Why value matters even at bucket-list golf resorts

Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach Golf Resort is an icon.  There’s no doubt about it.  There’s a reason why Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill are consistently ranked amongst the best golf courses in the country, and it should without a doubt be on every golfer’s bucket list to play. 

Everything about the property is fantastic, and they have curated a culture of excellence that can be felt from the moment you arrive on the grounds until you head back out on 17-Mile Drive on your way home. 

The only tough thing about this epic destination is the price point.  It’s a big ticket to hit up the king of the Monterey peninsula, and it got us wondering where else could you go for the same investment that it would take to go to Pebble Beach? 

We want to make this very clear here: by no means are we saying to not go to Pebble Beach.  By all means, go!  And trust us, you’ll love it! 

But one of our main goals here at GolfStayAndPlays.com is to help you, the golfer, find as much value as we possibly can for you, and so we decided to do a deep dive into where else you could go for the same price as a trip to Pebble Beach. 

A couple of key items to note in our budgeting process: 

  • We used specific accommodations for each package.  Each resort has a variety of options available for packages, but each accommodation that we chose are all ones we would recommend to golfers. 
  • We found specific timeframes at each resort to use for pricing purposes, but still extremely enjoyable times to visit these resorts.  Pebble Beach’s rates are year-round. 
  • Each package does not include taxes and fees.  This would vary the pricing some, but overall, it’s still an accurate picture for our comparison purposes. 
  • We did not factor in transportation costs.  Three trips would definitely cost more money than one trip, but for the purposes of this piece we kept these separate in order to focus on the stay and play costs. 

Pinehurst Resort

Bandon Trails

Starting at the top

Since the comparison property for this trip is Pebble Beach, we wanted to make sure that if we were going to dive into alternative options outside of this California sanctuary that we should ensure that we find similarly desirable elite resorts to include for our comparison. 

The three resorts we decided on were Bandon Dunes, Destination Kohler, and Pinehurst Resort.  Ask any golfer out there, and you’d be very likely to hear most, if not all, of these are on their “Mount Rushmore of golf resorts.” 

It goes without saying that you could have a legitimate argument that any of these four golf resorts are the best in the country.  They are all elite, and they deliver on every element when you are onsite at all of these properties. 

As we dove deeper into the numbers, we were blown away to find out that you could visit all three of these resorts for the same price as one trip to Pebble Beach…ALL THREE!  And we’re not talking about a one-night stay with two rounds in order to make this happen, we’re talking about a fully immersive experience at each property. 

How is this possible?  Without further ado, here’s a look at our trip comparisons.

Whistling Straits

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort: 4-day, 3-night package in April 2022 

One of our favorite things about Bandon Dunes is that despite it being located in the Pacific Northwest on the Pacific Coast of Oregon, golf can be played even in months like January where you might expect it not to be a possibility.  With that in mind, one of our favorite times of the year to visit Bandon is in April as the weather is just starting to warm up somewhat but yet it still keeps that authentic chill that reminds you of playing across the pond in Scotland or Ireland, yet you get the benefit of daylight savings time so the ability to play 36 in one day is easily achievable. 

We outlined the following package as we wouldn’t want you to miss any of the great golf onsite here: 

  • 3 nights’ accommodations in a Fairway View room at The Inn 
  • One round of golf on Bandon Dunes 
  • One round of golf on Old Macdonald (replay round after Bandon Dunes) 
  • One round of golf on Pacific Dunes 
  • One round of golf on Sheep Ranch (replay round after Pacific Dunes) 
  • One round of golf on Bandon Trails (either arrival or departure day depending on flights) 
  • One round of golf on Bandon Preserve (either arrival or departure day depending on flights) 
  • Total package before taxes and fees: $1,310 per person/double occupancy 

Bandon Preserve

Destination Kohler: 3-day, 2-night Champions Trail Package
available May 9-June 2, 2022 

There’s a whole lot to love about Destination Kohler, and all eyes will be on this golf mecca at the Ryder Cup in September 2021 as one of the best golf courses in the world, the Straits Course at Whistling Straits, is on full display for all to enjoy.  In addition to this daunting layout, the resort also boasts three other exceptional Pete Dye-designed golf courses with the Irish Course, the sister property to the Straits Course, and the River and Meadow Valleys courses at Blackwolf Run.  One of our favorite things about this resort is the distinctly unique experiences that the courses at Whistling Straits offer versus Blackwolf Run. 

