Pebble Beach: how to book it, what it costs, and what to expect

Three facts about Pebble Beach that affect every booking decision: the green fee is $650 (approximately £510). You must stay at the Pebble Beach resort to guarantee a tee time. And July and August are the months to do it.

Let me unpack all three.

The green fee: $650 is expensive. It is also, in context, approximately correct for what it delivers. Pebble Beach is the US Open venue. It has hosted the championship six times and will host it again. The back nine is as dramatic a stretch of holes as exists in golf — holes 7, 8, and 18 particularly. I have played many expensive courses and thought: 'Good, but not worth the price.' Pebble Beach is worth the price.

Staying at the resort: the Pebble Beach Company, which owns the course, gives priority access to hotel guests. If you are not staying at one of their properties (Pebble Beach Lodge, Casa Palmero, or The Inn at Spanish Bay), you can book a tee time but availability is limited and you must call or email the resort. In peak summer, non-hotel rounds are extremely difficult to secure. The resort packages work out to approximately $1,200–2,000 per person per night including one round of golf — eye-watering by any standard but consistent with the experience.

The surrounding courses: the package most of our clients use combines Pebble Beach with Spyglass Hill (another Pebble Beach Company course, wooded and challenging, approximately $300) and one round at Cypress Point if it can be arranged through a member connection. Cypress Point is private, has 18 holes, and is consistently ranked in the global top five. We can sometimes arrange access. Ask us.

July and August: why these months? Monterey is famously foggy from December to April — the morning marine layer can sit on the course until noon. July and August are the months when the coastal fog burns off by 8–9am most days and the afternoon is clear and 18–22°C. October is also good and less expensive. June can be foggy.

Getting there: direct flights from London to San Francisco (SFO) take 10–11 hours. Monterey is approximately 2 hours south by car. Fly into Monterey (MRY) on a connecting flight for a more direct approach, or rent a car from SFO and drive the Pacific Coast Highway — which is itself worth doing.

The 18th green: I want to manage expectations correctly. You will feel something standing on the 18th green at Pebble Beach. The Carmel Bay on your left. The lodge in the background. The knowledge that Nicklaus and Watson and Watson-at-59 have all stood here. I've seen hard-bitten, unsentimental people stop talking on that green. Budget for the emotion as well as the green fee.