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

[nevets88]

I'd pay $125 to play it, tops, no hotel requirement.

I paid $225 to play Spyglass in 2000. I wouldn't pay that much now, in retrospect. I actually paid $241 because I forgot to validate my 16 mile drive ticket - doh.

[HAZARD MAGNET]

I love to play golf, any time, any place! I don't see where spending $495.00 + the cost of getting there could be THAT much more fun than I have playing my local course for a 25 min. drive and $30.00 for 18 holes with a cart and a good lunch included!! To me the idea is to have fun playing golf.

[Golf_Gal]

Maybe just once in your lifetime :)

[sean_miller]

There are other courses I'd like to play first, but the thing with Pebble is, I might actually be able to get a tee time in my lifetime. I can't say that about Cypress Point and countless others. There's always Oregon.

[OCdude12]

In high school, we were fortunate enough to play Carmel High School in a 9 hole practice match over spring break. After kicking their ass by god knows how many strokes, we were able to keep playing for free while they WALKED OFF the course (mind boggling how you can walk off that course). We teed off around 3 I think, finishing right as it got dark. One of the best golf memories of my life so far.

As for is it worth it? Tough since I played for free, but I would still say yes considering you used to have to stay there just to get a time which would cost god knows how much. They had some specials towards the end of summer this year for NCGA members I think where you could get out for the old rate of $350. If I had been working for a little longer and gotten some other guys, I would have definitely gone back in a heartbeat.

Pebble is one of those places you can't put a value on. It just HAS to get played at least once in your life. Period. If you've ever been to Monterey on a crystal clear sunny day, you would swear there is not a prettier place in the world even if you weren't playing golf. To add a round of golf on such historic land is something you just can't put a price tag on. If you think you'll only have one chance to play it and are hesitant about it, don't think, just say yes. I promise you will not regret it. Then again, I played pretty well that day, so that might have had something to do with it...

[Lefty-Golfer]

In high school, we were fortunate enough to play Carmel High School in a 9 hole practice match over spring break. After kicking their ass by god knows how many strokes, we were able to keep playing for free while they WALKED OFF the course (mind boggling how you can walk off that course). We teed off around 3 I think, finishing right as it got dark. One of the best golf memories of my life so far.

bolded is soooo true. there are just some courses that if given the chance and you are in the area must be played. Pine Valley, Merion, Oakmont, Whistling Straits, St. Andrews, Ocean course, Valderama, Pinehurst 2 and of course Augusta being the holy grail and many others!!! the list is actually quite long for me...again this assumes that 500 doesn't break you.

[kfowler]

With out question to me, yes. To be able to play a round with my dad would be worth the price. It's something to tell your grandkids.

[David in FL]

"Worth" and "value" are certainly relative, but some courses are simply must plays for me.....I won't say regardless of cost, but $500 isn't going to keep me from feeding the family or sending the kid to college. I haven't played Pebble yet, but will. For me the experience is more than simply the 4-5 hours on the course. The ability to keep a yardage book and scorecard and then continue to follow subsequent tournaments on tv while reliving my own experience is worth a couple hundred bucks to me.

[ranchopedro]

range balls included?

[NM Golf]

Like others have said worth is an individual thing. To me Pebble Beach is probably worth the money. On the other hand, I have absolutely no desire to go to Scotland to play golf. To me a trip oversees to play St. Andrews is not worth the money. An individual decision.

[GaijinGolfer]

IMO, Pebble is a place that any serious golfer owes to themself to play at least once. Its not a place that most people could afford to play on a regular basis, but Id do $500 once just to say I played there. IMO, the experience alone would be worth the money.

[mirv]

i personally would shell out $500 to play pebble golf. however... you have to include travel expenses and hotel and such, so playing a round at pebble really comes out to a lot more than just $500 (unless you're fortunate enough to live within driving distance), so given that, unless i win the lottery, i doubt if i play pebble anytime soon.

[McIlroy_man]

no...$500 is a hell of a lot of money to drop for a round of golf!

St Andrews which you all are saying is a course that you would pay that sort of money to play is only £120 a round which just now is under $200!
is Pebble Beach double to course that St Andrews is?...no way! therefore i couldnt justify paying that much money to play it

on the otherhand, fair play to Pebble Beach, the demand is high enough for them to charge that price so why wouldnt they? after all, if we had the money we all would pay it!
i would also expect that to a fair few of the people playing there, $500 is a tiny amount of money!

[GaijinGolfer]

no...$500 is a hell of a lot of money to drop for a round of golf!

True, Pebble isnt double the golf course that St Andrews is, but Pebble is Pebble and people are obviously willing to pay that much to play there.

[apex53]

I've been extremely fortunate to play both Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, they are both incredibly special golf courses... Travel expenses were mentioned, it costs a heckuva lot more to get to Scotland than California for someone living in the States ... Both experiences were outstanding once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for me.

[immts007]

It's an elite place to play. If you are wealthy and the money is not an object, and you don't wan't to be bothered by common people - I'm sure it is worth it to you. However, I think if you looked at other great courses, including truly great public courses that are far cheaper, the value won't scale objectively. I'll never pay $500 for a round of golf. In my opinion it's decadent.

[Clambake]

It's an elite place to play. If you are wealthy and the money is not an object, and you don't wan't to be bothered by common people - I'm sure it is worth it to you. However, I think if you looked at other great courses, including truly great public courses that are far cheaper, the value won't scale objectively. I'll never pay $500 for a round of golf. In my opinion it's decadent.

Why so judgemental? Probably 99% of the world's population would find your chosen sport of golf is "decadent". Aren't you one who has a thread about going to play Bandon soon? The Bandon prices you were quoting for your trip would be considered extravagent by many (but I'll certainly agree that you're getting a great deal to play a fantastic course!). And where do you get the idea that Pebble is only for the wealthy and a place to "not be bothered by the common people"? I played there in July and was teamed up with a PE teacher from Canada, a software engineering, and a retired engineering manager. Playing other courses in the area on the same trip, as a single I was paired with people who were all also playing Pebble during their visit, and their professions were a random mix including a firefighter, a quality assurance inspector, a college professor, another engineer, and a smattering of other professions that seemed pretty common. Not a Fortune 500 CEO in the group. No trust fund babies. No Wall Street tycoons. No Silicon Valley billionaires joined us, and no Hollywood stars. It seemed pretty much the same demographics as you'd get at your local reasonably priced course.

I'm not trying to attack you here, but you make some pretty judgemental statements that just aren't supported facts and overlook your own choice of a sport considered decadent by many. Instead, just say it that $495 to play such a great course isn't worth it to you and leave it at that.

[Fourputt]

no...$500 is a hell of a lot of money to drop for a round of golf!

Now there's an idea... I'd rather put the $500 toward a trip to Scotalnd, then play St. Andrews. That is the true golfers Mecca.