What’s it like to ACTUALLY stay and play at Pebble Beach?

What’s it like to ACTUALLY stay and play at Pebble Beach?

There’s a place where the Pacific meets the pines. Where waves crash against ancient stone and golf balls fly into the wind like prayers. Pebble Beach. It’s not just a destination. It’s a pilgrimage. A sacred stretch of coastline where the game has been elevated into art. Where every swing echoes with history and every hole feels like a homecoming. Jack Nicholas once declared, “If I had only one more round to play, I would choose to play it at Pebble Beach.” He wasn’t being poetic. He was being honest. And so, we came not just to play, but to feel, to chase the mist, to walk where legends have walked. To stand at the edge of the world and tea off. The journey to Pebble Beach starts long before the first T-shot. It starts with preparation. Our clubs met us there, courtesy of Shipsticks, a simple, stress-free way to travel. Upon arrival in San Francisco, we met up with media personalities Boomer and Gio, who would accompany us on this bucketless trip. Hello. Hello. Welcome to Heaven, kids. How we doing? Like I said, you know, tell me where you’d like to go someday. Like, where would you really want to play? And I said, don’t say Augusta. And then Gio, I think Gio and Jerry were talking about Pebble. We do the show from out there. We’re not going to do it at 3:00 in the morning. Yeah. to go to Pebble Beach. I’ll do the show 2:00 in the morning, 1:00 in the morning. I’ll do it from midnight to 6:00 a.m. I don’t care. Yeah, this has to happen. Has to. There’s a feeling you get when you first arrive at Pebble Beach. Arriving feels like stepping into another level of hospitality where every detail has been considered. The grounds are pristine and every turn reveals another postcardworthy view. This worldrenowned golf destination also includes Spyglass Hill, Delmonte Golf Course located offsite, and the links at Spanish Bay, where we find ourselves at the inn carved into the coastal cliffs. At check-in, you’re greeted with warmth, not just by the staff, but by the scent of salt air and cyprress. The rooms are wrapped in balconies overlooking the ocean and fireplaces flickering beside plush robes and soft linen. It’s luxury without pretense, a place to breathe, to reset. And each night you fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing beyond your window, dreaming about the best walk in golf. Day one begins with a warm-up, but this is no ordinary warm-up. The Hay is a modern reimagination of the short course redesigned by Tiger Woods himself. It’s a huge honor to be able to, you know, add my name to this facility and it’s complex. We chatted with John Sawin, senior vice president of golf, about what makes this project so special. I got to caddy for Tiger in a practice round before the US Open in 2019 and he asked about this property and uh he had some really good ideas for us that got us thinking and we through a series of conversations ended up getting to the point of hiring Tiger to be our consulting architect. I think of this as like the bunny slopes in skiing, right? Anyone can get out here whether you’re 4 years old or 84 years old. And it starts with putting. Uh Tiger’s big vision was to put the putting course right at the grand entrance. I also remember conversations we had with our board. Lots of conversations about who we were trying to make this golf course for. And the answer that we were putting forth was it’s for everybody. And I said, “Well, how can it be for everybody? You can’t make everybody happy.” And but to see kids out here meshing with the resort guests and everyone just understanding and embracing that culture to it has been so rewarding to see. and I drive by it multiple times a day. And I get such a kick out of seeing the activity out here every time I do. When you’re done chasing birdies, you can chase nachos and tacos at Hayes Place. Out here, the day doesn’t stop after the final hole. It just turns into laughs, drinks, and memories made with the people that matter most. The main event, Pebble Beach. The name alone carries weight etched in history with iconic moments in the professional game. Well, that was actually a pitching wedge if you could believe it, Bobby. So, he’s trying to knock it down. I like that play and I like that shot. Go in. Oh, but when you step to the first te, all of that fades away and what you’re left with is the sound of the ocean in your own heartbeat. This isn’t a round, it’s a right of passage. Every hole is a painting, every green a stage, every bunker a test. Each round isn’t measured in strokes, it’s measured in moments. And when you walk off the 18th with the sun setting behind you, you don’t think about your score. You think about how lucky you are just to have played it. We talked to the director of aronomy, Pete Bachmann, about what it takes to maintain the impeccable standards here. So, we take a lot of pride in in being tournament ready on a daily basis. So, so our team is is battle tested. Uh I I don’t think there’s anybody in the country that does what we do. We have three PGA Tour events annually and we’ve got a USJ championship every 3 to 5 years here. These guys execute on a daily basis. And you know, if somebody asked me, “Hey Pete, could you guys be ready to host a US Open next week?” I could confidently say yes because the way we condition this place is tournament ready on a on a daily basis. Post round, we headed to the bench, a restaurant perched on the edge of the 18th green. The food is elevated but unfussy. Woodfired flavors accompanied by good conversation. Yeah. When you think golf history and you think what this place is and what it means to the golf industry, just that that in itself. I mean, this is one of the premier spots in all the world and maybe one of the most, if not the most famous spot in all the world. Yeah. The amazing thing here is when you come and stay here, though, it’s like you don’t have to leave the property. You can stay at any number one of these places. Great restaurants, great bars, a great vibe. Everybody that comes here absolutely loves golf. Well, cheers. Yes. Cheers everybody. Great week in golf. Play well tomorrow. Cheers. The next morning, it was time to slow down. The spa at Pebble Beach offers the perfect balance. Calm, luxurious, and every bit as refined as the golf. They offer massages, steam rooms, and a calm that lingers long after you leave. Pebble Beach offers more than meets the eye. With coastal towns full of incredible food, boutique shopping, and stunning landscapes at every turn. You come for the golf, but you stay for the coast. Before we left, there was one more round left to play. And maybe the most soulful of them all. Spanish Bay doesn’t just catch your eye, it captures your spirit. One moment you’re navigating the rolling fairways, the next you’re standing on a green that feels suspended between sky and surf. And somewhere along the back nine, you forget where you are. You’re not in California anymore. Spanish Bay doesn’t ask for your attention, it earns it. And as the sun dipped low once again, we played our last shots into the fading light, not wanting the round or the journey to end. Let’s go. We ended the way we began at the fire pits, watching the flames dance, bag pipes calling into the twilight. It’s not just a trip. It’s not just a game. It’s Pebble Beach. And once you’ve been here, it leaves its mark on your swing, your soul, and the stories you’ll tell for the rest of your life.

@PebbleBeachResorts is often near the top of the list when it comes to golfers’ dream destinations. We met up with the crew from the Boomer and Gio radio show to get the full Pebble Beach experience on the buddies trip of a lifetime.

The intersection of golf and culture.

Behind every drained putt or hosel rocket into the stands is a human being with complex emotions—among them, an insatiable appetite for golf. That’s what we’re after. Golf’s humanity is what makes it so special to us. There have never been more reasons to love this game, and we’re endeavoring to explore them all.

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