Golf - Down to a Tee

Rounds Around The Bay

If it’s a day on the links you crave, you’ve come to the right place. Monterey County has been consistently named among the world’s best golfing destinations by Golf Digest Magazine, and with good reason. Choose any one of the courses listed below and you’ll be in for some of the best golf imaginable. The scenery is magnificent, but try to keep your eye on the ball.

Since the 1880s, visitors have been coming to the Monterey Coast to enjoy the spectacular beauty of the ocean, the pine forests and, yes, the golf. Considered to be among the world’s best golf destinations, the Monterey Peninsula boasts more than a dozen courses.

Most notorious of our courses is Pebble Beach Golf Links, which includes Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill, all of which are legends in themselves. But there are many lesser-known but excellent courses in the area.

The newly enhanced Quail Lodge Resort and Country Club in the rolling hills southeast of Carmel is as beautiful as it is challenging. Ponds and/ or the Carmel River come into play on at least eight holes.

The area’s oldest course, Del Monte Golf Course in Monterey, opened in 1897. It is the oldest course in continuous operation west of the Mississippi. This inland course boasts a meandering, hilly layout that challenges golfers with its narrow, tree-lined fairways and small, well-protected greens.

Bayonet and Black Horse courses in Seaside are gaining recognition as popular public and championship courses. The elevated view of Monterey Bay is a spectacular backdrop for these two challenging courses, which have played host to PGA Tour greats such as Palmer, Nicklaus and Watson, as well as several U.S. presidents and foreign dignitaries.

For a more affordable course, try Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Course, which is city owned and beautifully maintained. The 17th hole is probably the most picturesque on the course. With the ocean on the left, it plays across Crespi Pond to a green surrounded by a grove of Monterey cypress. It has it all — the ocean, the trees, the deer and the migratory birds around the pond.

Leguna Seca Golf Club is popular, with the well-groomed amenities of a private facility at modest daily fees. The course will make you use every club in your bag to conquer its ups and downs. Elevated tees treat you to impressive vista of the Monterey-Salinas corridor. A relaxing clubhouse offers a resort-quality golf shop and casual dining.

Peter Hay Golf Course is a nine-hole executive par-3 golf course near Pebble Beach Golf Links. This is a great opportunity to work on your short game or, even better, teach your children to play.

Watch The Pros

AT&T Pro-Am Golf Tournament

Among the many impressive courses here is the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links, where, each year at end of winter (2006 dates: Feb. 6-12) it hosts the AT&T Pro-Am Golf Tournament. For more than 55 years, some of the world’s best golfers are joined by a number of celebrities for this semi-serious charity event. More than 32,000 spectators line the fairways to enjoy a week of golf and laughs. The tournament funds the AT&T Pebble Beach Charities, the giving arm of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. To date, more than $54 million has been raised and distributed, with particular emphasis on the promotion of youth development and educational programs in the community.

Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational

Founded in 1972, this is the only tournament that matches players from the PGA, the LPGA, the Champions and Nationwide Tours in head-to-head competition for the same purse. To make it even more exciting, it also matches teams of four amateurs with a different pro each day. Played on the Del Monte Golf Course, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Pebble Beach Golf Links, the innovative tee-placement system, based on the average length of shots in each tour, makes for an unusual event.

In 2006, practice rounds will be Nov. 14-15 and the tournament itself Nov. 16-19. The fairways are not roped off, so the usually small crowds are able to walk along directly behind the players, giving the feel of being part of the action. And, to add to the unusual nature of the invitational, it’s a bargain for golf fans as it is free!

The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach

The World Golf Foundation created The First Tee in November 1997 with a mission to impact the lives of young people around the world by creating affordable and accessible golf facilities. The primary objectives revolve around providing young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. The First Tee teaches these lessons for life as part of the basic instruction program.

The tournament takes place on Pebble Beach Golf Links, Peter Hay Golf Course and Del Monte Golf Course. Each foursome includes a Champions Tour Player, an accomplished junior player (age 13 to 18) and two paying amateurs. In 2006, First Tee runs from Aug. 30-Sept. 3. For information including qualifying requirements, visit www.thefirsttee.org