Blog
Pebble Beach & Monterey
Tommy
Bad news is that COVID-19 is still going on… Good news is that I have been playing a ton of golf lately as it’s pretty much the only thing to do during the pandemic. I’m not a good golfer by any means as I shoot in the low to mid 90s, but I love the game. I’ll even go out on a limb and say it’s the greatest sport ever made. I say it’s the greatest sport because you can play until your death bed, you become one with nature, and it teaches you about life (honor system and etiquette).
I wanted to share my experience of going out to Monterey and playing the #1 rated public golf course in the U.S., Pebble Beach. My Dad retired last year and for his retirement gift my Mom thought it would be a great idea to go out to California to play Pebble Beach. My Dad has played some of the best golf courses in the world like St. Andrews, Carnoustie, TPC Sawgrass, and he even had a tee time at Pebble Beach, but he got rained out. So we planned our vacation and went in July 2019.
Getting to Pebble Beach
I flew out on a Saturday and I was supposed to arrive in San Jose on Saturday afternoon on a direct flight with American Airlines. My flight was cancelled due to the labor strike and I was rebooked to a connection flight in Dallas with a 55 min layover (rule of thumb is leave yourself at least a 2-hour layover for domestics and 4 hours for international). I was stuck on the tarmac for about 20 minutes at O’Hare and I missed my connection flight in Dallas so I was stuck overnight as the next flight out wasn’t until the next morning. I rebooked a direct flight from Dallas to San Jose leaving around 8am the next morning.
I woke up the next day and found out my direct flight to San Jose was cancelled to my chagrin… So I rebooked another flight with a 3 hour layover in Phoenix and I would be in San Jose around 3pm. I was comfortable with going to Phoenix because Phoenix is a hub for American Airlines. Even though it was a major hassle getting to San Jose, everything ended up fine as I arrived on Sunday afternoon and we were playing Pebble Beach on Monday.
I wasn’t too stressed out with being delayed because I knew I had Trip Delay Insurance with my Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) credit card. If I purchase a flight with my CSR and I am delayed for 6+ hours or have to have an overnight stay, then insurance will cover up to $500 per ticket in accommodations, meals, and toiletries. When delayed, you have the option to work with the airline to put you in a hotel or to use trip delay insurance if you have it. I opted to use trip delay insurance as it would save time and using food & hotel vouchers are tricky. So I booked a hotel and bought some meals knowing that I had up to $500 to spend. They even reimbursed me for alcohol that I ordered with my meal. So all of those expenses were reimbursed to me after filing a claim, which you have to file within 60 days of the trip and you have 100 days to provide the required documentation. See the Chase guide to benefits for the required documentation. The toughest part of filing the claim was getting a statement from American Airlines explaining the delay in writing, which took about 15 days to receive in the mail. The claims company requires a letter with letterhead, not an email. Also, when speaking to an agent about the letter, I asked for some compensation for the hassle of the cancellations/delays so they gave me 15,000 miles, which is worth about $210. So it never hurts to ask!
So once I landed, I was actually shocked to see my checked bag sitting in an office in San Jose with all of my cancelled flights and delays. My parents picked me up from the airport and we drove straight to Pebble Beach, which is about an hour and a half drive from San Jose.
The Lodge at Pebble Beach
We checked into the hotel around 4:30pm and picked up our clubs from storage. We used Shipsticks to ship our golf clubs to Pebble Beach and it ran about $100/bag. You also have to purchase your own travel bags to protect the golf clubs, which cost about $150/each depending on the quality, but you can use them again. Then they had a bellman drive us via golf cart to our room with our luggage. The resort was beautiful with a practice green right out front, a good amount of shops, the clubhouse, a museum/visitor’s center, grocery store/deli, and the main building with restaurants all within a walking distance.
We stayed at The Lodge at Pebble Beach as it was more convenient to be able to walk out to the golf course from our hotel room. Rooms run at about $1,000/night, but you can also stay at the Inn at Spanish Bay, where rooms are cheaper. They have a free shuttle service that takes you between The Lodge, The Inn at Spanish Bay, the driving range, and Spyglass Hills Golf Course.
At $1,000/night, the room was by far the nicest hotel I have stayed at. The room was spacious, there was a fireplace, patio, a jacuzzi tub, and we could watch golfers hit their drives off the #1 tee. Since it was my Dad’s retirement, they had a bottle of champagne waiting in the room when we arrived, which was a very nice touch. Everything was 5-star amenities and quality.
Golf is not the only activity to do at Pebble Beach. They also have a world-renown spa, many restaurants, beach & tennis club, equestrian center, 17-mile drive, and shopping at Pebble Beach.
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach Golf Links has been rated the #1 public golf course in the U.S. by Golf Digest since 2003 and is one of the greatest golf courses in the world. Pebble Beach hosted it’s sixth U.S. Open in 2019, 2 weeks before I played, and hosts the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am every year on the PGA Tour. Golf rates are $595/person, one of the most expensive in the country, carts were $45, and caddies were $95/bag + gratuity.
