Featured Golf Trip: Pebble Beach Resorts

There’s not much to say about Pebble Beach that you don’t know already, or that you won’t otherwise get by watching this weekend’s Pro-Am action. There may not be a more ​picturesque​ golf course in the world. The mystique. The history. The 6th. The 7th. The 8th. The 17th. The 18th. Who wouldn’t want a chance to play all these holes so intrinsically linked to golf history? You know all that.

So, today, we’re going to focus this one a bit more on the planning logistics of a trip to Pebble, which aren’t as easy to discern as one may prefer. Yes, this is an expensive golf trip no matter how you slice it—the greens fees alone are going to hurt. But there’s a way to ease the pain if you’re willing to take on risk.

The primary, risk-free approach is the most straightforward: Book your trip ​through​ Pebble Beach Resorts, stay on property, and fulfill the minimum stay requirements to qualify for Pebble (generally, two or three nights). That’s going to give you access to tee times at all three of the property’s world-class golf courses: Pebble (the ​consensus​ No. 1 best public track in America), Spyglass Hill (No. 14), and The Links at Spanish Bay (No. 70).

The other way is to book as a non-resort guest. You can choose your tee time at ​Spanish Bay​ up to six months out and at ​Spyglass​ up to three months out, meaning you should be able to secure those spots before you book a flight and accommodations. But here’s the risk: The booking window at ​Pebble​ doesn’t open for non-resort guests until 24 hours out. You may get on just fine. But it’s conceivable you’ll head home without playing the headliner. There are other great golf courses in the area that could serve as your backup, but if your number one goal on this trip is to play Pebble Beach, you’re risking disappointment.

You’ll put significant money back in your pocket by staying off-site, of course—considering the lodging pricing we’ve laid out below, you may save something like $1,500. It’s up to you whether the savings justifies the gamble.

Of course, the other thing to consider at this exact moment is the timing of a coming renovation. In mid-March, Spanish Bay will ​close down​ as Gil Hanse and co. begin a renovation expected to take some 13 months. Color us extremely excited to see what Hanse can do with that slice of premium land. But, again, keep the closure in mind as you size up when and how to go about your trip to one of the games true pilgrimage sites.