We usually fly to San Francisco, which is one our favorite cities in the world, spend a few days then drive down for a few days. We love both areas. Think we went in the fall. Really never had desire to play Pebble, too crowded. I like Spyglass Hill and it was recommended to me by the pros in area as a must play course. Off beaten, Pacific Grove Golf Links. Front nine nothing special but the back nine worth it all. Lighthouse and view of the bay. Poor man's Pebble. Very affordable and fun. Played Quail Valley Golf Course in Carmel Valley once, many years ago, was nice and fun. Made last minute tee time and was able to get one. They have lodging also. Check out their web site. Enjoyed very much. My wife and I did B&B in Pacific Grove. Lovely little area in between Monterey/Carmel/Pebble. Could check B&B, Airbnb in area on line. www.airbnb.com

Thanks for the feedback! Flying into SFA seems like the most sense

While I've never been I've looked into playing and staying at Pebble. There is a nice looking public course that a good friend has played a few times on the peninsula called Pacific Grove. He made a few tee times there while trying to secure a tee time at Pebble. Other than that I have nothing else to add hahaha.
Have fun. Hope to be there one day soon.

I've heard nothing about positives about Pacific Grove. Will need to squeeze that one into the rotation.

I know a Pebble Beach trip is on many golfers' bucket list. I'm lucky to live not too far from the Monterey Peninsula and I've played many of the courses in the area. The Pebble Beach company has 4 courses: Pebble Beach GL, Spyglass Hill GC, Spanish Bay GL and Old Del Monte GC. The Old Del Monte GC is closer to the city of Monterey than the Pebble Beach GL, which are all located on the famous 17 Mile Drive.

I'm not sure how long you will be in the area, and I would play Pebble Beach GL, Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay GL for sure. My personal favorite is Spyglass Hill. I would start with Spanish Bay, then Spyglass Hill and then end things with Pebble Beach GL. There is another course in the 17 Mile Drive area which is public access: Poppy Hills GC. Poppy Hills was once used as one of the courses for the AT&T ProAm (replaced by Monterey Peninsula CC course). It's not as close to the ocean as the other 3 courses and is more in the Del Monte Forest.

I believe the best time of year to play in the Pebble Beach area is spring and fall. Usually, this time of year, you will miss the fog which can put a damper on a good day at Pebble Beach...it's a view killer. If you have a few extra days to play beyond the ones at Pebble Beach, I would visit a couple of challenging courses in Seaside, CA: Bayonet and Blackhorse GCs. Both courses are often used as USGA qualifying courses (both US Amateur and US Open). In addition, the courses have hosted Korn Ferry Tour (formerly Buy.com) tournaments.

This should be a good starting point for your plans. The area has plenty of excellent dining places and the views are amazing...as long as the fog stays away.

Thanks so much for the great tips! What time of year is the fog the "worst"?

You're welcome! You're going to have a great time and make sure your phone is charged, so that you don't miss capturing the priceless moments you will for sure encounter.

Fog is more of an issue on the Northern California coast during the summer months. It usually rolls in during the evening and can stick around the following morning. The further inland you are from the coast, the fog will burn off faster. In some instances, those areas that are very close to the ocean will be covered in fog all day.

They call it "May Grey" and "June Gloom" for a reason. Doesn't mean there won't be some good days but late spring and early summer are most likely fog due to cold water and warm air. September and October have some of the best days as you rarely get fog and the rainy season doesn't normally start until November. No matter what, you are just in the hands of Mother Nature. Pack for any conditions.

It will be a bit pricy but you will regret it if you do not go "all in". Contact the lodge for a package deal. Stay at The Lodge or at least Spanish Bay and play Pebble and Spyglass. Any additional ones you play in the area will be a bonus. Fall can be some of the best weather. The local muni (Pacific Grove) is a fun alternative. Driving over to Pasatiempo and playing that Alister MacKenzie course is great for the golf historians. Do the 17 mile drive. Walk around the town of Carmel-By-The-Sea. Check out Cannery Row in Monterey. Fly DFW to MRY or DFW to SJC. Soak it all in and enjoy!

Great idea to have a father - son trip!

First, the weather, I prefer warmer months like the summer since it is always cool (you see a few swimming pools but not many!) in this part of the world at Pebble Beach. It is farther up north than some people realize so keep this in mind.

Second, the courses, I always enjoy starting and ending on Pebble then building in some courses in between. Spyglass is one of my favorites so I would encourage you to play there at least once. Spainish Bay is nice, some people love it, basically a shorter course that has blind and/or tricky shots so depends on your preferences. If you go on google maps and look at ratings for other courses in the region it will give you a good idea of some others to play. Three or four rounds is plenty for my preference with two being Pebble and at least one at Spyglass. Spanish Bay is very convenient. IMHO

Third, lodging, I assume you are staying at the lodge at Pebble Beach. It is a great experience and if you can get a room facing the 18th hole thats even better!

