On day 3 you will play at Monarch Beach Golf Links , my home course with good reason. Few California golf resort experiences can match the blend of stunning natural beauty and the variety of challenges presented at Monarch Beach Golf Links. Here, along the dramatic bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, master golf architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., has fashioned a one-of-a-kind golf course design – challenging and fair, with views of surf breaks on every hole. Monarch Beach Golf Links is an intriguing Orange County, CA, layout – one of only a handful of oceanfront golf courses throughout California. With commanding & sweeping views of the sea and beyond, ther par-70 championship resort golf course offers an unending variety of play.
After golf, you'll drive PCH to Santa Barbara, 5 hours 30 minutes 158 miles and check into Hilton’s Hampton Inn Santa Barbara/Goleta (or similar) for two nights. Along the way stop and enjoy Santa Monica and Malibu! Whether you enjoy golf, hiking, fine-dining, wine tasting, water sports, lazing on the beach, culture, or a great night-life, Santa Barbara has something for you. Santa Barbara is sometimes referred to as the American Riviera®. Its beautiful beaches, majestic mountains, and colorful culture make Santa Barbara a premier resort destination. World-class accommodations and dining await its many visitors.
On day 4 you will play golf at either Sandpiper Golf Club or Glen Annie Golf
Club . Sandpiper is an Inspiring combination of challenge and beauty as championship golf brings you to the edge of the Pacific Ocean. With breathtaking ocean and mountain views from every hole, Sandpiper is truly a memorable experience. Glen Annie Golf Club is a championship golf course with first class amenities situated in the rolling foothills of scenic Santa Barbara. This challenging golf layout is enhanced by breathtaking panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands and is always maintained with the highest standards.
After an evening on your own exploring the great wineries and seafood restaurants in Santa Barbara, on the morning of day 5, you will check out of your hotel and Drive on PCH 123 miles or 3 hours to Morro Bay Golf Club Tee of around noon (GOLF ROUND # 4). Morro Bay Golf Course offers stunning panoramic ocean views from just about every hole. This “player-friendly” 18-hole public course has tree lined fairways and hilly terrain placing a premium on club selection. Marked by the Gibraltar-like monolith of Morro Rock, which was noted by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542 and now serves as a peregrine falcon preserve and nesting site, Morro Bay (pop. 10,581) surrounds a beautiful fishing harbor a half mile west of Hwy-1. A thin three-mile-long strip of sand protects the bay from the Pacific Ocean, forming a seabird-rich lagoon that’s included within Morro Bay State Park, a mile southeast of Morro Rock.
After golf, drive, just 30 minutes or 22 miles to the village of Cambria. You will overnight in Cambria at the Pelican Inn & Suites (or similar). Cambria is full of people who like to do things a little differently. Being in Cambria means trying new things… taking the trail less traveled, coloring a little bit outside of the lines. It’s no coincidence that this unique town is full of exhilarating experiences, artistic flair, and wide-open spaces. Whether it’s your first time visiting Cambria or your hundredth, you’re sure to find new reasons to fall in love with this coastal town. It’s time to let your spirit soar—get out there and enjoy everything the Central Coast has to offer.
One the morning of day 6, you'll, drive 2.5 hours or 105 miles to Pacific Grove Golf
Links, or other fabulous courses on the Monterey Peninsula while stopping in San Simeon and enjoying the spectacular views along Big Sur. Art and nature merge on this rugged coast, one of California’s most spectacular settings. Welcome to one of the world’s most unforgettable stretches of coastline. This roughly 90-mile-long stretch of redwood- and fog-trimmed waterfront between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hearst Castle draws you (and writers like Henry Miller and Beat Generation darling Jack Kerouac) in with a magic allure that is almost palpable. This is, quite simply, a place you want to be—bluffs, sea, and sky. The classic drive through Big Sur, along twisting Highway 1, offers plenty of pullovers at places like seen-it-in-a-million-car-commercials Bixby Bridge. Stop at parks along the coastline and look up to see endangered California condors, North America’s largest birds, or look down to scan the swells for migrating whales or sea otters floating among dense beds of kelp, California’s signature seaweed.
When you arrive in Monterey, you have the option to play Round # 5 twilight golf at so many famous seaside courses such as, Pacific Grove Golf Links, Bayonet & Black Horse Golf Club, Poppy Hills Golf Club or Quail Lodge Golf Links. Offering a fun-filled yet competitive challenge, and boasting an architectural lineage of elite proportions, The Pacific Grove Golf Links has won both local and national acclaim for its classic design. From the gently rolling fairways framed by Monterey and Cypress pines on its front nine to the dramatic ocean views and traditional links layout of its back nine, the Pacific Grove Golf Links is much more than a normal golf course. You will love it! The 18-hole layout, with a front nine that offers glimpses of Monterey Bay on fairways framed by Cypress trees, and an ocean-side back nine cut through windswept dunes reminiscent of a traditional Scottish links, has delighted visitors and locals alike for over 75 years.
After golf, drive 7 miles or 18 minutes to The Clarion Collection Carmel By The Sea Hotel (or similar) for overnight stay. Option to stay longer in Carmel or add a 4 or 5 night package at Pebble Beach to play all PB Courses. You can even upgrade your accommodations and stay at Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch. The historic Mission Ranch sits on 22 acres with spectacular views of Point Lobos, Carmel River Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Once one of the first dairies in California, the rich history of this 1800’s ranch was preserved and restored by former Carmel Mayor, Clint Eastwood. A longtime Carmel resident, Clint Eastwood rescued this landmark resort from condo developers, and renovated the entire property to provide a unique resort experience..
