The newly-added Monterey Peninsula Country Club gives Pro-Am fans another huge reason to see a round.

The beauty of the breathtaking Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, which supplants Poppy Hills in the AT&T rotation, also channels its curse. The ocean-adjacent location that gives one of Golf Magazine’s 100 Greatest American Courses its sweeping vistas, unforgettable water shots and wholly appropriate name also exposes it to the elements: A full 14 holes enjoy ocean views.

One of the track’s truest tests provides a perfect example. On an idyllic day, hole eight is already a near-fatal attraction: a long 454-yard dogleg left with a technical tee shot and a damningly undulating green complex surrounded by a swamp of sand traps, with big blue as the backdrop. But kick in some wind and… whoah.

“It’s a tough hole all the time,” says MPCC club pro Dave Vivolo, whose son owns the course record. “But when the wind comes, it’s so exposed it gets crazy.”

The partial antidote he offers applies to golfers and spectators alike. “We like to say always come in layers,” he says.

Vivolo – as well as MPCC General Manager Mike Bowhay and Superintendent Bob Zoller – also laid out recommendations on where best to watch maximum dramatic action.

The timeless shot created by the towering tee box at par-three 11 is near the top for each. From a pinnacle that looks like Pride Rock in The Lion King, pros look down at a hot-dog-shaped green 181 yards off and a stirring view of Cypress Point beyond. Spectators would do well to set up next to the expansive, two-tier 6th green below, from where they can watch approach shots and putts at 6 and still see all of 11. The 10th green and 7th tee are maybe 10 seconds away and there’s room to move around.

“It’s gotta be the best viewing area on the entire course,” Bowhay says, “and it’s close to the shuttle drop-off.”

Hole 11 initiates a three-hole chain that hugs 17 Mile Drive and leads to another prime intersection of seascape scenery and sensational golf architecture from the poetic mind of late course redesigner Mike Strantz.

“You can see most of 12, all of 13, the green and second shot of 15, and the drive at 16,” says Zoller, who was present in 1977, the last time MPCC hosted the AT&T – and new president Gerald Ford parked Air Force 1 in Monterey to come play. “You can see a bunch of four different holes, which is rare for a course.”

And everything remains flanked by the rocky Pebble Beach coast and its cobalt curls. “Fans will constantly be torn,” writes golf scribe Eric Pinkela, “between watching the world’s best golfers and the world’s best scenery.”

There’ll be no better place than these back nine to stake a golf seat or spread a blanket on Thursday, when the A-group, starring Phil Mickelson, Tony Romo, George Lopez, Bill Murray and Vijay Singh, moves through.

The breadth of beauty bodes well for the Shore’s chances of keeping the AT&T around. It also helps that an MPCC already known for its obsessively maintained conditions has its holes that much more buffed.

“The course is in great shape,” Vivolo says. “The best shape it’s ever been in.”