Enjoy, you are going to have a blast!!

thanks for the information! Sounds like Spyglass is a must to make sure we play. Looks like we are going to try and make it happen for early June if possible!

Had a buddies trip there a couple of years ago. Stayed at the Inn at Spanish Bay, played Pebble twice, Spyglass (didn't realize how much I would love that course), and Spanish Bay. A wonderful time, hope you and your dad enjoy. We had to reserve way in advance so I would check very soon on availability.

Agreed on SpyGlass...very cool track!

Though I gave up golf, I do periodically see what's happening on TT.
My wife and I have been going to the Monterey Peninsula since 1992, we only live an 1hr. 20 minutes to Pebble. I've played all the Pebble courses many times and various months, the only time I would avoid is July which usuallly has the thickess marine layer.
I think that my buddy Chuck made a slight mistake in his post as he mentioned that he played Quail Valley Golf Course. It was either Carmel Valley a Pete Dye course or Quail Lodge and both have lodging. Quail Lodge I've alway found to be in excellent condition.
I have a suggestion for you. You might want to look into joining Dukes Club through Pebble Beach. The membership is $550 per year and you get some nice savings. I was always a Dukes member until I quit golfing.
Regular green fees for Spyglass is $465 and Spanish Bay is $335. With Dukes club Spyglass is $265 and you can bring 3 guests. Spanish Bay is $190 and you can bring 3 guests. As a new Dukes member you will get a free round of golf with a cart with a guest at Del Monte, 30 day advanced booking. You also get 4 free passes to golf at The Hay designed by Tiger, the nine hole course across from Pebble. #2 is a replica of #7 at Pebble. You also get $30 Grill bucks to use at Del Monte. You can sometimes utilize the stay and play packages as well.
We've eaten at more than 70 restaurants in Pebble, Spanish, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel, Carmel Valley from inexpensive to fine dining, so if you'd like I'd be happy to make some recommendations.
Also there's a Pebble Beach outlet shop on Cannery Row in Monterey.
While at Pebble check out Golf Links to The Past as they have incredible golf memorabilia.

Bruce!!!! How ya been buddy? Been a long time! Gave up golf? How could you!

I live very close and have played all those courses a ton.

Ditto on a lot that has been said. PB is worth it, but you do need to play EARLY. I won't play there myself unless I can tee off in the 7:00 hour. Otherwise you're stuck behind a ton of people who have travelled from far away and take pictures all day and give you a 5.5 hr round... Either way it's worth it and I don't blame them for the pics as it is some of the best scenery anywhere, but I don't like rounds that slow either.

As far as courses are concerned, my absolute favorite is Spyglass so like others have said, don't miss it.

And also glad someone mentioned Pasatiempo...if you're a Mackenzie fan, it was his favorite course and there is a plaque on the cart path in front of his house. Another of my favorite courses and I've been trying to figure out if I can make joining there work...we'll see.

There are a lot of stay and play packages from PB that are great deals and you can pick which of the PB courses you play.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the response! So right now we are playing Spyglass at 7am and Spanish Bay at 8:40am. PB had a 7am tee time or 3:20pm tee time. I figured catching the sunset playing PB would be pretty memorable. When I spoke to PB they said it was a "guaranteed" to finish tee time at 3:20pm. But not being able to finish would be a disaster with the dark...shoot me straight. Is the 3:20pm tee time playing it too close to dark?

Thank you!

You're going to enjoy both Spanish and Spy... bot such different courses. Spanish is very links style and just stay in the fairway!

I would make sure you know the details of what that guarantee is and what it really means to you. Obviously, if that's all you can do, then keep it, but if you play and don't finish, then what? 3:20 RIGHT NOW, will probably finish because of daylight savings, but if you're going after we "Fall Back", then that's going to be more like 6:00 and no way are you going to finish PB in 2:40. You have a little more time until full dark, but not enough, imo.

You could always take the time and keep checking back for cancelations.

If PB gave you a "guarantee" of completing 18 at that tee time, I would believe them. They employ many on course marshalls who will push the groups that need to pushed. For me that would just kill me if I was stuck in a rando group that was holding things up. I would take the 7AM tee time and then return to 18 when the sun is going down for your photo op. Or go play The Hay and you can get some nice sunset photos there.

Was looking at booking a trip to PB this Fall. Unfortunately the week we were looking at had no tee times on PB. We could get on Spanish and Spyglass, but nothing at PB. Bummed, but we are headed to Pinehurst, so that worked out. Hopefully we can lock something in for the following year.

Made the trip a few times...You NEED to play Poppy Hills. I suggest taking advantage of the afternoon rate. Amazing course, underrated, not talked about enough. All the challenge and beauty Spyglass minus the relentless butt kicking Spy will give you.

Hard to beat Spyglass' #3 - #5 stretch. Hitting the green on the downhill #3 with the waves crashing in the background, Poppy doesn't have an equivalent. Though, I would agree Poppy Hills is worth the visit and if you're an Northern California Golf Association (NCGA) member, it's a great value compared to what you will pay at the other 17 Mile Drive courses.