As always, the best continue to get better and Destination Kohler recently added The Baths of Blackwolf Run into the mix, a wonderfully challenging and fun 10-hole design by Pete Dye protégé Chris Lutzke and Kohler Co. Executive Chairman Herb Kohler. 

You’ll have a busy three days onsite at Destination Kohler during your trip as we’ve outlined the following package for you: 

  • 2 nights’ accommodations in a room at the Inn on Woodlake 
  • 1 round of golf on The Straits at Whistling Straits 
  • 1 round of golf on The River at Blackwolf Run 
  • 1 round of golf on either The Irish at Whistling Straits, or 1 round of golf on The Meadow Valleys at Blackwolf Run 
  • 1 round of golf on The Baths of Blackwolf Run 
  • Caddie fees included on the Whistling Straits courses, cart fees and forecaddie fees included (does not include gratuity) 
  • ½ hour golf lesson at Blackwolf Run or Whistling Straits with a Kohler Golf Academy instructor 
  • Complimentary green fees for replay golf, based on same-day availability, on Meadow Valleys course, Irish course and The Baths course.  Cannot be booked in advance.  Golf cart fee, caddie fees, and gratuities not included.  If Meadow Valleys and Irish are not available, special replay rates may be available for the Straits or River courses. 
  • Total package before taxes and fees: $1,173 per person/double occupancy

The River at Blackwolf Run

Pinehurst Resort: 3-day, 2-night Donald Ross Golf Package
available June 27, 2021 – September 8, 2021 

The Pinehurst area is known as “The Home of American Golf,” and that moniker was further solidified recently as the USGA announced that they will be creating a second headquarters to the area while also announcing that the iconic Pinehurst No. 2 course will be the first Anchor Site for the U.S. Open hosting the championship in 2024, 2029, 2035, 2041, and 2047. 

Pinehurst Resort is synonymous with golf resort royalty all over the world, and the resort continues to further invest in the golfer experience year-after-year.  Some of these enhancements include the recent Gil Hanse renovation of No. 4, the addition of The Cradle, a short course that may be the most fun venue to play golf in America, the renovation of The Manor making it perfect for buddy trips and enhanced dining experiences including The Brewery and The Deuce. 

Pinehurst Resort provides golfers with 9 different courses to choose from, 10 if you include The Cradle, and for the purposes of this package we wanted to focus on the top experiences that any trip to the resort simply must have on the itinerary: 

  • 2 nights’ accommodations at The Manor 
  • 1 round of golf on No. 2 
  • 1 round of golf on No. 4 
  • 1 round of golf on No. 8 
  • 1 round of golf on The Cradle 
  • Daily breakfast 
  • Total package before taxes and fees: $1,418 per person/double occupancy 
  • Note: you can expect to see this package available in 2022 in a similar timeframe with rates slightly varied

Pinehurst No. 4

Pebble Beach Golf Resort: 4-day, 3-night package
available now through March 31, 2022 

Pebble Beach Golf Resort…just saying the name instantly puts a smile on your face.  The resort is synonymous with class and excellence, and you’d be hard-pressed to find more picturesque views on a golf course anywhere in the world.  The team at Pebble Beach always has the resort in impeccable shape, and most recently the resort made a major renovation with The Hay, a Tiger Woods-designed short course that features a pristine collection of short holes including a replica of the famed No. 7 on Pebble Beach Golf Links.  The resort is the definition of a bucket list trip, so we’ve put together the following package to ensure you enjoy all it has to offer: 

That’s right, for $3,880 you could enjoy this immersive Pebble Beach experience, or you could enjoy an epic trip to Bandon Dunes, Destination Kohler, and Pinehurst Resort all for $3,901. 

Spyglass Hill

Recommendation

It’s really quite easy: if you can afford to do all four of these trips, then you should do them all and as often as possible.  But for most of us, budgets matter.  We were blown away at how much value you can get at Bandon Dunes, Destination Kohler, and Pinehurst Resort in comparison to Pebble Beach.  We define value as maximizing the enjoyment of every dollar that you spend on a golf vacation, and the value derived from going to Bandon, Kohler, and Pinehurst versus just going to Pebble Beach is not even close.