Pebble Beach golf guide: how to play the Monterey Peninsula
The most famous public golf in the world. How to play Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay, when to go, and how to actually get a tee time.
Pebble Beach Golf Links is the most famous stretch of public golf on earth — and, unlike most of the world's great courses, anyone can play it. It sits on the rocky Monterey Peninsula coastline along California's 17-Mile Drive, has hosted six US Opens and is now a permanent US Open 'anchor site', yet it's a resort course with no membership required. The catch is planning: the surest way onto it is to book a stay at a Pebble Beach Resorts hotel.
The wider resort bundles four courses, three luxury hotels and some of the most dramatic scenery in golf. Here's how to plan the trip: the courses, when to go, how to get there, where to stay, and — the question everyone asks — how to actually secure a Pebble Beach tee time.
Where
Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula, California, USA
Courses
Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill, The Links at Spanish Bay, Del Monte
Nearest airport
Monterey (MRY) ~20 min; San Jose ~1h15; San Francisco ~2h
Best time
Sep–Oct (least fog); spring good; pack layers year-round
Access
Public — but book a resort stay to secure a Pebble Beach tee time
Stay
The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay, Casa Palmero
Jack Neville & Douglas Grant · 1919 · 18 holes · Clifftop / coastal
Six-time US Open host and a permanent US Open anchor site
The headliner and the reason you come. Neville and Grant routed as many holes as possible along the Pacific cliffs, and the closing stretch — the tiny par-3 7th, the cliffside 8th, and the iconic seaside 18th — is the most famous finish in golf. It has hosted six US Opens (1972–2019) and returns on the USGA anchor rota. Play it as the finale of your trip.
Spyglass Hill
Robert Trent Jones Sr. · 1966 · 18 holes · Dunes / forest
Regularly ranked among America's toughest and best public courses
A dramatic split personality: the opening holes tumble through Spanish Bay-style dunes near the ocean before the course turns inland into the Del Monte Forest pines. Widely considered one of the hardest resort courses in the country and, for many, the peninsula's most complete test after Pebble itself.
The Links at Spanish Bay
Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Watson & Sandy Tatum · 1987 · 18 holes · Links
A deliberate Scottish-style links built over a reclaimed sand quarry — firm turf, dunes and marine wind, with a bagpiper playing at dusk. A gentler, atmospheric counterpoint to Pebble and Spyglass (note: a Gil Hanse renovation is in the works, so check current status).
Del Monte
Charles Maud · 1897 · 18 holes · Parkland
The oldest course in continuous play west of the Mississippi — a short, classic, tree-lined parkland layout a few miles inland in Monterey. A walkable, more affordable, history-rich extra round that's easy to overlook next to its coastal siblings.
How to get a tee time (and what it takes)
Pebble Beach Golf Links is genuinely public — no membership — but demand is enormous, so the reliable route is to book a resort stay. Guests of The Lodge and The Inn at Spanish Bay can reserve tee times up to 18 months in advance; there's a minimum two-night stay to secure a Pebble round (three nights in peak season). Non-resort guests can only book Pebble itself one day ahead, subject to availability — which is why a stay is strongly advised.
It is one of the most expensive public rounds in the United States — a premium green fee, best value as part of a stay-and-play. Book Spyglass and Spanish Bay alongside it; they're easier to reserve and worth the trip in their own right.
When to go
Monterey has a mild coastal climate — roughly high-50s to low-70s Fahrenheit year-round — so golf is playable every season. The variable is fog: mornings (especially late spring's 'June Gloom') often start grey before clearing by afternoon. September and October are the sweet spot — the warmest, clearest, least-foggy stretch with thinning crowds; spring is a good alternative. Pack layers whatever the month: the marine air can feel ten degrees colder than the thermometer, and wind is a real factor on the seaside holes.
Getting there
A car is essential. Monterey Regional (MRY) is closest (about 20 minutes) but has limited service; San Jose (SJC) is roughly 1h15 and San Francisco (SFO) about 2 hours, both with far more flights. Access to the courses and hotels runs through the scenic, private 17-Mile Drive — the gate fee is waived for resort guests and golfers.
Where to stay & eat
Three resort hotels, all granting stay-and-play access: The Lodge at Pebble Beach (the flagship, overlooking the 18th), The Inn at Spanish Bay (beside the links, home to the dusk bagpiper), and Casa Palmero (the intimate, boutique option). Dining spans coastal fine dining to the memorabilia-lined Tap Room. Staying on property is the practical key to a confirmed Pebble tee time.
How to play it
Book a two-to-four-night stay and play Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay early, saving Pebble Beach Golf Links for the finale. Add Del Monte for a relaxed, historic extra round. Take a caddie on Pebble for the lines and the occasion, and build in time simply to walk the cliffs at sunset.
What to pack
The kit this trip demands
Pebble is cool, coastal, sometimes foggy golf with real ocean wind — pack for changeable conditions and glare off the water:
Yes — it's a public resort course with no membership required. In practice the reliable way to secure a tee time is to book a stay at a Pebble Beach Resorts hotel; non-guests can only book one day in advance, subject to availability.
How much does it cost to play Pebble Beach?
It's one of the most expensive public rounds in the United States — a premium green fee, usually best booked as part of a multi-night resort stay. Rates change, so confirm current pricing at pebblebeach.com.
How do you get a tee time at Pebble Beach?
Book a room at The Lodge or The Inn at Spanish Bay and reserve golf at the same time — resort guests can book up to 18 months out, with a two-night minimum stay (three in high season). Non-resort guests are limited to booking one day ahead.
What is the best time to play Pebble Beach?
September and October generally offer the warmest, clearest, least-foggy conditions with thinner crowds; spring is a solid alternative. Golf is playable year-round, but expect morning fog and cool coastal wind, so pack layers.
What courses are at Pebble Beach Resorts?
Four: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill, The Links at Spanish Bay, and Del Monte (the historic 1897 layout in Monterey). All are open to resort guests.
