Is Pebble Beach Worth $495 (or $550 in 2019)?

[ZigZag]

100 is the most i would pay for a round.

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by ZigZag

100 is the most i would pay for a round.

I used to say that, until I saw Pebble in person.

[NuclearMike]

Back in the days where I had a higher paying job I played Pebble with a caddy.  Time of my life with tons of pictures and memories.  I didn't have any qualms about dropping big dollars on golf, just for the experience.   Now, though, I'd need to win the lottery to pay $500 for a round of golf.  And that would come after making a dent in the medical bills hanging over my head.  And I don't buy lottery tickets.

[Wally Fairway]

Originally Posted by saevel25

Its not just $495, you got to stay in there condos to gaurentee advance tee times. If not then you have to fight for first come first serve, day in advance tee times. Its nuts. So for me, in Ohio, its 500-700 plane ticket (god knows the cost to ship my clubs), then i have to spend a on there condo, plus 495. Its crazy, and honestly, i think there might be some better golf courses near there anyways. I think its a bit hyped up.

Though the best is to go for a golf package, play like three golf courses on the peninsula plus pebble. i think they go for like 3 grand, but in includes everything, so you probably save a bit..

This is correct - I went with a group out to Carmel a few years ago & we couldn't get a tee time at Pebble. All the other resort courses you can make a tee time 30 days in advance, but only 1 day in advance for Pebble....unless you stay on property for 2 nights. I did my whole trip - 4 rounds of golf (Spyglass, Links @ Spanish Bay, Del Monte & Pacific Grove), we rented a house, rental cars, meals & air fare all for just >$2,000.

The price for 2 nights (low end) on site at the resort (including taxes & fees) + 1 round at Pebble would have been close to $2,000...there are a lot of courses in the area that are worth playing if you don't want to break the bank.....but I'm looking at trying to get back out there and finding a way to play Pebble once in my life (more if I win the lottery)

[ApocG10]

Played there last September with my dad. Worth it? Yes, very much so. One of the nicer courses I played down there,p and being there with my father was an unforgettable experience that I will never, ever forget. To  me the 500$ was nothing, the experience was priceless. Of course, I didnt need to get a hotel or anything, as my family owns two nearby homes.

That said, if you are living week to week, then I understand that it may not be worth it to some. To me though, it was great, and i'll be playing there at least 3 times next time im down there.

[hitnrun]

[quote name="Fourputt"Don't get me wrong, I would love to play Pebble, and I can afford to pay the price. I'm just not willing to do so for 5 hours of entertainment the like of which can be obtained for a much more reasonable price. Just my opinion.[/quote] Agreed...I was thinking about hookers as well. I would love to play Pebble, but I would either be too distracted by the view to enjoy the golf, or vice versa. It would be sensory overload!

[DevilDog21]

Originally Posted by Wally Fairway

This is correct - I went with a group out to Carmel a few years ago & we couldn't get a tee time at Pebble. All the other resort courses you can make a tee time 30 days in advance, but only 1 day in advance for Pebble....unless you stay on property for 2 nights. I did my whole trip - 4 rounds of golf (Spyglass, Links @ Spanish Bay, Del Monte & Pacific Grove), we rented a house, rental cars, meals & air fare all for just >$2,000.

The price for 2 nights (low end) on site at the resort (including taxes & fees) + 1 round at Pebble would have been close to $2,000...there are a lot of courses in the area that are worth playing if you don't want to break the bank.....but I'm looking at trying to get back out there and finding a way to play Pebble once in my life (more if I win the lottery)

Sign up for the Duke's Club and you get pretty big discounts at Spyglass, DelMonte, and Spanish Bay for you and your foursome. It's around $250 to join the club but a foursome will save that with one round of golf at Spyglass. I think the costs go from $250 to $150 per person.

Since you have to stay at the resort for 2 nights to get an advance tee time, then stay in the "Partial Garden View" room at Spanish Bay and I think it's around $550 or $600 which you can split with a golf buddy and it helps make the trip much more reasonable.

[mdl]

Originally Posted by Wally Fairway

This is correct - I went with a group out to Carmel a few years ago & we couldn't get a tee time at Pebble. All the other resort courses you can make a tee time 30 days in advance, but only 1 day in advance for Pebble....unless you stay on property for 2 nights. I did my whole trip - 4 rounds of golf (Spyglass, Links @ Spanish Bay, Del Monte & Pacific Grove), we rented a house, rental cars, meals & air fare all for just >$2,000.

