California
Central Coast Golf Courses & Tee Times
The Central Coast runs from Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara, and its public golf history is mostly on the Monterey Peninsula. Pebble Beach Golf Links opened in 1919, is open to the public, and has held six U.S. Opens, from 1972 to 2019, with a seventh set for 2027. In 2001 Golf Digest named it the No. 1 course in America, the first public course to top that list. Next door, Spyglass Hill opened in 1966 and the Northern California Golf Association opened Poppy Hills in 1986. For a cheaper round, the City of Pacific Grove has run its own links since 1932, and San Luis Obispo County runs three courses farther south.
Good weekend tee times in Central Coast go fast, and the ones that come back later (cancellations, groups that shrink) aren't announced. Yoink watches the tee sheets at 33 public courses here, from Lompoc, Salinas, Atascadero, Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo, and tells you the moment a time you want opens up.
The longest layout here is Bayonet Golf Course at 7,117 yards; there are 2 nine-hole courses.
Who runs public golf in Central Coast
Government golf here is small and local. The City of Pacific Grove got the land for its front nine from S.F.B. Morse in 1931 for a $10 gold coin; the Coast Guard deeded the back nine and the Point Pinos Lighthouse to the city in 2006. San Luis Obispo County Parks runs Morro Bay (inside Morro Bay State Park), Dairy Creek (in El Chorro Regional Park) and Chalk Mountain in the North County. The county's SLO Golf Card, $149 online in 2026, gives three free rounds, one at each course, and up to 40% off green fees for a year. Santa Barbara Golf Club is the city muni there, run as an enterprise fund with no tax money. The big resort courses at Pebble Beach belong to the Pebble Beach Company, and the NCGA owns Poppy Hills and gives its members their own rates.
Public courses worth knowing in Central Coast
- Pebble Beach Golf Links: Opened in 1919 and public. Six U.S. Opens (1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2019), a seventh in 2027, the 2023 U.S. Women's Open, and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am every year.
- Spyglass Hill: Robert Trent Jones Sr. design, opened March 11, 1966. The first five holes look at the Pacific, the rest run through the Del Monte Forest. In the Pro-Am rotation since 1967 and set for the 2030 U.S. Senior Women's Open.
- Poppy Hills Golf Course: Robert Trent Jones design opened in 1986, when the NCGA became the first golf association to own and operate its own course. Renovated in 2013; the NCGA is headquartered there.
- Pacific Grove Golf Links: City-owned since 1931. H. Chandler Egan, twice U.S. Amateur champion, built the front nine, opened May 9, 1932. Jack Neville, co-designer of Pebble Beach, added the dune nine around the Point Pinos Lighthouse in 1960.
- Pasatiempo: Alister MacKenzie design in Santa Cruz County, opened September 8, 1929 with Bobby Jones in the first match. Semi-private; 15th on Golf Digest's 2025 America's Greatest Public Courses list.
- Morro Bay Golf Course: San Luis Obispo County course on a hillside over the Morro Bay Estuary, inside Morro Bay State Park.
- Dairy Creek Golf Course: County course on old pasture land in the Chorro Valley, in El Chorro Regional Park.
Booking tee times in Central Coast: the local rules
Pacific Grove takes reservations up to 60 days ahead for groups of two to four; singles call the pro shop within seven days of the date. Its rates page lists 18 holes walking at $66 Monday through Thursday and $89 Friday through Sunday and holidays. The three San Luis Obispo County courses open tee times eight days ahead at 12 P.M. online, and by phone only 24 hours ahead, so book online.
Yoink
Book on release day, then let Yoink watch the rest
Booking windows decide who gets first pick. After that, times come back one at a time as plans change. Yoink watches all 33 courses in Central Coast and tells you when a time that fits comes back, so you're not refreshing the page all week.
33 courses in Central Coast
Arroyo Grande
Atascadero
Hollister
Los Osos
Salinas
Santa Barbara
Templeton
Other
Avila Beach Golf Resort
Water borders nine of the eighteen. The back nine plays 314 yards longer than the front.
Bayonet Golf Course
Bayonet Golf Course is a championship-length 18 in California, playing to par 72 across 7,117 yards.
Black Horse Golf Club
Par 72 and 7,009 yards from the back tees: Black Horse Golf Club is a 36-hole golf facility in California.
