the green. Regardless, Thomas’ comment attracted pushback from a fan.
The fan acknowledged that the green contours create a challenging approach but questioned Thomas’ claim that the hole is “great.” The fan noted that, given Thomas’ ability to control spin, the wedge approach may be particularly appealing to him and asked him to elaborate on what makes the hole so good.
“Agreed,” Thomas wrote back. “But can’t really control the weather and humidity [in the] places we play, which has a huge impact… course design and setup is the biggest factor to lack of strategy anymore, imo. Fairways are being made wider, greens bigger with crazy slopes, run-ups to greens, get rid of a lot of trees….
“That’s not the recipe. Shrink the fairways, shrink the greens, add doglegs, etc. That’s what makes us think about how to play holes.”
Thomas speaks from experience. He played at the course last year during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, finishing tied for 48th. Notably, Pebble Beach Golf Links was last significantly modified in 2016 with a renovation by Arnold Palmer and Thad Layton. Jack Neville and Douglas Grant originally designed it in 1919.
Regardless, this comes after Justin Thomas withdrew from the Biltmore Championship. He was supposed to use the tournament as his final competitive preparation before the Presidents Cup, but Cameron Champ took his place. Thomas will now head into the Presidents Cup without having played since the BMW Championship.
His withdrawal leaves questions about his match readiness heading into the Presidents Cup, where he was to represent the U.S. under captain Brandt Snedeker. That said, it appears Thomas takes his trees seriously, but course design is ultimately not under his control.