We started out the day eating breakfast at the Gallery Cafe, which had quick bites for golfers and breakfast & lunch staples. We had a 10am tee time so we had plenty of time to wake up, eat breakfast, and warm up. We checked in and I headed off to the driving range to hit some balls. I usually don’t like to hit golf balls before I play and I should have stuck with that routine, but I wanted to check out the driving range. Then I headed to the putting green and then we were about ready to tee off so we met our Caddy, Big Tony, and our other playing partners. Both gentlemen were a little younger than my Dad and one was pretty good and the other was about our skill level, which was nice. We played from the white tees, which played 6,116 yards. I knew this was going to be a tough round knowing the U.S. Open was played here two weeks before.
I was pretty nervous, but I hit a drive right down the middle. Unfortunately, that ended up being one of my best drives all day. The front 9 ended up being one of my worst 9 holes of golf I have ever had, shooting a 62. My drives were not getting off the ground going and stayed in the rough going about 75 yards, which was God awful. I should have switched to my 5 wood off of the tee much earlier in the round instead of using my Driver to stay in the fairway. But the views a long the ocean were incredible! And knowing how much history has happened on the grounds of Pebble Beach. We had overcast weather and it was cool in the 50s, which is pretty typical for northern California, but it wasn’t raining. Holes 4-10 were along the Pacific Ocean and have some of the most amazing views on a golf course you can find.
The back 9 ended up being much better as I calmed myself down, but I still shot a 52. I got a par on #12, which was one of my goals of the day. My Dad and I both played the long Par 5 14th well, but ended up getting bogeys. Also, I should have pared #18 after hitting an amazing shot from the rough with everyone watching from The Bench, but I missed a 7 footer.
So you have the option to ride or hire a caddy. We decided to walk and hire a caddy because we wanted to learn about the golf course and we wanted to say we walked the course for the experience. Our caddy, Big Tony was the best! He was friendly, very knowledgable, and he was one of the most experienced caddies at Pebble Beach. However, if I were to play Pebble Beach again, I would not hire a caddy. As great as Tony was, caddies can get into your head about shots and golf is such a mental game. I think I would be better off using my own judgment and feel especially when it comes to putting because there are multiple ways to make a putt by utilizing speed and break.
Overall, the experience was incredible! The golf course was the toughest course I have ever played since the U.S. Open was hosted there 2 weeks before. The greens were so small and surrounded by green-side bunkers, which made approach shots incredibly difficult. The rough was the worst I have ever played in and every shot in the rough was just buried. And the greens were the fastest I have ever seen. Even though Big Tony said they were playing slow so I can’t imagine what U.S. Open conditions were like…
Even though I didn’t play well or break 100, the experience was amazing. To put things into perspective, my Dad didn’t even break 100 and he usually shoots low to mid 80s… My favorite holes were 6, 7, 8, 14, 17, and 18. I loved how they allow family to ride along with the golfers. So we were able to get a ton of pictures with the three of us. If I were to play Pebble Beach again, I would ride a cart as I was exhausted by the end and I would not hire a caddy. This was a once in a lifetime experience, but I hope I can play the golf course again and hopefully break 100 next time!
Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Spyglass Hill is rated as the 10th best public golf course by Golf Digest and is actually supposed to be tougher than Pebble Beach. But after playing Pebble Beach the day before in pretty much U.S. Open conditions, Spyglass was a piece of cake. Golf rates are $415/player and $45 for carts.
We teed off around 7am and we were the first ones to play. They let us play alone, which was nice so we ended up finishing in about 3 hours since it was just me and my Dad and we were riding. The weather was a lot better than Pebble as it was sunny yet it was still cool. We played from the white tees, which played 6,123 yards. The golf course was beautiful and one of the most pristine courses I have ever played. There are not as many ocean holes as Pebble Beach and they weren’t on the ocean, but you have ocean views on holes 1-6 then it heads back into the Del Monte Forest. We even saw a deer and some fawns on #15. Spyglass definitely had a little bit of an Augusta National feel and is definitely worth playing.
The Inn at Spanish Bay
After playing Pebble Beach, we took the shuttle over to Spanish Bay to eat dinner and watch the sunset. Spanish Bay has 6 restaurants and is known for the bagpiper and the sunset views. The Spanish Bay Bagpiper plays every day at the fire pits from 5:45pm-6:30pm right at sunset. We arrived around 6pm, grabbed some drinks, and headed out to the patio. It was packed so we had to stand to listen to the bagpiper, which was fine as we waited for our reservation at Peppoli. The views of the sunset were incredible and it was quite relaxing. It would be nice to spend the night outside near a fire pit and watch the stars.
17-Mile Drive
17-Mile Drive is a picturesque drive with coastal cliffs, snow-white beaches, mystical forests, and legendary golf courses and it’s one of the most scenic drives in the world. The drive really sums up the changing landscape of California and is a must do if you visit Monterey.
