Pebble Beach and Sawgrass

[njc1973]

I’m planning a bucket list golf trip for April next year playing Pebble Beach and Sawgrass, has anyone played either/both that can give any hints on keeping the costs down, traveling around, other courses to play in the areas (thinking of Spyglass Hill and Dye Valley course) and places to go for food and drink?

 

[Papas1982]

I'd suggest making a nice big cardboard sign, put the names of a few towns on it and see if you can't save some money by hitchhiking the mere 2.5k miles between the two....

Failing that. Accept those two course alone will like set you back $1500. So scrimping on other parts of the holiday would sour it....

 

[njc1973]

I'd suggest making a nice big cardboard sign, put the names of a few towns on it and see if you can't save some money by hitchhiking the mere 2.5k miles between the two....

Failing that. Accept those two course alone will like set you back $1500. So scrimping on other parts of the holiday would sour it....

Budget will be circa £4000 for probably 7 nights and 6 rounds( we’ve been putting a little away a month for 8 years), more looking at package deals, airports and hire cars/shuttles as a way of keeping costs lower.

 

[USER1999]

They are 2800 miles apart? Package deals? Car hire?

You might need to find two courses nearer together, or plan separate trips.

 

[IanM]

Sawgrass is great. Ponte Verde is a super beach side town. Here's the quandary.... you can get a package with accommodation at the on site Marriott... or find cheaper accommodation in the area. The green fees if you stay elsewhere will be eeeeek. So give one of the goof operators a ring and see what's what. I flew to Orlando (didn't think much of it) and drove up.

 

[Papas1982]

If you've needed to commit saving for this holiday for 8 years I'd suggest saving for another year or 2.

Really no point wanting to have money worries for a golf break.

That being said. The best way to get discounts is in bookig multiple nights at hotels and week car hires.

Unless you plan to drive 300 miles a day, you'll have additional internal flights and short term car hires.

Imo 4k nowhere near enough to enjoy a week and play those courses.

 

[njc1973]

They are 2800 miles apart? Package deals? Car hire?

You might need to find two courses nearer together, or plan separate trips.

Obviously, with a 7 day trip we’ll be flying between the 2, unless we can get a hypercar at Avis!

 

[gopher99]

It depends on what time of year you are going? If you fly budget airlines, like southwest, spirit, JetBlue you can get good deals. You can also fly open jaw from the UKto the USA. Fly into San Francisco from the UK take a budget flight from San Jose to Jacksonville. Then fly back to the UK from Orlando, I would put bay hill on your list of courses to play as well.

 

[njc1973]

It depends on what time of year you are going? If you fly budget airlines, like southwest, spirit, JetBlue you can get good deals. You can also fly open jaw from the UKto the USA. Fly into San Francisco from the UK take a budget flight from San Jose to Jacksonville. Then fly back to the UK from Orlando, I would put bay hill on your list of courses to play as well.

That’s the sort of things I’m looking for, whether it would make a difference which one we did first and which airports to use, bearing in mind the travels costs between airports and resorts.

 

[MarkT]

I've got very limited experience of golf in America but I've played Sawgrass and Pinehurst. Personally I would say the latter is off-the-charts better than Sawgrass and it's an incredible place to spend a few days with nine courses to choose from.
And then head down to South Carolina.

 

[njc1973]

I’m working on £1000 flights, £1500 pebble beach 2 or 3 nights and 3 rounds and sawgrass 2 or 3 nights and 3 rounds £1500; the money isn’t really an issue as we have a fair bit more than this put away. More looking for suggestions/tips in each of the areas, I realize it’s an awkward trip being the opposite sides of the country but we might not get another chance to go there.

 

[USER1999]

I would go with MarkT above, and do Pinehurst for 5 days, and a 2 day stop in Fl on the way home. Pebble is a stretch for a short break. There is way too much travel for that to be fun.
American homeland security (immigration) is not fun, and takes hours.

 

[gopher99]

You could play Pinehurst and then head down to Hilton head and play harbour town and sea pines. It’s all really easy to book yourself and will save you a ton of money rather than a travel agent booking it for you.

 

[gopher99]

American homeland security (immigration) is not fun, and takes hours.

American homeland security (immigration) is not fun, and takes hours.

I am lucky I hold a known traveller number for the USA, so i don’t need to queue up on arrival. But agreed it can take a few hours depending on what time of day you fly in.

 

[njc1973]

I’m reluctant to use the usually suggested golf agents as have had issues with unsolicited changes to the itinerary on every foreign trip we used them for, none of which were satisfactorily resolved. Therefore I’ll probably book direct or through a us golf agent

 

[Blue in Munich]

If you fly into San Francisco first you're looking at a 12 hour flight and an 8 hour time difference, which might seriously screw up your overall enjoyment. I'd suggest if you are doing it Sawgrass has to be the first stop.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I’m working on £1000 flights, £1500 pebble beach 2 or 3 nights and 3 rounds and sawgrass 2 or 3 nights and 3 rounds £1500; the money isn’t really an issue as we have a fair bit more than this put away. More looking for suggestions/tips in each of the areas, I realize it’s an awkward trip being the opposite sides of the country but we might not get another chance to go there.

I'm afraid your numbers are way off. Both courses are around $600 a round. Personally I would bin off Pebble and stick to Florida. Add the 3 Streamsong courses to your itinerary instead and you should be able to cover the trip within budget.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Not a fan of Sawgrass personally, so I'd be looking at doing Pebble, Spyglass and Cypress Point if going all that way.

Then if there is money left possibly somewhere like Riviera or even a drive across to Vegas to Wolf Creek.

I'd try a few tour operators to see what they can do in terms of bookings for you.

 

[D-S]

I’d do Pinehurst, great courses, gorgeous village and Kiawah Island just outside Charleston, great fun small city - there are great other courses at Kiawah but also some excellent ones around Charleston. Both places aren’t corporate Generica.

 

[njc1973]

Cheers for all the responses, after Your posts and running the numbers/logistics playing both just isn’t possible. It’s an either/or situation and sawgrass would be half the cost with an easier travel schedule so I think that may sway it. If you could book pebble in advance without having to stay in the overpriced hotel that might be a different story.