After several years of talking about it, my brothers and I are finally taking a golf trip (3 of us total). We will be headed from Alabama to San Fran in July 07.

We would first like to play Harding Park and then head south toward the Monterey area. We plan to play four consecutive days----Pebble is not on the "must play" list. Can you Bay Area guys give me some suggested iteniaries on where to play the three days after Harding Park? Many thanks.

CLEM

Half Moon Bay, north of Monterey and south of San Francisco, real nice. Just don't play in the morning, you have to wait until the fog lifts. I played last July, beautiful. They have two courses.

If your going to Monterey, I would recommend: Spyglass and Poppy Hills (aka. poor man's Pebble Beach). If you want to go a little north to Santa Cruz, I would recommend Pasatiempo (Alister McKenzie course).

From Monterey you could head about on hour east to San Juan Oaks (Couples designed course), which hosted the Q-School in early November.

I'll second Poppy Hills. Outside of Pebble, its my favorite. Its just a great course.

A few miles north of Poppy are Bayonet and Black Horse, or as I like to call them, Pain and Suffering. Both good, but not as good as Poppy.

Spyglass is another great course but pricey like Pebble.

Pasatiempo is a good track.

The old course at Half Moon Bay is fun and great scenery.

It was expen$ive, but I enjoyed "The Bridges" in San Ramon CA, as well as "Wente Vineyards" out in Livermore.


www.thebridgesgolf.com

www.wentegolf.com

Four days?

Well, if you want to play pebble with a group, you'll have to spend at least 2 days at the one of the Pebble Beach resort properties.

So that's:

1. Harding Park
2. Spyglass (play it over Spanish Bay)
3. Pebble
4. One other.

Now, you can do 36 in a day. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Play:

Harding (day you fly in)

Then drive to Monterey.

Day 2:

Spyglass one morning
Poppy Hills the afternoon

Day 3:

Pebble--a.m.
Pacific Grove--p.m. (Trust me on this, it doesn't look "All that" but it is AWESOME. If you're going there, you totally should play it. Very memorable, inexpensive, maintained nicely, fun. Bayonet/Blackhorse is nice, but if you're a tourist, play on the ocean!)

Day 4:

Start driving north to Santa Cruz.

Play Pasatiempo. Great track. Classic Tom Doak re-design of an original Alister Mac course.

Drive back up to the City, fly out in the evening, or early the next morning.

6 great, famous courses, 4 days.

You'll be playing 3 of the ATT Pebble Beach courses, one of the American Express Courses, a Mackenzie course that's one of the top in the country, and a classic muni layout with 9 holes along the ocean.

Okay, now --all the courses are totally walkable. You SHOULD be walking these layouts. They're all not "cart-ball" golf courses. DO NOT take a cart, you will not have the same sense of the game.

Oh yeah, this trip will probably cost:

$300/each pebble (per person double occupancy) x2
$500/pebble green fee incl. caddie
$300/spyglass green fee incl. caddie
$200/Poppy Hills
$35(!) Pacific Grove
$200/Harding
$200/Pasatiempo
$150/person hotel nights (basic hotel in San Francisco airport/Santa Cruz) x2

So with just hotels and golf, you're looking at:

$2200 for 6 rounds, 4 nights.

Meals, flights, another $800.

$3000 trip. But pretty worth it.

You go low budget, you WILL NOT play courses that are worth flying out here for. Oh yeah, and the ones I mentioned don't have exactly "reasonable" twilight rates.

Without question Pasatiempo. Then Bayonet and Backhorse. Pebble is fine but be prepared for a long day. I seen it in some very ratty condition as well.
The Bidges in San Ramon is IMO a complete waste of time.

Half Moon Bay is a good track (I prefer the Ocean Course), a far cry better than The Bridges and more coastal as well.

If you belong to a CC, ask you head golf pro to call Olympic Club for you, they reciprocate. It won't be cheap, but better than some Monterey courses and less expensive to boot. ~$310 unaccompanied.

I know it isnt going to be cheap, but for three brothers, this may be our last trip together....ever (certainly the only one without spouses, kids). It will be worth it whatever the cost. Pebble is not a must play, we will likely play Poppy Hills instead.

It is actually worth it to do it one time--if you can afford it.

You're going to pay 195 as a guest at poppy anyhow...might as well double that.

Oh yeah, and poppy is not worth 200, unless you have it. I'd play 36 at Bayonet/Blackhorse for 150 over that.

NOTE: If there are only 3 of you, hook up wiht an NCGA member and play as their guest and only pay 90 at poppy.