Carmel Valley Ranch and Golf Course:
A Sparkling Oasis
Carmel Valley Ranch is a sparkling oasis in central California’s wine country, just a short drive from Monterey and an hour from Silicon Valley. Here, families, couples, and groups can focus on fun and the finer things—outdoor activities, fresh local cuisine, championship golf, a spa, and even an on-site creamery.
At the heart of Carmel Valley Ranch’s 500 acres, winding from the valley floor through the foothills and up to a dramatic elevation, is the spectacular Carmel Valley Ranch Golf Course.
As the only Pete Dye design in Northern California, the 18-hole, par-70 course features stunning views, friendly wildlife, tactical challenges and playability. Experience championship-level play at a course rated among the “Best U.S. Golf Resorts” by Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best” Readers’ Survey.
In a region known for spectacular golf experiences, Carmel Valley’s unique microclimate warms the course in more than 300 days of sunshine each year. Pete Dye designed this resort course to take advantage of dramatic elevation changes and natural beauty with the course’s two signature holes, 11 and 13, offering breathtaking drops into the tranquil valley.
Other holes wind through gorgeous local vineyards, fragrant lavender fields, reflective ponds, and towering oak groves draped in Spanish moss—an ideal natural habitat for meandering families of deer and wild turkey that freely roam The Ranch.
A multimillion-dollar enhancement recently restored the course to Pete Dye’s original design, with T1 bent grass, enlarged greens and improved tees. Golf carts are equipped with a state-of-the-art Visage GPS system, and, before and after your round, the spacious Clubhouse Grill offers crackling fireplaces with complimentary s’mores kits, large flat-screen TVs, and an outdoor patio with fire pits and epic fairway views.
Quail Lodge & Golf Club: Affordable Luxury at its Best
Just a few miles down the road toward the coast, you’ll find 850 acres of paradise at the charming Quail Lodge & Golf Club. Located in Carmel Valley on the magnificent Monterey Peninsula, the lodge is nestled on 850 acres of lush fairways, majestic oak-studded meadows, and sparkling lakes, and is surrounded by the majestic rolling hills of Carmel Valley.
An 18-hole championship golf course, tennis courts, swimming pools, bocce court, a movie/presentation room, restaurant, bar, expansive meeting and banquet space and extensive nature trails all combine to create a true destination experience.
Known for its playability, pristine conditions, and beautifully manicured greens, the championship course was originally designed by Robert Muir Graves in 1964 and refined in 2015 by Principle Designer Todd Eckenrode–Origins Golf Design.
Before and after your round, enjoy drinks and lively dining at Edgar’s at Quail Lodge, where fresh ingredients are harvested from local organic farms and exquisitely prepared into savory dishes. Relocated to the Lodge, Edgar’s features a casual elegance with indoor and outdoor dining nestled amid a natural backdrop of a sparkling reflective pond and lush gardens. Edgar’s is guided in the principles of sustainability by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and focuses on local farm to table options.
Only a few minutes away, you can “enjoy a brief trip to Italy” with Italian country cooking, warm hospitality, and lively traditions at Pèpe’s Little Napoli, Bistro Italiano located at the Corner of Dolores St. & 7th St. in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Chef Rich Pèpe opened Little Napoli in 1990 and it has been considered an iconic Italian restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula ever since. Antipasti, pizza, pasta, and risotto are prepared perfectly with the Pèpe family signature recipes. Guests love the authentic, congenial atmosphere, prompting such comments as “Little Napoli is lively as a festa, packing more Italian charm into its cozy quarters than most big city restaurants.”
Giddy Up and Go to Pebble Beach Equestrian Center
From its beginning as a boarding stable to hosting Olympic Team Trials to its present-day rehabilitative programs, the Equestrian Center at Pebble Beach has been a safe haven for horses and riders for nearly a century. With more than 27 miles of marked equestrian trails that run deep through the spectacular Del Monte Forest, Pebble Beach Equestrian Center offers a truly remarkable horseback riding experience.
Choose from a variety of daily trail tours led by friendly and professional guides while riding along the dramatic Pacific coastline and adventuring through lush forests and sandy dunes with breathtaking views stretching from Big Sur and the Santa Lucia Mountains to Moss Landing in Santa Cruz.
About half of the center’s trail horses are treasured rescues. After months of expert medical assistance, nutritious meals, grooming and tender living care from the Equestrian Center team, rescue animals emerge healthy, strong, and ready to traverse the magical Pebble Beach trails. Open daily, guests can book private family rides or small group rides at (831) 622-5985.
Bayonet & Black Horse: Sweeping Vistas
Bayonet and Black Horse re-opened in December, 2008 after a $13 million renovation by Bates Golf Design Group. Bayonet, with its narrow playing corridors and steep bunkering, has long been considered one of the most difficult tests of golf on the Monterey Peninsula.
The par-72, 7,104-yard course has retained its famous bite after the renovation by award-winning architect Gene Bates, but playability and strategic options have been greatly improved. The uphill, dogleg right, 476-yard, par-4 ninth hole exemplifies the course’s significant challenge.
Black Horse, a 7,024-yard, par-72 layout, features sweeping vistas of the Pacific and is highlighted by fescue-framed fairways, bunkers with distinctive, serrated edges and slickly-contoured greens. The par-3 15th, created during the renovation, faces the bay and is sure to emerge as one of the great holes on the Monterey Peninsula.
To plan a great golf package in Monterey, visit Saunter Luxury Experience at www.saunterle.com.
By Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D
