Why it matters
Pacific Grove Municipal is the public course every Monterey Peninsula visitor should know about — the back nine plays along the same cliffs that frame Pebble Beach's most famous holes, for a fraction of the rate. The front nine is more sheltered, threading through a Pacific Grove neighborhood; the back nine is exposed, wind-bitten, and surprisingly tough. Locals call it "the poor man's Pebble" without irony.
How to play it
Bookable in advance through the city. Walkable (recommended), and the most-photographed views come on the back nine. Pair with Pebble or Spyglass for a peninsula day that doesn't blow the whole golf budget on one round.