How to Play the Best Golf in California
California holds some of the greatest golf in the world, and the good news is that most of the best of it is playable, if you know the rules. Pebble Beach rewards a resort stay, Torrey Pines is a municipal you can simply book, and only a famous few stay locked behind the gates. Here is how to get on the courses that matter, what they cost in 2026, and how to build a trip around them.
Photograph: Pebble Beach Golf Links, California, via Google
The short answer
The single most useful thing to understand about California golf is that access varies enormously, and the move that unlocks the best of it is a resort stay on the Monterey Peninsula. Book a room at The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay or Casa Palmero and you earn priority tee times at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill and the Links at Spanish Bay, the three public marquee courses on that stretch of coast. Pebble itself is an indicative 675 dollars in 2026, rising to 695 from April, so this is a splurge, but it is the most reliable path onto the most famous golf in the state.
Away from Monterey, the picture is friendlier still. Torrey Pines South in San Diego is a municipal course that has hosted two US Opens, and you can book it as a non resident for an indicative 246 dollars on a weekday. Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz, an Alister MacKenzie original, takes public play. The Palm Springs desert offers the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West and a deep bench of resort golf. The only real gate is a handful of elite private clubs, Cypress Point and the Olympic Club among them, which admit members and their guests only. Build the trip around what you can book, and California gives you a lifetime of golf.
California's best courses: how to get on, 2026
| Course | How to play | Indicative 2026 fee |
|---|---|---|
| Pebble Beach Golf Links | Resort guests get priority and advance booking; non guests 24 hours ahead only | 675 dollars, 695 from April 2026 |
| Spyglass Hill | Public, with resort guests first in the queue; on the same peninsula | Around 525 dollars resort rate |
| The Links at Spanish Bay | Public, resort guest priority; the gentler third of the Monterey trio | Around 300 to 400 dollars |
| Torrey Pines, South | San Diego municipal, two time US Open host; book as non resident | Around 246 dollars weekday, 306 weekend |
| Pasatiempo | Public, the Alister MacKenzie classic in Santa Cruz; book ahead | Around 345 dollars |
| PGA West, Stadium | Resort and daily fee play in La Quinta, Palm Springs; the Pete Dye test | Around 112 to 399 dollars by tee time |
| Cypress Point, Olympic Club | Private, members and personal guests only; no public access | Not publicly bookable |
Green fees and access rules verified indicatively in June 2026 from course and operator listings; they vary by season, day and how you book, and change without notice, so always confirm current rates and rules directly before booking. Check California tee time availability.
How access works, region by region
On the Monterey Peninsula, the resort stay is the key. Pebble Beach Company runs The Lodge, The Inn at Spanish Bay and Casa Palmero, and a stay at any of them earns you priority and advance tee times at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay. Resort guests can book months ahead, often with a minimum two night stay attached to a Pebble round, while non guests are left with a 24 hour window and slim odds at peak times. If Pebble is the dream, the room is the entry ticket, and it pays to plan a year out. Caddies and forecaddies are part of the experience here and add to the green fee.
In San Diego, Torrey Pines is a city owned municipal, so anyone can play the famous South Course at the non resident rate, though the best tee times are released on a rolling window and go quickly. Up the coast at Santa Cruz, Pasatiempo welcomes public play on one of the purest MacKenzie designs in America. In the desert around Palm Springs, the golf is overwhelmingly resort and daily fee, led by the Stadium Course at PGA West, and the season runs October to May before the summer heat. The closed doors are few but absolute, Cypress Point and the Olympic Club take members and guests only, so admire them from the rankings and spend your trip on the great courses you can actually book.
Where to focus a California trip
Most travelling golfers build around one of two anchors. The Monterey Peninsula is the coastal dream, three marquee rounds within a few minutes of each other and a resort stay that unlocks them, best in spring and autumn when the fog lifts. The Palm Springs desert is the warm winter base, with a deep field of resort courses and reliable sun from October to May. A first trip that pairs two or three Monterey rounds with the drama of Torrey Pines South is hard to beat, and the concierge route smooths the booking windows, the resort minimums and the caddie arrangements so the golf is all you think about.
Plan your California golf trip
We hold the Pebble Beach resort rooms that unlock the tee times, navigate the booking windows at Torrey Pines, and route the coast and the desert into one clean week. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
California golf access questions
How do you get a tee time at Pebble Beach?
The reliable way is to stay at one of the resort's affiliated hotels, The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay or Casa Palmero. Resort guests can reserve tee times well in advance and usually need a minimum two night stay to lock one in more than a day ahead. Non resort players can only book 24 hours in advance, subject to availability. The indicative 2026 green fee is 675 dollars, rising to 695 from April 2026, plus a caddie or cart. Always confirm current rates and booking rules directly before booking.
Can you play Cypress Point?
No, not as a visitor. Cypress Point Club is one of the most exclusive private clubs in the world, open only to members and their personal guests, with no public tee time or resort access. For the great California coastal golf you can actually book, build the trip around Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and the Links at Spanish Bay on the same Monterey Peninsula.
What is the cheapest way to play great golf in California?
Torrey Pines South in San Diego, a municipal and host of two US Opens, is the standout value, with indicative 2026 non resident green fees of around 246 dollars on weekdays. Pasatiempo, the Alister MacKenzie classic in Santa Cruz, and the many strong daily fee and resort courses statewide round out the value end. The Monterey Peninsula marquee courses are the splurge. Always confirm current rates directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in California?
Spring and autumn are the sweet spots. April to June and September to October bring the most settled weather across both the coast and the desert. The Monterey Peninsula is mild but can be foggy and cool in high summer, while the Palm Springs desert is best from October to May and too hot in midsummer. Always confirm current conditions and rates before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Access rules and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.