Cypress Point is the course you can’t play at Pebble Beach, but thankfully Pebble Beach Golf Links is one you can.
Cypress Point is the course you can’t play at Pebble Beach, but thankfully Pebble Beach Golf Links is one you can.
Cypress Point is the course you can’t play at Pebble Beach, but thankfully Pebble Beach Golf Links is one you can. “If I had only one more round to play, I would choose to play at Pebble Beach. I loved this course from the first time I saw it. It’s possibly the best in the world.” Jack Nicklaus knows a good course when he sees one, who would argue with him?
Dating back to the 1930s and originally known as the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am – as it is now called – is a 72-hole PGA Tour event which is typically held on three Californian, Monterey Peninsula courses. Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills have all been among the trio of host courses. The cut is made after Saturday’s play and the 60 leading pros and 25 pro-am teams play Pebble Beach for the tournament and the multi-million $ purse. However, back in 1937, Sam Snead picked up a relatively modest $500 first prize.
Pebble Beach is Mecca for so many golfers and it’s such a joy that everyone can play here if they can afford it. At more than $500 per round, it’s not the cheapest green fee on the planet, but where else can you soak up so much history?
The course opened its tees for play in 1919 and Jack Neville laid it out with a little help from Douglas Grant (the first Captain of Canterbury Golf Club in England), but the course we play today is primarily with thanks to Henry Chandler Egan who remodelled the course ahead of the 1929 U.S. Amateur Championship. The culmination of their combined efforts, with a little help from the “Golden Bear”, had probably resulted in the most spectacular and memorable golf course in the world.
“If Pine Valley is the most dramatically beautiful pine-and-lakeland course in this country,” wrote Robert Trent Jones in the Complete Golfer, “Pebble Beach is its unrivalled counterpart among our oceanside courses. I say “oceanside” and not “seaside,” because “seaside has come to imply low-lying linksland, and Pebble Beach is quite the reverse. It is routed along the craggy headlands that drop abruptly into Carmel Bay.
While the architects of Pebble Beach deserve acclaim for the intrepidity with which they seized the opportunities the headlands afforded, it remains an enigma to me why they did not invoke the same shot values for the interior holes. The interior holes could not have been bequeathed the gorgeous excitement of the holes along Carmel Bay, but the same grandeur of design could easily have been sustained.”
Pebble Beach is a classically simple out-and-back affair but it makes the adrenaline pump. If you can ignore the beauty of the surroundings and keep your mind focused on the game, you might card a decent score. If you can’t ignore the thundering Pacific, just take a deep breath and enjoy yourself. With so many great holes to mention we’ll keep it brief. Holes 7 to 10 comprise of probably the greatest sequence of holes on the planet.
Take a deep breath and get your wallet ready for the rollercoaster golfing ride of its life.
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
Tasmania, Australia
Oregon, United States
California, United States
Kansas, United States
County Kerry, Ireland
There are few tee times in golf more desirable than one at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The setting is extraordinary, the history is unparalleled and the opportunity to play a course that has hosted multiple U.S. Opens and countless other significant events is firmly on many golfers' bucket lists. Eighteen-time Major champion Jack Nicklaus once said if he only had one more round to play, he’d choose to play it at Pebble Beach, calling it “possibly the best [course] in the world”. Pebble Beach has retained its status as one of the world’s great public-access courses, meaning there are ways for ordinary golfers to play it, unlike many of the world's most exclusive layouts. The catch? Getting a tee time requires a little more planning than simply clicking through an online booking system. The good news is that there are a couple of different routes to the first tee at Pebble Beach. Here's everything you need to know. Where is Pebble Beach Golf Links? Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of golf’s great amphitheaters, where the Pacific Ocean provides the backdrop and almost every hole carries a piece of history. The course sits on the spectacular Monterey Peninsula on California's central coast, roughly 120 miles south of San Francisco. It forms part of Pebble Beach Resorts and is reached via the famous 17-Mile Drive, a scenic road that winds around the coastline between Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. Pebble Beach occupies a dramatic stretch of Pacific coastline, with several holes running directly alongside Carmel Bay. It is also surrounded by some of the most recognisable scenery on the Monterey Peninsula, including the Lone Cypress and the rocky coastline for which the area is famous. For golfers arriving by air, Monterey Regional Airport is by far the closest airport. From the airport, the route to Pebble Beach Golf Links follows Highway 68 and then 17-Mile Drive, with the resort estimating a journey of about 15 minutes. The Easiest Way To Play: Stay at Pebble Beach Resorts The most dependable strategy to secure a tee time is to make your trip a resort stay. Guests staying at The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay or Casa Palmero have access to Pebble Beach's courses, and resort guests are the only golfers who can reserve a Pebble Beach tee time more than 24 hours in advance. The booking window is particularly useful for golfers planning a bucket-list trip well ahead of time. Guests at The Lodge and The Inn at Spanish Bay can book accommodation up to 18 months in advance, while Casa Palmero reservations can be made up to 12 months ahead, subject to availability. To avoid disappointment, Pebble Beach explicitly recommends that resort guests request their tee times at the time of booking their room. A minimum two-night stay is required to secure a round at Pebble Beach Golf Links, although the resort can require three nights on certain dates. The resort's availability calendar identifies dates where different requirements apply, so it’s worth checking before finalising your itinerary. How Far Ahead Should You Book? As soon as possible is the short answer. Because resort guests can plan their accommodation up to 18 months in advance, Pebble Beach is best approached as a destination trip rather than an isolated round of golf. For a once-in-a-lifetime trip, we'd recommend starting with dates rather than a particular tee time. If you are travelling a long way to play Pebble Beach, it’s better to have several possible dates than to become fixated on one particular morning. Another important consideration for larger groups is that up to two players may be booked per room, based on room occupancy. A group of four should therefore plan around two rooms if everyone wants to play Pebble Beach. What if You Don't Want to Stay at the Resort? There is another considerably cheaper option to walk in the footsteps of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods, although it is much less certain. Non-resort guests are able to book Pebble Beach Golf Links one day in advance, meaning you don’t necessarily need to fork out for several nights of accommodation to play the course. Being one of the premier public courses in the world, tee times are in high demand, making the one-day window a genuine gamble. If you're already in the Monterey or Carmel area and have some flexibility, it's worth trying. If you're flying across the Atlantic specifically to play Pebble Beach, however, the resort route is significantly safer. How Much Does it Cost? Playing at such a prestigious course does not come without a hefty price tag, particularly if you’re planning on staying at Pebble Beach Resorts. For the current rate period of April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, the published green fee for Pebble Beach Golf Links is $695. The green fee applies to both resort and non-resort golfers, although non-resort golfers also pay the applicable cart fee. Additional published charges include: Cart: $60 per person Pull cart: $20 Single-bag caddie: $175 Double-bag caddie: $250 Forecaddie: $62.50 per person, with a three-player minimum Club rental: $120 per bag, plus tax Those figures make Pebble Beach one of the most expensive public-access rounds in the United States, particularly once accommodation, travel and caddie gratuity are added - but for many golfers this isn't an everyday round, it is the centrepiece of a trip.
