Next April I might venture to Northern California for 5 days of golf.....I am avoiding Pebble Beach, mostly because my wife can't make this trip and my buddy can.

I am looking at playing the following courses:

Presidio
Harding Park
Sharp Park
Pasatiempo
Bayonet
Black Horse
Half Moon Bay Ocean Course (maybe)
Pacific Grove or maybe Del Monte


Even these courses are not "cheap". That's OK though, a week long trip to Myrtle Beach, SC (another option) would cost a lot as well.

My question is, where should I look for accommodations near San Francisco for 2 nights and then near Santa Cruz for one night, with the rest somewhat near Monterey area. We'll only be sleeping there, so the cheaper the better, but we still like nice places.

Any of you wrxers from Northern Cali that can give me some advice????

Sounds like a great trip. Couple of things:

Check with the courses for their green aerifying schedule. You would hate to come up here, pay for these courses then find they just aerified their greens.

In the Monterey area, Pacific Grove is a great deal (people call it the very poor man's pebble beach). But I personally think Poppy Hills is a much better course and better deal. It's an incredible deal for Northern CA Golf Association (NCGA) members as it is one of the two home courses of the NCGA, so see if you can join. Bayonet and Black Horse are nice tracks (Bayonet is MUCH tougher of the two) but I find it's a bit overpriced for what you get. By all means, play Pasatiempo!! Harding you should play, but I'm not sure about Presidio or Sharp. You can find much better in the area. Truth is, outside of Harding, you will find much better golf courses away from SF.

For hotels, in the Monterey area, Carmel is upscale, Pacific Grove is quaint and Monterey probably has the most choices of hotels. I personally prefer Pacific Grove. There are some great restaurants with a great small-town feel. It's also much cheaper than Carmel. You don't have to spend a night in Santa Cruz unless you just want to. You can drive to Pasatiempo from SF, play golf, then drive down to Monterey (or vice versa). Pasatiempo is probably about 1.25 hours south of SF and about 1 hour north of Monterey.

In SF, Harding is on the southwest side of the city, and Half Moon bay is a bit south of there. So if you are just looking for a place to sleep, you want to focus on the southwest side of SF or maybe Daly City. But there are much more fun parts of the city to stay in if you want fun bars and restaurants. I don't know the city too well, so maybe SF residents will chime in.

And one final piece of advice. Do yourself this favor. One late afternoon, go to Roy's at The Inn as Spanish Bay (in the Pebble Beach area), sit outside near the fire pits and have a cocktail or two. It overlooks the Pacific Ocean and the Spanish Bay golf course. A bagpipe player will come walking down the golf course to the restaurant and play, with the sun going down over the ocean. The first time I did this, I thought I was in heaven. Call Roys in advance to check the timing of the bagpipe player. The restaurant is awesome also if you like seafood (but it is a bit expensive).

Can you play Spanish Bay w/out staying on site? What would the cost be?

Check greens maintenance schedules and closures for special events
Presidio - Fun - old - windy in the afernoon - narrow treelined fairways
Harding Park - Presidents Cup???
Sharp Park - could be great but teribly negleted and steeped in endagered species controversies
Pasatiempo - WOW - do it if you can!
Bayonet - not bad for an old military course
Black Horse - good
Half Moon Bay Ocean Course (maybe) - Old course for the golf - new course for the views
Pacific Grove or maybe Del Monte - PG fun once you get to the back 9 - DM older than Presidio worth the time

Ya, you can play Spanish Bay without staying there. It's not cheap. I want to say $250 on weekends? It might be cheaper during the week. Also, sign up on the Pebble Beach website for their email list. They run email specials. Spanish Bay is always one of the better deals. You might be able to play for as little as $135. While you're at it, if they offer a good deal to play Spyglass, do it! I know Pebble is on everyone's 'best' list, but Spyglass is the better golf course.

You don't have to stay on site to play Spanish Bay. Pasatiempo is a sweet little gem of a course, but with green fees over $200, I think it's overpriced. Some of these courses are on Golf Now and most offer email specials. Agreed about Carmel being $$$ and Monterey being $. Pacific Grove is the place to stay. No need to stay in Santa Cruz really and DeLavega is a nice alternative to Pasa. You should be able to find cheap places to spend the night in Daly City, South San Francisco and Pacifica.

EDIT: Daly City, South San Francisco and Pacifica probably offer the cheapest lodging but there is nothing to do there. If you have never been to San Francisco, you'd be missing out big time by skipping your chance to visit a great city - even if it means no golf that day.

Seal Rock Inn is not bad, has a great view, and is close to Harding and on the way to Pacifica. If you are looking for something relatively cheap, that could be your best bet. Figure on $150/night or so.

Definitely going to check out SF prior to playing Harding in the afternoon. I always wanted to go to Alcatraz and see the Golden Gate Bridge amongst other things.

This may be an unpopular take, but if you are making the trip from Ohio all the way out to NorCal, I think you can do better on courses. Specifically, Bayonet/Black Horse, HMB and Sharp are pretty ordinary. I certainly would not drive a few hours, let alone fly to play them.

Sharp, while it was designed by Dr. Mac, has very little, if any McKenzie left. Moreover the conditions are horrendous. You would do better on a $10 muni somewhere. HMB is way overpriced and nothing to write home about. Similarly, Bayonet/Black Horse are overpriced due to the Monterey location.

A few alternatives would be East Bay courses like Wente or Callippee. Down towards Monterey, you could play San Juan Oaks or Cinnabar.

Pasa is an absolute treat, and worth it.

Also, take time to enjoy SF. You can find deals to stay in the City proper for cheap. It is worth it if you are making the trip out.

Agree 99% with this take. I agree about HMB and Bayonet/Black Horse. I've never played Sharp, but have heard the same thing (which is why I've never played). The only thing I would slightly disagree with is Callippe. Not a huge fan of this course. But Wente and San Juan Oaks are great courses and usually in great shape.

Not a bad take. The other thing is the weather. It could be foggy and in the 50s at HMB, Presidio or Harding, sunny and 90 at Wente / San Juan Oaks / Cinnebar on the same day during summer. Monterey is cool too. Sadly, Sharp Park is a dump.

For a trip on the cheap...HMB, Wente, and Harding are going to cost you. Grew up playing Harding...its a nice course but overrated. The Presidio is just as nice. Callippe is a great bargain...walk for $48. The front 9 is average, but the back 9 is a good track and a fun challenge. Bayonet/Black Horse is a good track...can get a deal at $90 on golf now. Cinnabar is probably the best kept course in the South Bay with the best greens and you can play around $60 before 9 or after 12. San Juan is also a good track and you can play there for around $50. Pacific Grove Muni is worth playing ($40) just for the back 9 alone. It's special. If you play HMB, join the E-Club. You can save about $75.