The price for 2 nights (low end) on site at the resort (including taxes & fees) + 1 round at Pebble would have been close to $2,000...there are a lot of courses in the area that are worth playing if you don't want to break the bank.....but I'm looking at trying to get back out there and finding a way to play Pebble once in my life (more if I win the lottery)

This is exactly why my answer is an obvious no!  Assume you're not willing to build a golf trip around a round at Pebble when you have to hope there's magically a time for a foursome available the next day.  Unless you live in NorCal, you have to make stay somewhere on your golf trip.  The cheapest room at the lodge at Pebble is $715 a night, and you have to stay two nights to be able to make a tee time.  You can stay at a perfectly reasonable place (ie, assume you don't want to stay at a ratty Motel 6 for your special trip) for at most $150 a night.  Say two guys per room, so those two nights you'd be out $150 elsewhere, $715 at Pebble.  You get a free cart with a stay at the lodge, and say you want to play only really nice, hard courses you've never played before that offer caddies, so you'd pay for a caddy elsewhere too.  So now you've paid $1210 for one round at Pebble.  Subtract off what you would have paid anyway for lodging somewhere and you've paid $1060 for a round at Pebble.

There are SO MANY courses just as beautiful, just as well kept, and just as well designed around the natural landscape for less than 1/5 of that.  So you're paying a 5x premium just for the hype and the ability to say you played at Pebble.  To me that seems absolutely ridiculous and I'd never do it just out of principle.

Maybe I'd do it if I magically discovered I had a secret 9 figure trust fund some unknown relative left to me.  But then I'd do a lot of things for which I'd get wildly overcharged...

[DevilDog21]

Originally Posted by mdl

This is exactly why my answer is an obvious no!  Assume you're not willing to build a golf trip around a round at Pebble when you have to hope there's magically a time for a foursome available the next day.  Unless you live in NorCal, you have to make stay somewhere on your golf trip.  The cheapest room at the lodge at Pebble is $715 a night, and you have to stay two nights to be able to make a tee time.  You can stay at a perfectly reasonable place (ie, assume you don't want to stay at a ratty Motel 6 for your special trip) for at most $150 a night.  Say two guys per room, so those two nights you'd be out $150 elsewhere, $715 at Pebble.  You get a free cart with a stay at the lodge, and say you want to play only really nice, hard courses you've never played before that offer caddies, so you'd pay for a caddy elsewhere too.  So now you've paid $1210 for one round at Pebble.  Subtract off what you would have paid anyway for lodging somewhere and you've paid $1060 for a round at Pebble.

There are SO MANY courses just as beautiful, just as well kept, and just as well designed around the natural landscape for less than 1/5 of that.  So you're paying a 5x premium just for the hype and the ability to say you played at Pebble.  To me that seems absolutely ridiculous and I'd never do it just out of principle.

Maybe I'd do it if I magically discovered I had a secret 9 figure trust fund some unknown relative left to me.  But then I'd do a lot of things for which I'd get wildly overcharged...

I would completely agree with you if you were going to play just Pebble. We decided to add the other courses and make a trip to LA as well, so it's worth it in my mind....at least that's how I justify it.

My next trip with the guys will be to Bandon Dunes to save on $$$, but since there's not much else to do besides golf there the wives won't be going.

[Jwat381]

After (not very) much deliberation, I voted "yes". When you play Pebble, you're paying for more than just pristine golf, you're paying for an experience. That experience isn't necessarily for the everyman, either. To quote apex53 on Page 1:

Originally Posted by apex53

I think Pebble Beach is worth it... Visited there 10 years ago, at the time couldn't afford to play Pebble, played Pacific Grove instead... Promised myself that I would earn/save enough to go back and actually play Pebble... Fortunate to be able to take my dad to Pebble two years ago... Walking up 18 at Pebble with my dad is something I'll always cherish.

[Jwat381]

A lot of people have incorporated other costs into their answers, and while they're right, the OP was just asking about the green fees, I think. The other factors complicate the discussion too much to come to a conclusion.