California is home to some of the finest golf courses in the United States, but many of its highest-ranked layouts are reserved for members. For visiting golfers, that can make finding a truly exceptional public course a challenge. Fortunately, the California Top 100 ranking includes several outstanding courses that welcome public play. From the bucket-list experience of Pebble Beach to the much more affordable Rustic Canyon, here are the five highest-ranked courses in The Golden State that visiting golfers can play. Pebble Beach Golf Links (Pebble Beach) World Ranking: 27th | California ranking: 3rd | Green fee: $755 Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of golf’s great amphitheaters, where the Pacific Ocean provides the backdrop and almost every hole carries a piece of history. Jack Neville’s original 1919 layout, remodelled by Henry Chandler Egan, has evolved over the years, but its essential character remains intact. This is the course where the greats have made history, from U.S. Open champions to the stars of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, yet its greatest appeal is that anyone can play it. The price may make the wallet wince, but where else can an ordinary golfer walk in the footsteps of Nicklaus, Watson and Woods? The stretch from the 7th to the 10th is among the most exhilarating in golf, while the run to the 18th provides a suitably spectacular finale. Pebble Beach may not be perfect, but when the Pacific is crashing against the cliffs, who really cares? Only resort guests can reserve Pebble Beach tee times more than 24 hours in advance, subject to a minimum two-night stay. Non-resort guests can call 24 hours before play to enquire about any remaining tee times. Green Fees: Resort Guest: $695 (£513) Non-Resort Guest: $755 (£557), including cart fee Pasatiempo Golf Club (Santa Cruz) USA Ranking: 63rd | California ranking: 7th | Green fee: $465 Pasatiempo Golf Club is one of America’s great Golden Age survivors and, remarkably, the only public-access course that famed golf architect Alister MacKenzie regarded as his finest work. Founded by Marion Hollins in 1929, the rolling Santa Cruz layout was MacKenzie’s American home, and he lived alongside the sixth fairway during the final years of his life. The course has plenty of history, but it remains a thoroughly enjoyable test for visiting golfers. The front nine winds through the trees before the routing becomes more dramatic on the back nine, where deep barrancas and undulating terrain come into play. A major restoration completed in 2024 returned the greens and bunkers closer to their original forms. Although Pasatiempo is a semi-private club, visiting golfers can book two types of tee times through the club's online booking system – regular, available up to a week in advance, and priority, available up to a year in advance. For golfers looking to experience one of California's great courses without the price tag of Pebble Beach, Pasatiempo offers a rare chance to play a genuine piece of Golden Age golf. Green Fees: 18 holes: $465 (£341), excluding $50 cart fee Spyglass Hill Golf Course (Pebble Beach) California ranking: 17th | Green fee: $610 Spyglass Hill is one of the great tests on the Monterey Peninsula and, for many, the most demanding of the Pebble Beach quartet. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in 1966, it has been part of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am rota since the following year. The opening five holes sweep from the Del Monte Forest towards the Pacific, with Jones deliberately drawing inspiration from Pine Valley. The course then turns inland through towering Monterey Pines and Cypress, with its tree-lined corridors recalling Augusta National. The 12th and 15th provide memorable par-three challenges, while the closing holes demand a strong finish. Spyglass Hill may live in the shadow of Pebble Beach and Cypress Point, but its reputation as one of America’s toughest and most rewarding layouts is thoroughly deserved. Unlike its more famous neighbour, Spyglass Hill is considerably easier for visiting golfers to book, with non-resort guests able to reserve tee times up to three months in advance. Green Fees: Resort Guest: $550 (£406) Non-Resort Guest: $610 (£450), including cart fee Rustic Canyon Golf Course (Moorpark) California ranking: 19th | Green fee: From $30 Rustic Canyon Golf Course offers a very different experience from the famous resort courses of the Monterey Peninsula. Laid out by Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and Geoff Shackelford on a former sheep ranch north-west of Los Angeles, it is a relaxed, natural-looking course where wide fairways and firm, fast-running turf give golfers plenty of options. The course is relatively forgiving from the tee, but its large, undulating greens provide a sterner test, while the exposed setting means wind can quickly change the character of the round. The back nine is particularly memorable, climbing into the surrounding hills before a testing finish. It may lack the ocean views and tournament history of California's marquee courses, but Rustic Canyon offers excellent golf at a fraction of the price. For golfers looking beyond the obvious names, it is one of the state's best-value public courses. Tee times can be booked online, with reservations available to public golfers up to 28 days in advance. Popular weekend slots can fill quickly, while green fees vary depending on the day of the week and how far in advance you book. PGA West – Stadium (La Quinta) California ranking: 23rd | Green fee: From $60 PGA West’s Stadium Course is the toughest of the three public courses at the La Quinta resort and has been challenging golfers since 1986. It has plenty of tournament pedigree, having hosted the televised Skins Game and now serving as the venue for The American Express on the PGA Tour. At 7,300 yards, the Stadium Course is no pushover, with water coming into play on many holes. The closing stretch is particularly demanding, with the famous island green on the 17th – nicknamed Alcatraz – followed by a daunting water-guarded 18th. The course underwent a major restoration in 2024 and remains one of California’s most memorable public golf experiences. For golfers who enjoy a challenge, the Stadium Course offers the chance to test themselves on a layout that continues to feature on the professional circuit. Tee times can be booked online through PGA West, with the Stadium Course available to both resort and non-resort guests. Green Fees: Approximately $60–$399+ (£44–£295+), depending on the season and tee time.
