Historic Del Monte GC Still a Gem Over a Century Later
Before the USGA championships, Crosby Clambake, and countless other memorable moments that transformed Pebble Beach from a golf course into a world-famous sports destination, a neighboring golf course made it all possible.
Can you come up with the name? If not, it’s likely because Del Monte Golf Course had a challenging start to its second century and fell off the radar for many. That story of decline – and now, revival – is one that Pebble Beach Company is ready to tell.
In 1897, PBC hired Charles Maud to build Del Monte, introducing golf to a sleepy seaside community with little connection to the rest of the country. At the same time, thousands of miles East, venerable clubs at Brookline, Shinnecock, Chicago, and Newport were opening their doors and uniting to found the United States Golf Association.
Despite being so distant from the heart of the game in America, the Monterey community embraced golf at Del Monte and soon established the California Amateur there. The popularity of the course and that championship attracted visitors to the area and gave PBC the confidence to embark upon building a second golf course in 1919. That new course, then known as “the second course at Del Monte Golf and Country Club,” was so good that it attracted the USGA to conduct its most important championship.
We now know that landmark event as the 1929 U.S. Amateur at the later-renamed Pebble Beach Golf Links, the USGA’s first championship conducted West of the Mississippi. It initiated a relationship between Pebble Beach and the USGA that now spans 14 major championships over a century and counting.
Over this time, Del Monte has remained home to the Monterey Open and Monterey City Amateur, premier competitions in their categories including NCGA Zone Championships, in addition to tens of thousands of rounds played by locals, just as they did 129 years ago. It also maintains the distinction of being the oldest golf course West of the Mississippi continuously played on its original site. That historic run has, however, come with plenty of challenges.
Triggered by the Great Recession in 2008, declining play volume led to financial struggles that were exacerbated by drought-induced irrigation restrictions and deteriorating conditions. Del Monte soldiered on, even as some other courses in the region succumbed to the times.
With the boom that golf experienced across the board during and following the COVID pandemic, market conditions again turned. Pebble Beach Company capitalized on this shift, investing in tapping and testing two on-site wells. Three years later, that decision has proven one of the most pivotal in Del Monte’s history. Nearly 40% of the course’s turf is now irrigated with water from these wells, saving roughly 12 million gallons of utility-supplied water annually and vastly improving its overall condition.
While the wells addressed the course’s Achilles heel, its greatest opportunity was still on the horizon. With the 13-month closure of PBC’s Spanish Bay for a full transformation led by Gil Hanse, the company embarked on a program of improvements that would return Del Monte to its glory days of prime, resort-caliber conditioning with thousands of additional golfers set to experience them.
In the past two years, Pebble Beach Company has completely renovated every sand bunker on the property and nearly half the teeing areas. In addition, new walk paths, irrigation, and drainage have been added throughout the course. Perhaps most apparent, substantial pruning of the property’s majestic trees has improved agronomics and aesthetics. Guests who have played Del Monte for the first time since these improvements rave about the courses’ championship conditions, on its lush, tree-lined fairways, and a significant level of challenge.
In recognition of Del Monte’s stunning turnaround, Golf Course Superintendent Michael Knoll was recognized as the 2025 Superintendent of the Year by the Northern California Section of the PGA of America.
While the rolling layout is a very pleasant walk, those who choose to ride will enjoy a new fleet of premium carts with GPS-powered infotainment and yardage systems and the ability to drive straight to their ball. Another favorite of locals and travelers alike, Del Monte Grill has expanded its hours and offerings and is an extension of the courses classic charm.
The capstone of Del Monte’s resurgence in 2026 will come in mid-November, when it returns to the host rotation for the TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational for the first time since 2014. This unique event pairs pros from four major tours (PGA, LPGA, Champions, Korn Ferry) with amateurs in a four-round pro-am.
While Del Monte is ready to welcome and impress thousands of new Resort guests in the coming years, its local roots continue to be the heartbeat of this place, anchored by the thousands of loyal Duke’s Club Members and hundreds of juniors who hone their game here, in competitions run by U.S. Kids, Pebble Beach Junior Golf, PGA Junior League, and Youth on Course, with whom Pebble Beach partners both on and off the course.
Regardless of the type of golfer, all who set foot on this charming slice of the Monterey Peninsula will appreciate Del Monte and its resurgence back to its rightful standing as a “must play” course in this dazzling mecca of world-class golf.