Destination: Monterey Peninsula
Monterey County has about two dozen golf courses, while Cypress Point and Pebble Beach, both dating back to the early 1900s, still make for two of the finest golf experiences on American soil. Four-course Pebble Beach Golf Resort is the main attraction. But you can enjoy many other options in the area as well, such as Bayonet/Blackhorse and Poppy Hills, that more that live up to their prestigious zip code.
Golf is a year-round sport in Monterey, even if the summer months are far busier with vacationers. While the winter months can be windy and rainy, they also yield some very pleasant days for golf, and tee sheets with more availability at Pebble Beach.
While vacationers are off the golf course, surfing, hang gliding, whale and dolphin watching, fishing and other beach sports are commonplace at Pebble Beach.
The Monterey Peninsula can be reached from the larger airports of San Francisco (about two hours) and San Jose (about 90 minutes), or you can fly into the smaller Monterey airport, which services a handful of destinations in the West.
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by Mark Archibald (