Check out of Inn at 8 am on the 7th day and experience the stunning 17 Mile Drive. You will arrive at an enchanting world full of dramatic coastal cliffs, snow-white beaches, mystical forests and iconic golf courses. Discover one of the most scenic drives in the world as you meet the inspiring Lone Cypress, ponder the giant trees at Crocker Grove, digest the untouched beauty at Fanshell Beach, behold the power of the Restless Sea at Point Joe, stroll the boardwalk above the beach at Spanish Bay, and much, much more.
Then, you’ll drive 2 hours, 30 minutes (94 miles) to Half Moon Bay. But you will first, play golf Round #6 at the Old Course or the Ocean Course. You also have the option of driving 1 hour from Carmel to play golf at spectacular PasaTiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz. Pasatiempo was designed by world-renowned golf architect Alister MacKenzie. Even though MacKenzie also designed Augusta National and Cypress Point, Pasatiempo was his favorite layout and where he made his American home, which still borders the sixth fairway. Today, this historic top 100 course is a semi-private golf club that sets aside certain tee times each day for public play. Pasatiempo is also certified by Audubon International for it’s achievements in protecting the environment and enhancing local wildlife and habitat. Emerald Tours has undertaken a special initiative to promote golf tours to courses and golf resorts that are ecologically sensitive and have achieved Audubon certification. As a travel company, we are fully committed to supporting environmentally sustainable golf as more and more of our travelers care about protecting our environment and want to play these courses. In one of our soon to be released blogs, we will talk about our tours to Audubon Certified Golf Courses around the World and why this is so important to preserving our environment and reversing beliefs many people have about the negative ecological impact of golf courses.
After golf, drive 1.5 hours (30 miles) from Half Moon Bay or 1 ½ hours or 76 miles from Santa Cruz to Union Square , San Francisco and check in to the Hilton Union Square (or similar) for 2 nights. San Francisco is often called "Everybody's Favorite City," a title earned by its scenic beauty, cultural attractions, diverse communities, and world-class cuisine. ... Views of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay are often laced with fog, creating a romantic mood in this most European of American cities.
On the morning of your 8th day, enjoy sightseeing on your own in the morning. You can pre-reserve tickets from the NPS to visit Alcatraz Island. I have visited there on many occasions and the place ceases to amaze me with so many great stories to share about the inmates who lived there and all the daring escape attempts. At noon, drive 35 minutes or 13 miles to TPC Harding Park where you will play GOLF ROUND # 7 1 pm tee off (approx). This course was host to the 2020 PGA Tour Golf Championship. The Harding Park Course was substantially renovated in 2005 to better suit it for PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions events. The restoration of Harding Park focused on maintaining the course’s integrity and unique characteristics while enhancing the original layout designed by world-renowned golf architects Willie Watson and Sam Whiting in 1925. Set against the cypress tree-lined Lake Merced, the improved Harding Park Course layout features soft bunkers and graceful undulating fairways. An additional 400 yards was also added to the course to make it a championship-caliber golf facility ready for PGA TOUR action.
After golf, return to your hotel in SFO and enjoy a night on the town on your own. Chinatown has some of the best restaurants on the planet or savor freshly prepared seafood at restaurants along Fisherman’s Wharf. Option to add on more nights and days in SF.
One day 9, you'll check out of your hotel and drive North along PCH into Sonoma County to the Links at Bodega Bay Harbour. 2 hours, 10 minutes 71 miles Play afternoon golf. GOLF ROUND #8 Check in to Bodega Bay Hotel Inn at The Tides (or similar) for 1 night. Bodega Bay is most famous as it was the site where the famous Hitchcock Movie “The Birds” was filmed.
In the early am of the 10th day, , drive 1 hour 20 minutes (47 miles) to Sea Ranch Golf Links. Play you last round of golf before you come to the end of PCH in Leggett. Golf Round #9. Designed by Robert Muir Graves, Sea Ranch Golf Links offers some of the most phenomenal views that a golf course can possibly offer. Enjoy 18 masterfully designed holes right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Breathe in the seaside air as you work your way through the Scottish links style course. Each hole offers four tee boxes, allowing you to make the course exactly as challenging as you want it to be. The natural beauty of the Sea Ranch Golf Links is something that simply must be experienced to truly appreciate. Sea Ranch Golf Links rests on the edge of the beautiful Sonoma Wine Country and Pacific Ocean. After golf, drive 1 hour, 30 minutes (61 miles) to the Beach House Inn Pudding Creek, (or similar) Fort Bragg near Mendocino. Check in for 1 night.
On the morning of day 11, drive 1 hour, 30 minutes (56 miles) to Leggett, the official end of PCH. Welcome to the Redwood Empire as you visit Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree Park, then a short drive to Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve.. If you have another extra day, drive 45 minutes to Humboldt Redwoods State Park and stay overnight at the Humboldt House Inn. (optional add-on). After lunch, drive 3 hours 15 minutes on HWY 101 to SFO Airport. Tour ends unless you choose to stay more days to visit gold rush towns at Lake Oroville or Calaveras County or enjoy some more wine tasting in picturesque Napa Valley. More great golf and adventure activities at all three of these locations. In our next blog Post, I will talk about my once in a lifetime experiences visiting Chico, Oroville and Calaveras and explain why you need to visit there after your PCH journey. California has so much to offer golf travelers, particularly those who enjoy adventure, fine wine and farm to table experiences.
Paul Tambakis, President, Emerald Tours, Inc. To custom tailor and book this tour, contact me directly at 949-245-9397 or by email at paul@emeraldtoursgolf.com. http://www.emeraldtoursgolf.com
27758 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Suite 163, Mission Viejo, CA 92691