They had really started to annoy me. Although innocent and well meaning, they were relentless, emphatic and so damned sure of themselves. I’m referring, of course, to the Bandonistas, that fraternity of fanatics convinced that true golf nirvana occupies a coastline in southern Oregon.

I was determined not to become as besotted as the impressionable oafs who had gone before me. Besides, I had been burned before, especially when I had traveled long distances. Machrihanish, Royal Dornoch and Kawana are among the far-flung venues that have failed to live up to my expectations.

However, all that skepticism about Pacific Dunes was balanced by a longtime friendship and respect for its designer. I had known Tom Doak since his college days and had helped him ply his talent as a golf writer before he pursued a career in course architecture. I had no doubt Tom could craft a superb golf course.

So could it be true? Could this upstart pseudo-links replace the course I had long cherished as No. 1, Pebble Beach? There was only one way to find out. I set off on a four-day investigative boondoggle: two rounds at Pebble followed by two at Pacific.

Here’s what I found. On the pages that follow, I pit the two in an 18 round bout, ranging from value to scenery to the following question:

>> Which should you play if you had just one round?