Pebble Beach: The Official Golf History published just in time for 2010 U.S. Open

As I mentioned earlier this month, there is no better golf experience than Pebble Beach Golf Links.

And along that vein, there are few golf books as good as Pebble Beach: The Official Golf History, published in November by Triumph Books (costing $45).

The 252-page hardcover, the work of Neal Hotelling, is an updated version of Hotelling’s 1999 book with a similar name. Much has changed since then … a new ownership group has come on board, Woods won that historic U.S. Open and the course has been modified in preparation of the 2010 U.S. Open.

Hotelling’s words are accompanied by some strong images from noted golf photographer Joann Dost. Her shot of the par-3 seventh hole graces the cover.

After a Foreward by Arnold Palmer, part owner of Pebble, the book delves into all that makes Pebble Beach and the Monterey Peninsula such a special place. Pebble Beach’s biggest attraction – besides its sheer beauty – has been its intimate connections to celebrity and professional golf. The book celebrates all this history with stories, listings of winners and old photos. It also profiles the other golf courses of the Peninsula, including Poppy Hills, Cypress Point and the Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

The book’s heavy emphasis on historic black and white photos comes from a massive effort to scan nearly 50,000 original negatives from former company photographers Julian P. Graham and William C. Brooks that were not available for the first edition. Talk about a stroll down memory lane.

Anybody who loves Pebble Beach – or has been fortunate enough to tee it up at Pebble – will love this book. Paging through it will surely bring a smile to their face.