Blacklake Golf Resort
Par 72 and 6,401 yards from the back tees: Blacklake Golf Resort is an 18-hole regulation course in California.
Carmel Valley Ranch Golf Course
Water borders ten of the eighteen, and the back nine plays 336 yards longer than the front.
Cypress Ridge Golf Club
Par 72 and 6,803 yards from the back tees: Cypress Ridge Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation course in California.
Del Monte Golf Course
Del Monte Golf Course, an 18-hole regulation course near Monterey, California. A creek or river runs through the property and comes into play on 3 holes.
Glen Annie Golf Club
Water borders ten of the eighteen, and 62 bunkers are in play.
Hunter Ranch Golf Course
One hole moves 64 feet from tee to green — 69 bunkers are in play.
Monterey Pines Golf Club
One hole moves 44 feet from tee to green. The back nine plays 401 yards longer than the front.
Ojai Valley Inn
Ojai Valley Inn is an 18-hole regulation course near Ojai, California, playing to par 70 across 6,305 yards.
Pacific Grove Golf Links
Two nines, two eras: H. Chandler Egan's 1932 holes in the pines, then Jack Neville's 1960 nine through the dunes under the Point Pinos Lighthouse.
Pajaro Valley Golf Club
One hole moves 89 feet from tee to green. The longest par five runs 571 yards.
Paso Robles Golf Club
Par 70 and 6,157 yards from the back tees: Paso Robles Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation course in California.
Rancho Maria Golf Club
Par 72 and 6,390 yards from the back tees: Rancho Maria Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation course in California.
River Course at the Alisal
River Course at the Alisal is an 18-hole regulation course in California, playing to par 72 across 6,830 yards.
San Juan Oaks Golf Club
Water borders seven of the eighteen, and the long par three plays 210 yards.
Santa Barbara Golf Club
One hole moves 31 feet from tee to green — the long par three plays 205 yards.
The Quail Golf Club
One hole moves 90 feet from tee to green, and 72 bunkers are in play.
Why tee times in Central Coast are hard to get
With golf weather most of the year in Central Coast, the pressure never really lets up. Weekend mornings book up in every month.
Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.
When tee time cancellations happen
Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.
How to get a tee time in Central Coast
Yoink
All 33 courses in Central Coast, watched for you around the clock
Pick the courses you'd play and Yoink keeps an eye on all 33 courses in Central Coast. You see what's open in one place, and you hear about it the moment a time that fits your day, window and group turns up, cancellations included.
Doing it by hand? Here's what works.
- Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
- Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
- Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
- Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
- Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Sea Pines Golf Resort and Twin Lakes Golf Course.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Central Coast: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Central Coast?
Set a watch in Yoink for the courses you want, the days you can play, a time window and the number of players. Yoink checks those tee sheets every few minutes and sends a notification as soon as a matching time appears, cancellations included. You book it directly with the course.
When do tee time cancellations usually show up?
Mostly in the 24 to 48 hours before the tee time, as golfers cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline, and whenever the weather forecast changes. They appear without notice and tend to be rebooked quickly.
How far in advance can you book a tee time in Central Coast?
It depends on the course. Many public courses open bookings 7 to 14 days ahead, and town or county courses often give residents an earlier window. Each course's own booking page has its policy.
When is golf busiest in Central Coast?
Demand is highest all year, especially on weekends. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Which courses in Central Coast are quickest to play?
Nine-hole and executive courses such as Sea Pines Golf Resort and Twin Lakes Golf Course take less time and are usually easier to book.
Does Yoink book the tee time for me?
No. Yoink tells you when a time opens; you book it with the course on its own booking page, at the course's price, with no extra fee.
More golf in California
- Los Angeles & Orange County · 135 courses
- San Francisco Bay Area · 71 courses
- San Diego · 49 courses
- Palm Springs · 48 courses
- Sacramento · 38 courses
- Central Valley · 26 courses
- Redding & Far Northern California · 18 courses
- Reno & Tahoe · 17 courses
- Wine Country & North Coast · 12 courses
- More California · 13 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- slocountyparks.com · government
- slocounty.ca.gov · government
- slocountygolf.com · official
- playpacificgrove.com · official
- playpacificgrove.com · official
- playpacificgrove.com · official
- ncga.org · association
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- playsantabarbara.com · official
Tee times in Central Coast, without the refreshing
Watch as many courses as you like. When a time opens that fits your day, window and group, Yoink tells you first.