Pebble Beach vs Pinehurst No 2: Which Should You Play?
Two of the greatest public courses in America, and a clean contrast in what golf can be. Pebble Beach is the ocean spectacle on the cliffs of Carmel Bay, the most photographed round in the game. Pinehurst No 2 is Donald Ross's strategic masterpiece in the North Carolina sandhills, the thinking golfer's bucket list course. Here is the honest head to head, with our verdict up front.
Photograph: Pebble Beach Golf Links, via Google
The verdict
If you are buying one unforgettable round and the scenery is the point, play Pebble Beach. Opened in 1919 to a routing by amateurs Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, it remains the most spectacular meeting of golf and ocean in the game, a six time US Open host that delivers the cliffs of the 8th, the tiny 7th and the bayside walk up the par 5 18th. It is short by modern standards, the green fee is the steepest in resort golf at about 695 dollars for 2026, but as a once in a lifetime moment nothing rivals it.
If you care most about the architecture and the test, play Pinehurst No 2, and keep the change. Donald Ross's 1907 masterpiece, sensitively restored by Coore and Crenshaw, hides its difficulty in the famous crowned, turtleback greens that shrug off anything less than a perfect approach. It has hosted more single championships than any course in America, including the 2014 and 2024 US Opens, costs roughly 395 dollars plus a forecaddie, and rewards repeat play in a way the ocean spectacle does not. Pick Pebble for the scenery and the moment. Pick Pinehurst for the purest examination of golf and far better value. Both belong on the list.
Head to head
| Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pinehurst No 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Designer and opening | Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, 1919; later refinements over the decades | Donald Ross, 1907; restored by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2010 to 2011 |
| Setting | Clifftop along Carmel Bay on the Monterey Peninsula, California | Rolling pine and sand of the North Carolina sandhills at Pinehurst |
| Par and length | Par 72, roughly 6,800 to 7,075 yards from the back tees | Par 70 for championship play, roughly 7,550 yards at the 2024 US Open |
| Indicative 2026 green fee | About 675 dollars to March 31, then 695 dollars, resort guests, plus cart and caddie | About 395 dollars in peak season plus a required forecaddie |
| The defence | Small firm greens, ocean wind and the cliff edge; intimidating rather than long | Crowned turtleback greens that reject imprecise approaches; a strategic puzzle |
| Championship history | Six US Opens from 1972 to 2019, with more scheduled through 2048; a PGA Championship | More single championships than any US course; US Opens in 2014 and 2024, a future anchor site |
| Access | A resort stay is effectively required for a confirmed tee time; books well ahead | Open to public play with resort guests given priority; easier to secure than Pebble |
Course facts and indicative fees verified June 2026; rates move with season and demand, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Who should pick which
Pick Pebble Beach if
You want the most spectacular round in golf and the moment matters more than the money. Pebble pairs the cliffs of Carmel Bay with genuine US Open pedigree, and the wider Monterey Peninsula adds Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay for a complete week. It suits a milestone trip, a once in a lifetime tick, and anyone for whom the scenery and the sense of occasion are the whole point.
Pick Pinehurst No 2 if
You want the best architecture, the sternest strategic test and far better value. Pinehurst rewards the player who studies the crowned greens and plots a way in, and the resort wraps Nos 2, 4 and a clutch of other courses around it for a deep golf week in the sandhills. It suits the student of design, the serious group and anyone who would rather play more golf than pay for one view.
Plan your American golf trip
Pebble Beach, Pinehurst or another great American resort. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge secures the tee time, the resort stay and the supporting rounds, and costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Pebble Beach vs Pinehurst questions
Should I play Pebble Beach or Pinehurst No 2?
Both are bucket list American golf, and very different. Pebble Beach is the ocean spectacle, a cliffside par 72 along Carmel Bay opened in 1919 and host of six US Opens, with a 2026 green fee of about 695 dollars for resort guests. Pinehurst No 2 is Donald Ross's 1907 masterpiece of strategy in the North Carolina sandhills, restored by Coore and Crenshaw and home of the 2014 and 2024 US Opens, at roughly 395 dollars plus a forecaddie. Choose Pebble for the scenery and the moment, Pinehurst for the purest test of golf and far better value.
How much does it cost to play Pebble Beach and Pinehurst No 2 in 2026?
Pebble Beach Golf Links charges 675 dollars until March 31, 2026, then 695 dollars, for resort guests, plus a cart fee, with caddies extra and a resort stay effectively required for a confirmed tee time. Pinehurst No 2 runs indicatively around 395 dollars in peak season with a required forecaddie, and resort guests get priority access. Both are indicative 2026 figures that move with the season, so always confirm current rates directly before booking.
Which is harder, Pebble Beach or Pinehurst No 2?
They test different things. Pebble Beach defends with small, firm greens, ocean wind and the cliff edge on holes such as the par 5 18th, but it is relatively short at around 6,800 to 7,000 yards from the back. Pinehurst No 2 is longer at roughly 7,550 yards for a US Open and its defence is the set of crowned, turtleback greens that repel anything but a precise approach, which is why it has hosted more single championships than any course in America. Pinehurst is the sterner strategic examination, Pebble the more visually intimidating.
Can you play both Pebble Beach and Pinehurst No 2 on one trip?
Not easily, because they sit on opposite coasts of the United States. Pebble Beach is on the Monterey Peninsula in California and Pinehurst is in the North Carolina sandhills, so each is its own destination trip rather than a pairing. Most golfers build a Monterey week around Pebble, Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay, or a Pinehurst week around Nos 2, 4 and the other resort courses. We plan either as a focused multi round trip.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.