Golf Odyssey subscribers have the opportunity to experience Pebble Beach under US Open conditions (See article for details.)
If you caught the ATT Pebble Beach Pro-Am this past weekend, you got a little taste for the many changes to Pebble Beach Golf Links that have been put in place for the 2010 US Open (to be played June 17 to 20).
One thing is for sure, the course set up for this past weekend’s Pro-Am is going to look like a cakewalk compared to what the USGA has planned for the US Open. I am willing to bet a lot of money that someone is not going to need to shoot 16 under par (like Dustin Johnson just did) to win golf’s most valuable prize.
I know many of you are Golf Odyssey subscribers, and before I summarize some of the changes to the golf course, I wanted to highlight a very special and exclusive travel opportunity that I heard about last week.
Golf Odyssey has secured a limited number of openings for their subscribers to play Pebble Beach the first day it is available for play after the 2010 US Open. Golf Odyssey subscribers on this “trip-of-a-lifetime” will be able to experience the golf course just like the pros, from the throttling rough down to the lightning-quick greens.
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Q: Three friends and I are planning to take a Pebble Beach golf vacation in 2010 to celebrate my friend’s 40th birthday. How can we reserve a tee time at the Pebble Beach Golf Course without staying at the exorbitantly priced resort itself?
A: Unfortunately, if you’re not a guest of Pebble Beach Resorts, you can only make tee times at Pebble Beach Golf Course one day in advance, and that hardly seems like it would work for the Pebble Beach golf vacation you’re planning.
Quail Lodge is an accommodation alternative when playing Pebble Beach Golf Course.
To make true, advance tee times for Pebble Beach Golf Course, you need to stay at least two nights at one of the resort hotels for every one round you wish to play. Guests of the Lodge at Pebble Beach and the Inn at Spanish Bay can book tee times up to 18 months in advance; Casa Palmero guests can book 12 months out. Read more →
Late summer and early fall are the best times to take a Pebble Beach golf vacation.
Want to know the absolute best time of year to take a Pebble Beach golf vacation? Don’t go by the PGA Tour, which is making its annual visit to the Pebble Beach golf courses this week.
In fact, if you go by weather alone (average temperature and precipitation), December through March is the worst time to visit these hallowed golfing grounds. And, given that, as of April 1, 2008, it will cost $495 to play Pebble Beach Golf Links (plus a $30 cart fee if you’re not a resort guest) and there are no discounted “winter rates,” it’s beyond me why anyone would risk playing the Pebble Beach golf course at any time other than the prime weather months of May through October. Read more →
Q: My brother-in-law and I recently returned from a weeklong golf tour (Pebble Beach, Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill, Pasatiempo, Half Moon, Presidio). We loved it, but we were amazed that nobody seemed to tee off on the “The Big 3″ (Pebble Beach, Spyglass, Spanish Bay) after 2 or 3 pm. You can play a lot of golf from 2-6 pm, so, what gives? Do they offer twilight or replay rates? Scott L., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Besides getting the benefit of a reduced fee, twilight may be when the Pebble Beach golf courses are at their prettiest.
A: Yes, Scott, Pebble Beach Resorts does offer twilight rates at its Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay golf courses, but not at its Pebble Beach Golf Course.
The rate is $180 to walk and $210 to ride at Spyglass Hill. It’s $130 to walk and $160 to ride at Spanish Bay. As far as the riding rates go, this represents an approximate 30-35 percent discount off the regular fee. Replay rates cost the same as the twilight rates.
Keep in mind that, like most places, “twilight” starts at different times during the year and it can be as late as 5:30 pm in the summer at these Pebble Beach golf courses. Read more →
The Inn at Spanish Bay is just one lodging option when you
Many people don’t realize that Pebble Beach Golf Links is just one part of a multi-property complex called Pebble Beach Resorts. In addition to three-and-a-half other golf courses, PBR is also composed of three, separate hotels, and deciding where to stay depends on the type of experience you’re looking for on your Pebble Beach golf vacation.
The Lodge at Pebble Beach, for example, is the hub of the resort and is always abuzz. Pebble Beach Golf Links and a shopping arcade are located right outside its doors, and at night, many visitors congregate at its Tap Room bar/restaurant, regaling one another with stories from the links over a fabulous selection of beer, wine, Scotch and Pebble Beach memorabilia. Read more →
You'll have to "settle" for this on a Pebble Beach golf vacation.
An eight-year struggle to add another Pebble Beach golf course to the already phenomenal layouts available on a Pebble Beach golf vacation has ended in defeat. The Pebble Beach Company, whose notable members include Clint Eastwood, Arnold Palmer and ex-baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, lost a vote on Wednesday that would have allowed it to develop a new, 18-hole golf course, about 35 homes, and a 160-room hotel on the Monterey Peninsula. Read more →
Even with a reduced green fee, your golf ball budget on a Pebble Beach golf vacation will be high.
Back in March, we lambasted Pebble Beach Resorts for what seemed like a shameless attempt to gouge guests at every turn during their Pebble Beach golf course vacations.
That’s why we read with great pleasure a note forwarded to us by our friend, Herschel Hoffmann, who operates Monterey Peninsula Golf Tours, a boutique firm dedicated solely to Pebble Beach golf course vacations. Hoffmann used to own property in the area, is a member of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, and has many contacts in and around Pebble Beach. Read more →
Hole 14 is one of many at Pebble Beach that have been strengthened.
Travelers taking a Pebble Beach golf vacation are now being treated to a bigger and bolder Pebble Beach Golf Links. There have been a number of changes made to this Pebble Beach golf course since it hosted the 2000 U.S. Open and more are coming in preparation for the 2010 U.S. Open.
When Golf Odyssey visited the resort last fall, we noted that trees and bunkers have been added to tighten driving lanes and maintain the integrity of doglegs. The par-five 2nd hole, for example, now features a huge bunker complex on the left-hand side and an additional, solo bunker further down the fairway to catch long, errant tee shots. Cypress tees were also planted to replace the ones that died beyond the dreaded barranca bunker, restoring this tree-framed shot. The hole now sports a very different look and will play much harder than on the Pebble Beach golf course of yore. Read more →
