Marion Hollins was a world-class athlete and noted entrepreneur, a rarity for a female in the 1920s. The US Women’s Amateur golf champion in 1921 and a famed equestrian, Hollins was an integral part of the development of one of the great golf courses in the world, Cypress Point, where she collaborated with architect Alister MacKenzie for the first time.

Hollins had a dream of building her own great club and she once again enlisted MacKenzie to build on a dramatic piece of property in the hills near Santa Cruz, just north of Monterey Bay. The land was perfect, with rolling topography and a sandy base and on September 8, 1929, Pasatiempo was unveiled to the world, with Hollins, golfing great Bobby Jones, current US Women’s Amateur Champion Glenna Collett and current British Amateur Champion Cyril Tolley making up the opening foursome.

Pasatiempo garnered instant acclaim and evidently, Jones was so enamoured with MacKenzie’s work that he invited him to collaborate on his dream course, which of course turned out to be Augusta National Golf Club. MacKenzie himself thought so much of his design work at Pasatiempo that he would eventually settle down in a home just off the 6th fairway, a house that remains there to this day.

The first hole starts with an inviting downhill tee shot but it’s perhaps not as wide a target as you’d hope for on your first shot of the day. From there, you have a very challenging uphill approach with a long iron or fairway metal to a green that is open on the front left but protected by bunkers on the front right. A tough opener that sets the stage nicely for the rest of the day.

The second is a partially blind downhill tee shot to a fairway that slopes sharply to the left. Again, you’ll be faced with a long approach to a green that slopes similarly from right to left and features a very narrow opening.

The third is an uphill 235 yard par three and if you didn’t feel it already, you’ll definitely know that you’re playing a MacKenzie course when you reach this tee! Tom Doak restored one of MacKenzie’s beautiful bunkers about halfway down the length of the hole, one that shouldn’t come into play for most players but adds just the right touch of visual intimidation. The green is set at a diagonal and accepts a fade approach best – a par here will bring a smile to the face to the most accomplished of players.

The fourth hole is a 378 yard par four with ample room off the tee but again, it’s near the green where things get challenging. The fifth hole, a delightful 190 yard par three, features a prominent front centre bunker that dictates the strategy from the tee regardless of hole location. The cleverly sloped putting surface will allow balls to be played both left and right of that bunker and allow the players the option to go in both directions to feed the ball to centre hole locations.

Many people criticize the 6th and 7th holes as being inferior to the rest at Pasatiempo, as they are very tightly routed on a narrow portion of the property along with the par three 8th hole. That said, the drive at the par five 6th is very interesting, with land tumbling sharply from right to left and you can’t discount the notable fact that Alister MacKenzie’s longtime home is just left of the fairway near the approach area. The 348 yard par four 7th features an unattractive but likely necessary row of tall trees bordering both sides of the fairway, tightening the driving zone to almost claustrophobic effect. Again, the 6th and 8th holes run parallel to the 7th and I’d imagine that there would be plenty of liability issues if all of those trees were chopped down. Despite all that, I think the 7th green is well-sited and features more of the interesting contours that are customary at Pasatiempo.

The predominant feature on the 176 yard par three 8th hole is the steeply pitched green that slopes almost impossibly from back to front. We played to a back hole location and you needed a full hip turn to get the ball to that back tier! The par five ninth offers a decent birdie opportunity to close the front nine, with a large green that sits elevated from the approach area and one that is protected by a very large bunker in front.

Many course critics feel that Pasatiempo’s back nine is one of the best in all of golf and this author wouldn’t disagree, with as many as eight incredibly unique and complex holes and perhaps only one relatively plain hole.

The 10th will make your hair stand up on end, with a thrilling tee shot over a barranca to an elevated fairway. The approach is just as stunning: downhill to a green that accepts a running shot toward the right side but balls hit left will end up in one of the cavernous bunkers set well below the putting surface.

The 11th is even better and position is critical off the tee, as the barranca runs all the way down the left hand side of the fairway. You will need to carry that considerable hazard on your approach shot to the awe-inspiring green location, set at a diagonal to play, with a fade approach the recommended play. Even the green is diabolical, with a wonderful knob in the front left that will propel balls down the hill if they are hit just short and allowing for myriad short game options around the green. One of the great holes in golf, in my humble opinion.

The 373 yard par four 12th offers a bit of a breather off the tee, as only a fairway metal or long iron is needed but the green is tucked over a depression area and requires a draw approach to hit the narrow target. The par five 13th occupies some of the most interesting land on the course, with rolls upon rolls in the fairway ending with a visually stunning approach to a green surrounded by huge bunkers.

The 14th, a 429 yard par four, features an incredibly unique “trench” in the middle of the fairway that’s around five or six feet deep. If you land in there, as my playing partner did (see photo below), you’re left with a challenging shot from an uneven lie but perhaps the best angle into the green. A very interesting strategic hole. The par three 15th is the shortest hole at Pasatiempo at only 141 yards and is very picturesque.

The 16th hole is one of MacKenzie’s favourites – it’s only 387 yards and a fairway metal is usually enough to reach the desired landing area on the crowned fairway. Once you crest the hill, you finally get exposed to one of the most famous green sites in golf, with the newly restored front right bunker and a green that features slopes that you wouldn’t believe! The 16th green may be one of the best I’ve ever seen in my life and the hole location on the day we played, middle left tucked behind a bunker, may be the cruelest I’ve ever seen as well! Tremendous!

The 17th is perhaps the only “plain” hole on the back nine at Pasatiempo, a straight-away par four back up the hill to a bunkerless green. However, you finish with appropriate style on the par three 18th hole, a 169 yarder over the barranca to a wide but shallow target that is protected in front and in back by huge bunkers. A very worthy closer.

There is no mistaking the fact that you’re playing a MacKenzie course when at Pasatiempo, with the dramatic bunkering style prevalent throughout the walk. There is so much flair to this design, with all of the little touches done just right, like having no rough in between fairways/greens and the bunkers, meaning that wayward shots will roll freely into the hazards, a really cool design feature.

The front nine routing is quite compact and I can understand an argument that one may have about it being detrimental to the overall design but I still feel that the much-criticized 6th and 7th holes contain many redeeming qualities on their own. The back nine is played over much more dramatic land, with the barranca being used brilliantly on multiple occasions.

Conditioning was much better than I expected – this is a semi-private facility that likely gets a lot of public play but balls were rolling out beautifully throughout the fairways and greens were appropriately slick.

And oh…those greens!

Pasatiempo may collectively have one of the best sets of greens in all of golf – seemingly larger surfaces than I’d normally see with an infinite amount of intriguing hole locations. On the day I played, I must have seen most of the tough ones, that’s for sure! Despite only being about 6500 yards from the back tees, this par 70 will make even the most skilled of players tremble with fear! Among the toughest courses I’ve ever played, without question.

Pasatiempo is quite well-regarded, especially by the folks at Golf Magazine but generally speaking, I think that the course is criminally underrated. In my opinion, Pasatiempo is one of the greatest public courses in America and unquestionably worthy of placement within the top 100 courses in the country and perhaps even the world. If you find yourself in Northern California, you can’t miss out on the experience of playing this golf course – it’s simply superb.