Monterey to the Oregon Dunes
The American West
The Pacific edge, from Pebble to the dunes.
On The American West
The West holds American golf's two great pilgrimages: the Monterey Peninsula, where the game meets the Pacific in front of everyone, and Bandon Dunes, where it happens in glorious solitude. Between them, wine country, high desert, and a coastline that does the rest.
We handle the remote logistics and the tee sheets that book out a year ahead.
From the notebook
No two journeys share an itinerary. These are the places we return to, and the ones we send people to when they trust us.
- Pebble BeachCaliforniaThe round you have already imagined. It is better in person.
- Spyglass HillCaliforniaThe first five holes alone justify the trip.
- PasatiempoCaliforniaMacKenzie lived beside the sixth. Play it and understand why.
- Pacific DunesOregonDoak's masterpiece. As close to Ireland as America gets.
- Sheep RanchOregonNine greens on the cliff edge and not a bunker in sight.
- Bandon TrailsOregonThe inland walk that quietly wins the argument at dinner.
- Gamble SandsWashingtonHigh-desert fun above the Columbia, wide as the sky.
- Chambers BayWashingtonA US Open on Puget Sound, gravel-pit drama.
- Torrey Pines, SouthCaliforniaCliff-top public golf with a US Open pedigree.
- Half Moon Bay, OceanCaliforniaThe eighteenth plays along the bluff to a hotel built for the view.
And more we argue about.
Off the course
- The drinkNapa and Paso Robles tastings where the good bottles hide, Willamette pinot poured by the winemaker, and Bend's breweries as a nightcap.
- The waterWhales off Monterey in season, crabbing off the Bandon dock, and Big Sur taken slowly with the top down.
- The tableFish tacos done perfectly, oysters from Netarts Bay, salmon at the source, and one tasting menu that justifies the detour.
- For the non-playersThe Monterey Bay Aquarium, gallery afternoons in Carmel, coastal headland hikes, and a rainy hour lost in Powell's Books.
A week here, roughly
Two shapes of trip. The California version: three nights on the Monterey Peninsula, then wine country or Big Sur south. The Oregon version: four nights at Bandon walking thirty-six a day, then Bend's high desert to finish. Both start with fog and end with a sunset over the Pacific. We arrange the flights that make the remote parts easy.
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