Pebble Beach

The headline act, and yes it's worth it. The stretch from 4 through 10 along the cliffs is the best public golf in America, full stop — the postage-stamp 7th and the blind 8th approach over the chasm are the holes you came for. Green fee runs north of $675 plus cart, and you'll need to be a Lodge guest or book 18 months out to get on at all.

RTJ Sr.'s best course on the peninsula and the one your group will be arguing about over dinner. The first five holes start in the dunes by the ocean and tumble back into the Del Monte Forest — it's a stretch that holds up against anything at Pebble. Don't play it hungover; the back nine in the trees will eat your scorecard.

MacKenzie's masterpiece and the holy grail — 16 over the Pacific is the most photographed par-3 on Earth and somehow still underrated. It's private, the membership is microscopic, and the only way on is through a member. If anyone in your group has a connection, cancel every other plan you had.

Alister MacKenzie's home course and the public one he'd want you to play. The greens are as severe as anything at Augusta — MacKenzie literally built ANGC right after this — and the back nine is significantly better than the front. About 45 minutes up the coast in Santa Cruz, but worth the drive for any architecture nerd.

City-owned muni at the tip of the peninsula, nicknamed the Poor Man's Pebble for good reason — the back nine sits in the dunes by the lighthouse with full ocean exposure. Green fee under $60, walkable, and twilight rounds with a few beers are the move. The round you'll actually be telling stories about a year later.

The third Pebble Beach Resorts course, designed by RTJ Jr., Tom Watson, and Sandy Tatum to evoke a Scottish links. It doesn't quite get there — too soft, too resorty — but the closing stretch along the dunes is legitimately good and a bagpiper plays you off the 18th at sunset. Cheaper than Pebble or Spyglass and easier to get on.

Owned by the NCGA and renovated by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in 2014 — they ripped out a third of the turf and turned it into a faster, firmer, more interesting course than it used to be. Still in the Del Monte Forest, still demanding off the tee, but a fraction of the Spyglass green fee. A solid value play to round out the trip.

The play if you can stomach the rate. Staying here gets you guaranteed tee times at Pebble, Spyglass, and Spanish Bay 18 months out, and you can walk from your room to the first tee. Rooms aren't as plush as the price tag suggests — you're paying for the access and the location, not the thread count.

Same tee time access as The Lodge, slightly less iconic location, sometimes a few hundred bucks cheaper a night. Set above the Spanish Bay course and the dunes — quieter than the scrum at The Lodge and the bagpiper plays right outside at sunset, which is either charming or annoying depending on your mood.

The 24-room boutique option on the Pebble Beach property — Mediterranean villa feel, fireplaces in every room, and the same golf access as the Lodge. Best for couples or a small group splitting a suite. Smaller and more private than The Lodge, which some people love and others find too quiet.

Smart-money play if you're not willing to drop $1,200+ a night to be inside the gates. About 15 minutes to Pebble, sits next to Del Monte Golf Course, and a regular hotel rate gets you a regular hotel room. You lose the priority tee times, so book the golf yourself well in advance.

Twenty minutes inland from Pebble, escapes the coastal fog, and has its own Pete Dye course on property. Cottage-style rooms and more space to spread out — works well for a foursome that wants a base camp instead of a hotel. Bring a car; you'll need it for everything.

If there are six or eight of you, a 4-bedroom rental in Carmel-by-the-Sea is the move — you can walk to dinner, split the cost, and have a place to drink whiskey and replay the round. Fifteen minutes to Pebble's gate. Book early; Carmel inventory disappears for AT&T week and most of summer.

Inside the Pebble Beach Lodge, looking out at the 18th green and the ocean. Wood-fired everything, solid wine list, and a view that justifies a slow dinner. If you're staying on property, this is the easy first-night choice — walk back to your room when the sun goes down.

The casual room at The Lodge — the place to grab lunch after Pebble or a beer when you don't want to deal with The Bench's wine pairings. Crab cakes, burgers, fish, on a patio overlooking the bay. Still expensive, because everything inside the gates is.

Tasting-menu only, Michelin-starred, and the best meal on the peninsula by a comfortable margin. Reserve weeks out, dress like an adult, and budget the night around it. This is the celebration dinner after the Pebble round, not the Tuesday-after-Pasatiempo dinner.

Tuscan-style trattoria in Carmel-by-the-Sea, run by a couple who actually trained in Italy. Handmade pastas, a short and smart wine list, and zero pretense. The kind of dinner where you walk out wishing you'd ordered another bottle.

Old firehouse in downtown Monterey, been around 30+ years, and a reliable group-dinner spot when you want something good without committing to white-tablecloth. Bistro menu, decent steaks, easy booze program. Walking distance to Cannery Row if you want to keep going.

Pacific Grove seafood spot with a sustainable-fish focus and a wine list that's priced at retail rather than restaurant markup — which is how you end up ordering the second bottle. Order whatever was caught that morning and don't overthink it.

Pacific Grove breakfast and lunch in an actual little red house. Get there before a morning tee time at Pacific Grove or Spyglass — coffee, eggs, and a short line on weekdays. Closed Mondays, so plan accordingly.

Dark wood, leather booths, golf memorabilia on every wall, and one of the better burgers on the peninsula. The post-round watering hole at Pebble — if you're not staying at The Lodge, walking in here for a beer is the cheapest way to soak up the place.

Carmel-by-the-Sea Italian, salumi cured in-house, wood-fired pizzas, and the kind of energy you want for a guys-trip dinner. Sit at the bar if you didn't book — the bar menu is the same and you'll get fed faster.

Tiny diner literally on the Monterey wharf — pancakes, omelets, crab cakes Benedict, no frills. Cash-friendly, line forms early, and it's the no-nonsense breakfast option when The Lodge's $40 omelet is making you angry.