West Region US Best In State Rankings 2014 The final phase of our revised and updated US Best In State rankings for 2014 is complete 27th March 2014 We are pleased to announce that the fourth and final phase of four Regional updates is now complete detailing our latest biennial US Best in State rankings. The West Region of the USA, as defined by the US Census Bureau, comprises of thirteen states; the Mountain states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, alongside the Pacific sates of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. For the purpose of grouping our Best in State updates, we have decided to implement the rollout in four regional phases (Northeast, Midwest, South and West). The famous 19th century quote: “Go West, Young Man!” may well have promoted the expansion westward at an exciting time in US history, but statistically the Western United States is still one of the most sparsely populated areas in the country. Of the thirteen Western states, only California and Washington exceed the national average of inhabitants per square mile. The eight states that make up the West’s Mountain Division cover an enormous and incredibly diverse geographical area. Despite these inherent challenges, the Mountain West currently has six golf courses in America’s Top 100 and the most highly ranked is the inland links of Ballyneal at Holyoke in Colorado – Colorado, incidentally, currently boasts three layouts in the national hundred. Most courses in the Mountain region are modern designs and two notable layouts with a farming theme can be found at Gozzer Ranch in Idaho and at the Rock Creek Cattle Company in Montana – both of which were fashioned in the new millennium. Only the Mid-Atlantic States boast more golf courses in the national Top 100 than the West’s Pacific States. With eighteen layouts in the US hundred, the Pacific States are well endowed with top-flight courses and California (with eleven American Top 100 tracks) is the second most prolific behind only New York State. Cypress Point is the Pacific Division’s standard-bearer and those golfers lucky enough to tee it up at “The Point” consider it a seminal experience. Next door to the ultra-private Cypress Point is Pebble Beach, which is simply Mecca for many golfers. Host to five U.S. Open Championships and numerous other important events, Pebble may be expensive, but it’s a course that many golfers consider to be the best you can play in the entire USA. Further up the Pacific Coast in Oregon you’ll find the only property in America where you can play four world-class courses. Bandon Dunes is an extraordinary property but it would be remiss not to savour Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s 13-hole par three course, Bandon Preserve, while visiting Bandon. We’ve extended most of our Best in State ranking lists since our first iteration some two years ago. California now features a Top 50 for the first time and Arizona and Colorado now profile Top 30s. Washington now features a Top 25 and Nevada, Hawaii and Oregon now display Top 20s. The latest revision of our Best In State rankings is simply work in progress, as we know there are many unheralded golf courses that we still need to feature. If you’re passionate about your home state’s golf courses and would like to help us further develop our Best In State initiative by shining a light on a hidden gem, then please send an email to info@top100golfcourses.com. We’d love to hear from you. To learn more about our revised Best in State rankings for the West Region, please navigate to the dedicated US state pages by clicking on any one of the following links: Alaska Best In State Golf Courses (Top 5) Arizona Best In State Golf Courses (Top 30) California Best In State Golf Courses (Top 50) Colorado Best In State Golf Courses (Top 30) Hawaii Best In State Golf Courses (Top 20) Idaho Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Montana Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Nevada Best In State Golf Courses (Top 20) New Mexico Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Oregon Best In State Golf Courses (Top 20) Utah Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Washington Best In State Golf Courses (Top 25) Wyoming Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) The Top 100 Team