Admission is $10.50/vehicle, but the gate fee is reimbursed if you spend at least $35 at Pebble Beach restaurants. Admission is complimentary for resort guests.
Restaurants
The Lodge at Pebble Beach has 5 restaurants: Stillwater Bar & Grill (Seafood), The Tap Room (Steakhouse), The Bench (Wood-Fire & Artesian Specialities), Gallery Cafe (Breakfast & Lunch), and The Terrace Lounge Patio (Cocktails & Shared Plates).
The first night we ate at the Bench. The food is wood-fire creations with a specialty of flatbread pizzas, which is what we ordered. It has some indoor seating, but the outdoor patio is where you want to sit and it’s worth the wait. The outdoor patio looks down the 18th fairway and overlooks the 18th green so you can watch golfers finish their rounds. They also have fire pits to keep you warm and on a good night, you can watch the sunset over Stillwater Cove. It was packed on a Sunday night and we had to wait about an hour for an outdoor patio seat, but we sat at the bar for drinks. You might have to sit with other people and share the fire pit as it’s kind of community seating, but they were nice enough and let us eat alone as a family.
We ate at the Gallery Cafe for breakfast twice and their breakfast was delicious! They have quick bites for golfers (including their giant cinnamon rolls), coffee, smoothies, breakfast (pancakes, french toast, waffles, omelettes, etc.) & lunch (salads, sandwiches, burgers, etc.) staples.
After playing Pebble Beach, we had beers and an appetizer at The Tap Room. It was quite snooty and we didn’t really feel welcome there even though we were staying at the resort and just played Pebble Beach. This was probably the only con we had on the trip.
The Inn at Spanish Bay has 6 restaurants: Peppoli (Italian), Roy’s (Hawaiian-Fusion & Sushi), Sticks (Sports Bar), Traps (Hearty Appetizers), The Lobby Lounge Fire Pits (Cocktails), and Stave Wine Cellar (Wine Tastings & Small Bites). We ate at Peppoli and it was delicious! The ambiance was quiet, intimate, and authentic Italian.
As you can see there are plenty of dining options at Pebble Beach. Service was excellent at every restaurant except for the Tap Room. It is pricey so expect to pay about $20-$40/meal for dinner, $15-$20/meal for breakfast/lunch, $8/beer, $15/cocktail, $4/coffee, and $6/latte. If I were to come back, I would like try Roy’s next time for some sushi and Stillwater Bar & Grill for seafood.
Caramel-by-the-Sea
Carmel-by-the-Sea or Caramel is a small town just south of Pebble Beach situated on the Monterey Peninsula and is about a 7-minute drive from Pebble Beach. Caramel is known for its luxury shopping and the beautiful beach. Travel & Leisure rated it as one of the World’s Best Cities for Romance. Clint Eastwood was also Mayor from 1986-88.
Big Sur
We drove out to Big Sur in the early afternoon on a Tuesday after playing Spyglass Hill. You may know Big Sur because of the HBO show/book Big Little Lies or because of the Big Sur Marathon. Big Sur is a drive along the California Coast on Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) and it has some breathtaking views. It’s rated as one of the best drives in the U.S. There are a good amount of state parks, hiking trails, and beaches off the highway so there is a good amount of things to do. Also, there are a lot of places to pull your car over to take pictures. Big Sur is very popular with tourists and there were a lot of cars, buses, and people on a Tuesday so expect bigger crowds on weekends.
Monterey
After checking out at Pebble Beach Resort, we spent two days in Monterey. My parents used to live in Monterey when my Dad was finishing up at Naval Postgraduate School before I was born so they knew the area quite well. I have visited once when I was a child. Below are some of the attractions that Monterey is known for and what we did during our visit:
- Old Fisherman’s Wharf: Old Monterey. Pretty touristy, but a lot of seafood restaurants and little shops.
- Monterey Bay Aquarium: One of the best aquariums in the world.
- Cannery Road: New Monterey. Lots of shops and restaurants.
- Dust Bowl Brewing: Cool brewery with a huge outdoor patio, fire pits, and cornhole.
- Blue Fox Wine Cellars: Winery taproom located in Cannery Road.
- Old Fisherman’s Grotto: Seafood restaurant located on Old Fisherman’s Wharf.
- Lalla Oceanside Grill: A new American restaurant with bay views located in Cannery Road.
- Ghirardelli’s: Chocolate and ice cream shop founded in San Francisco, CA.
- Rocky Mountain Chocolate: Chocolate and candy shop in Cannery Road.
- In-N-Out Burger: The best fast food burgers in the U.S., but their fries could be better.
Best Vacation Ever!
Pebble Beach was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and it was the best vacation ever! If you love golf like I do, then Pebble Beach is a must play and a bucket list item. There are a ton of things to do in Monterey so it isn’t just only golf. The weather can be hit or miss as seen in my photos, but summertime is usually the best time to visit due to the warmer temperatures and less rain.