THE LADIES TURN

By Tom Mackin

When you finally book that much-dreamed-about trip to play Pebble Beach Golf Links the anticipation can be overwhelming.

Mina Harigae knows how you feel, even though she’s been a professional golfer since 2010. Despite having played the famed layout more than 50 times, the native of nearby Monterey is still sure to feel some butterflies on the first tee when the U.S. Women’s Open kicks off there on July 6th.

It will be the first time that particular national championship visits, although Pebble has hosted the U.S. Open six times since 1972 and will do so again in 2027. Even better news is that you can follow in the footsteps of the world’s best women golfers, albeit for a hefty green fee ($625 through March 31, 2024). It’s a tough ticket, too; through this December, there’s a three-night minimum stay at the resort to book a tee time in advance; plus on average, there is currently tee time availability just five days per month through this November). But playing where the pros play in a national championship is fairly rare, given 13 of the past 20 U.S. Women’s Open championships have been played at private courses. Not this year, though.

Harigae, who will be playing in her 12th U.S. Women’s Open (her best finish was a second place last year), offers some very specific advice if you do book that dream round.

“Get a Pebble Beach caddy, walk the course, and listen to their advice!” she said. “They’ve walked it hundreds of times in all types of weather, they know what they are doing. It makes a huge difference and makes the experience so much better.”

If your weather luck holds out, the experience can be unforgettable. While the three opening holes ease you into the round, the par-4 fourth opens up to a mesmerizing view of the Pacific Ocean on your right. Then the hits keep coming. The daunting par-5 sixth. The short but testing downhill par-3 seventh. The dazzling eighth with its demanding approach over the waves far below. Catch your breath after that trio. The widest fairway on the course takes you to the green on the par-4 10th; it’s the farthest point from the clubhouse, providing a good view of dogs (and humans) frolicking on the

Carmel beach below.

The course then veers inland before returning to the seafront at the par-3 17th, best known for Tom Watson’s stunning chip-in birdie on the hourglass-shaped green enroute to winning the 1982 U.S. Open. The closing par 5 comes all too soon and puts a memorable exclamation point on the round, especially if you do not go left into the waves lapping up against the seawall. Throughout you will encounter small greens, probably some wind off the water, and a slower pace of play than desired given all the pictures that usually get taken along the way.

And while it’s the first appearance of the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, women’s amateur and professional golf actually has a strong legacy at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The Pebble Beach Championship for Women was played from 1923 through 1951, and the U.S. Women’s Amateur stopped by in 1940 and 1948. Other events have included the LPGA’s Weathervane Transcontinental Women’s Open in 1950 and 1951, the 1952 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, and the California Women’s Amateur (1967-1986). More recent events have included the TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational Presented by Dell Technologies, which has included LPGA players since 1979, and The PURE Insurance Championship, which since 2004 has paired senior professional golfers with junior girls and boys.

Pebble is not the only game in town, either. Short drives away are Spyglass Hill ($465 green fee), where the first six holes are a course unto themselves (the downhill par 5 first is one of the best opening holes anywhere in the world) and the Links at Spanish Bay ($335 green fee), where the aforementioned Watson, along with former USGA president Sandy Tatum and course architect Robert Trent Jones II, brought a touch of Scotland to the California coast. There’s also the recently transformed The Hay, located right across the street from Pebble Beach Golf Links. It’s where none other than Tiger Woods took a worn down, nine-hole par 3 course and created an engaging, modern, and fun layout.

There’s plenty to do off the course, too, according to the 33-year-old Harigae. “The Monterey Bay Aquarium is world renowned and it is a really cool place to visit,” she said. “17 Mile Drive is also a great way to see Pebble. Big Sur is a must. You can pull off to the side of the road almost anywhere there and you’ll get a great view. And there’s also my parent’s Japanese restaurant, Takara Sushi (located in nearby Pacific Grove)! My dad is the sushi chef and my mom is the kitchen chef/waitress. It’s a small place but they’ve been there almost 35 years.”

The U.S. Women’s Open will be the 14th USGA championships played at Pebble Beach, a relationship that began back in 1929. At the 1947 U.S. Amateur, then USGA president Charles Littlefield exclaimed during the awards ceremony that, “If I was going to be the president of the United States Golf Association any longer, I’d hold’em all here. This is the grandest place to hold a golf tournament I’ve ever seen.”

Here’s hoping the ladies agree with that description next month.

Pebble Beach Resorts guests can reserve a tee time up to 18 months in advance, subject to minimum stay requirements (currently 3 nights at the resort). Nonguests can only reserve tee times 24 hours in advance.

Fly into Monterey Regional Airport (8 miles east of the course; direct flights from Denver on United), San Francisco International Airport (105 miles north; direct flights from Denver on United, Frontier and Southwest), or San Jose Minetta International Airport (80 miles north; direct flights from Denver on United and Southwest).

Where

Ocean View rooms overlooking the 18th hole at The Lodge at Pebble Beach start at $1,465 per night while a Garden View room in the Fairway One building start at $1,095 per night. A short drive away is The Inn at Spanish Bay, where Garden View rooms start at $960 per night. Much less expensive options can be found in the nearby towns of Pacific Grove, Monterey, and Seaside.