Planning to go to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am? Get the most out of your trip with some insider tips! Read on to learn both the tactics regulars take to have the best AT&T tournament experience, as well as the basic but often-overlooked details that will ensure you have an enjoyable time.
The fun of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am begins at breakfast. There's plenty of great places to eat in Pebble Beach and the surrounding towns. The Tap Room at the Lodge at Pebble Beach is a popular spot for the traditional before- and after-play Bloody Mary.
If you're looking for another place to spot stars during the AT&T tournament, two other go-to breakfast spots are Katy's Place and The Cottage Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea. While many celebs prefer to order room service and avoid the crowds, several rub elbows with the public at these spots.
Just because the play at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is over for the day doesn't mean it's time to go home. While some players may rest up for the morning, many take advantage of the local social scene. As mentioned before, the first go-to spot for extracurricular AT&T tournament imbibing is the Tap Room, but that's not where the party ends!
Some of the most popular spots for after-round drinks are Carmel-by-the-Sea's Il Fornaio (right after the round), Piatti (after Il Fornaio), and Jack London's (for the dedicated late-night partiers). The younger crowd tend to skip the warm-up events and head either straight for Jack London's, or the nearby Hog's Breath Inn. In Monterey, Cannery Row's Sardine Factory has a history of being a celebrity magnet. Sightings there last year included Clint Eastwood, Kevin James, Tom Brady, Vijay Singh and Ray Romano, among others. If you're lucky at one of these spots, you'll get a chance to congratulate someone on how they played at that day's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am — or buy them a consolation drink.
Tickets for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, available online, are $50 per day for each tournament round (Thursday-Sunday). $50 covers an AT&T tournament practice round ticket that will get you in Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — the only days that cameras and autographs are allowed. Children 12 and under get in free alongside an adult ticket holder. Many packages are also available.
If you want celebrity autographs, or celebrity snapshots, you must get tickets for the AT&T tournament's practice round. The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am does not allow autographs during the tournament rounds. Cameras are also banned from the AT&T's tournament rounds, so the practice rounds are also the only days you can take photos at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. It's easiest to get autographs on Monday. After that, players are likely to be more focused on their game than their public.
The grandstands at the 18th hole are invariably popular spots to watch the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am play, especially on tournament day, and with good reason. But the grand finale isn't the only place to catch the action.
Brad Cursio, local golf pro
If you stand on the rough that borders holes 6 and 8, local golf pro Brad Cursio says, you can watch the players come up the 6th hole, round the 7th and hit their second shot on the 8th. Jack Nicklaus famously called the second shot on the 8th "the finest second shot in golf," so if you get this spot you're bound to see some beautiful play.
Two other recommended spots for viewing the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am are the tee box on the 13th hole, and the grandstand by the 17th green, which allows spectators to both watch players coming up the 17th hole and see them tee off on the 18th.
You won't be able to implement the insider tips if you inadvertently bring contraband to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and you won't have fun if your clothes can't stand up to the weather. Know before you go, and you'll be well on your way to a great AT&T tournament.
Temperatures can vary widely during the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The record high for that time period is 80 degrees Fahrenheit, while the record low is 26. Winds off Monterey Bay can make the temperature feel even colder than the mercury suggests. Local golf pro Brad Cursio recommends wearing layers to the AT&T tournament, and a rain or wind shirt that is warm, but light enough to take off and carry. For traction, he recommends spectators who own them wear comfortable soft spikes. Don't don your metal spikes; metal spiked golf shoes are not allowed at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Leave your cellphone in your room or in your car; they're not allowed at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. If you want a great snapshot of your favorite star, make sure to attend the AT&T tournament's practice rounds on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday; cameras are not allowed Thursday through Sunday. As for any other tech toys, including (but not limited to) televisions, radios and transmitting radios? Leave them all behind.
The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am allows food to be brought in that is packed in a container that is 8" high, 8" wide and 8" deep or smaller when totally full. Make sure to measure before you bring it in!
Visitors may not bring alcohol to the AT&T tournament. Alcohol can be purchased on site.
Water may be brought to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in plastic bottles, which must be placed in a pocket or carrying bag.
No bags are permitted at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am that are larger than 8" high, 8" wide and 8" deep when full.
Other items prohibited from the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am include ladders, signs, banners, posters, pets (except service animals), bicycles, and noisemaking or distracting devices and weapons. If you're in doubt as to whether you can bring it to the AT&T tournament, it's best to leave that item behind.
Parking at the AT&T tournament is only available on Monday and Tuesday. From Wednesday through Sunday, parking for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am will be at California State University in Monterey Bay (CSUMB), about 30 minutes north of Pebble Beach on Route 1. A free shuttle will take spectators from the satellite parking lot to the AT&T tournament.
For $10, you can take a shuttle from Monterey to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The shuttle stops on Cannery Row at Wave Street and Prescott, at Fisherman's Wharf on Olivier Street just off Scott Street, and at the Monterey Conference Center at Portola Plaza. Parking is available near all three stops at municipal garages for $7. See the Cannery Row website for more information.
The Pacific Grove Shuttle to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am picks up and drops off in front of the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. It leaves every 30 minutes starting at 6:30am. Tickets are $15 for each day, or $40 for a five-day pass. Tickets can be purchased at the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce at Central and Forest Avenues.
Shuttles from Carmel to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am are $15 and depart from Carmel Plaza on Ocean between Junipero and Mission. Tickets can be purchased at the Carmel Visitor Center or at the shuttle bus stop.
Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau P.O. Box 1770, Monterey, CA 93942 1-877-MONTEREY info@mccvb.org
In partnership with Monterey County and the cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas,
Sand City, Seaside, Soledad, Pebble Beach, Moss Landing, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, and Salinas Valley.
© Copyright 2009 Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