[bogdan101]

I think it would be a lot less attractive to their intended customer base if it wouldn't be as expensive. I would not pay that much for green fees even if I had millions, in part to avoid mingling with their intended customer base.

[RonTheSavage]

Absolutely! I live 2 hours away and my wife has offered to pay for me to play Pebble for my 40th Bday. I love that lady!

Counting down...........4 more years to go.

[ThominOH]

The only way I would play Pebble is IF someone else is paying for it..  I always grew up being thrifty with money..  OK OK.. I squeak when I walk.. Anyways..  Can I afford to play Pebble? YES, but why?  I can afford a Caddy too, but I like my Ford truck just fine :)  To each their own.. I'd rather spend $500 on 10 different courses on a golf getaway, then just 1 round at Pebble..

[jcard71]

Originally Posted by Three Putt

When I can afford the trip..YES!

St. Andrews and Pebble are on my bucket list..nuff said!

I have played both and I can tell you without a doubt they were both worth it! I was a 12 CAP when I played St. Andrews and paid $150...wish I could play it again as a 4 now...I think I would enjoy it more.  Pebble was awesome and worth the money in my opinion. I still say Spy Glass has the best first 5 opening holes I've ever played on ANY course, but Pebble is Pebble...

[jcard71]

Originally Posted by bogdan101

I think it would be a lot less attractive to their intended customer base if it wouldn't be as expensive. I would not pay that much for green fees even if I had millions, in part to avoid mingling with their intended customer base.

Intended customer base? You mean that are willing to pay $495 for a round? Sounds like you're a little jealous...

[mdl]

Originally Posted by DevilDog21

I would completely agree with you if you were going to play just Pebble. We decided to add the other courses and make a trip to LA as well, so it's worth it in my mind....at least that's how I justify it.

My next trip with the guys will be to Bandon Dunes to save on $$$, but since there's not much else to do besides golf there the wives won't be going.

Yeah, fair enough.  If you've got the money and you value getting to play a historic course where the best in the world still compete (and get their butts kicked by the course!), and there's enough value for you (via the wife?!) in staying somewhere fancy for a couple days of a trip with sweet spa treatments, sweet rooms and amenities, presumably a great restaurant, etc., then sure.

I guess it's just that I personally don't value the experience enough of playing Pebble just because it's Pebble to pay the 5x markup over other courses out there that are just as incredible but don't have the same cachet.  At least, I don't value it enough to pay that price given any amount of money I ever expect to make.  I'd have to be VERY wealthy to feel that was worth it to me, as opposed to just doing well enough to be able to afford to save a bunch and then invest that significant savings in a trip to Pebble.  I'm all about using the money I have for great experiences, but if I had saved a ton of money to spend on a trip, I'd see more "experience value" in using it to take my wife to the Himalayas or Patagonia or something.

[DevilDog21]

Originally Posted by mdl

Yeah, fair enough.  If you've got the money and you value getting to play a historic course where the best in the world still compete (and get their butts kicked by the course!), and there's enough value for you (via the wife?!) in staying somewhere fancy for a couple days of a trip with sweet spa treatments, sweet rooms and amenities, presumably a great restaurant, etc., then sure.

I guess it's just that I personally don't value the experience enough of playing Pebble just because it's Pebble to pay the 5x markup over other courses out there that are just as incredible but don't have the same cachet.  At least, I don't value it enough to pay that price given any amount of money I ever expect to make.  I'd have to be VERY wealthy to feel that was worth it to me, as opposed to just doing well enough to be able to afford to save a bunch and then invest that significant savings in a trip to Pebble.  I'm all about using the money I have for great experiences, but if I had saved a ton of money to spend on a trip, I'd see more "experience value" in using it to take my wife to the Himalayas or Patagonia or something.

Excellent response, and I couldn't agree more. It wasn't the easiest of decisions for us to make as we wanted to go to Greece instead. The breaking point came when I saw my father in law light up about it, and then 5 of my longtime friends and golf buddies got serious about making it a group trip with their wives. We now have everything booked for 7 golfers and their better halves to go and enjoy it together. We still have one open spot on our tee time in which I'm hoping a buddy living in China can make it to play.

That being said, if it were just a trip for my wife and I....I'd be somewhere else like you.