Poppy Hills is the public course inside the gates of the Del Monte Forest, a short drive from Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill but run on very different lines. The Northern California Golf Association owns it, and it was the first course in the country owned and operated by a golf association. Anyone can book up to 90 days ahead, there is no hotel requirement, and twilight rates bring the price down sharply. Robert Trent Jones Jr. describes it as the closest you can get to playing golf in a national park, and the tall Monterey pines make the point on almost every hole.
Poppy Hills Golf Course green fees and tee times.
Book online on the NCGA’s Poppy Hills site or call the golf shop on 831-622-8239; times open 90 days in advance. Groups are capped at four players, with a maximum of two carts per group, and drivers need a valid licence. If you cancel or reduce your party with less than 48 hours’ notice, the cardholder is charged the full green fees, so keep the cancellation email as proof. To enter the Del Monte Forest, tell the gate attendant you have a tee time at Poppy Hills; there is no charge for golfers coming to play. Event organisers can bring 16 to 100 players for outings, booked up to a year ahead. Youth on Course rounds can only be booked by phone or in person, within 72 hours.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From US$350
Non-member green fee; carts US$30 per rider. Non-member twilight US$120 Monday to Thursday and US$150 Friday to Sunday. NCGA members pay less.
Non-member green fee
US$350
Non-member twilight, Mon–Thu
US$120
Non-member twilight, Fri–Sun
US$150
NCGA member, Mon–Thu
US$95
NCGA member, Fri–Sun
US$125
Cart, per rider
US$30
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
The NCGA bought the 164-acre site in 1977, and the course opened on 1 June 1986, after starting life on the drawing board as the Hilltop Course. It shared the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill from 1991 to 2009, and Matt Gogel shot a then record 62 here in 2001. In March 2013 Robert Trent Jones II, the original architects, began a rebuild aimed mainly at saving water. They spread five inches of sand over the course, removed the traditional rough in favour of native sandy waste areas, cut irrigated turf by nearly a fifth, and rebuilt all 18 greens in bentgrass. It reopened on 4 April 2014 at 7,002 yards and par 71, down from 6,861 yards and par 72, and it now plays firmer and faster. The nines were swapped in 2016, so older hole-by-hole write-ups may use different numbers.
Know before you go.
Booking window
90 days ahead
Group size
Maximum four players
Carts
US$30 per rider; two per group; driving licence required
Cancellation
48 hours or full green fee charged
Forest gate
Free entry for golfers with a tee time
Rental clubs
Titleist sets, US$115 public
Make the trip work.
The member rates are the big saving: NCGA members pay US$95 midweek against US$350, and members’ guests US$150 to US$185. Separately, the Poppy Hills Club costs US$99 a year and earns a point per dollar spent, redeemable for free rounds at the NCGA’s courses. Twilight is the other lever: a weekday twilight round at US$120 costs about a third of the full non-member fee. Rental sets are Titleist, in men’s stiff or regular and women’s, and come with two sleeves of Pro V1 balls. The range sells 45 balls for US$8 and 90 for US$14.
Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) is about eight miles away, roughly 20 minutes by car. San Jose (SJC) is about 75 miles north and San Francisco (SFO) about 120. Enter the Del Monte Forest by one of its gates and follow the forest roads to 3200 Lopez Road; the course is inland, away from 17-Mile Drive’s shoreline.
Poppy Hills has no rooms, which is part of why it is cheaper than its neighbours. Inside the Del Monte Forest, The Inn at Spanish Bay and The Lodge at Pebble Beach are the obvious, expensive choices and give you access to the resort courses as well. Most visitors to Poppy Hills stay in Monterey or Pacific Grove, ten to fifteen minutes away, where hotels along Cannery Row and the Pacific Grove inns cost far less. Carmel-by-the-Sea, just south of the forest, suits golfers who want restaurants within walking distance.
Make a trip of it.
Spyglass Hill is a few minutes away through the forest and makes a hard, memorable 36-hole day with Poppy Hills. Bayonet & Black Horse in Seaside are the other public championship courses on this side of Monterey Bay, and Pasatiempo is an hour north in Santa Cruz. Off the course, the shoreline stops along 17-Mile Drive, such as the Lone Cypress, are close by, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium sits at the end of Cannery Row.
Find your season.
The forest holds the sea fog in summer, so June to August mornings are often grey and cool. September and October tend to be the clearest months on the peninsula. Since the 2014 rebuild the sand-capped fairways drain quickly, which makes Poppy Hills a better winter choice after rain than many courses in the area.
Yes. Poppy Hills is open to everyone, not just NCGA members or Pebble Beach Resorts guests. Book online or by phone up to 90 days ahead. NCGA members and their guests pay lower rates, but non-members are welcome at the published non-member price.
How much are green fees at Poppy Hills?
The non-member green fee is US$350, and carts are an extra US$30 per rider. Non-member twilight costs US$120 from Monday to Thursday and US$150 from Friday to Sunday. NCGA members pay US$95 midweek and US$125 at weekends.
Do I have to pay the 17-Mile Drive gate fee to play Poppy Hills?
No. Tell the gate attendant at the Del Monte Forest entrance that you have a tee time at Poppy Hills and you can drive in without paying. The same applies if you are visiting Porter’s Grill and Pub at the course.
Is Poppy Hills still on the PGA Tour?
Not any more. It was one of three courses used for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am from 1991 to 2009. It has since hosted NCGA championships and the 70th US Girls’ Junior, and NCGA members still play it at a fraction of the public rate.
Last checked 11 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
