Planning a Monterey Golf Trip by Group Size: 4, 8, 12, 16, and 24+ Players

The smallest groups have the most flexibility on the Monterey Peninsula. Most courses can accommodate a twosome or foursome with 2 to 4 weeks lead time outside of peak summer. Lodging options are unrestricted — any hotel on the peninsula works for a small group.

The one exception is Pebble Beach Golf Links®. Even for a foursome, the minimum 3-night stay at a Pebble Beach Resorts® property applies, and peak-season tee times can require 60 to 90 days lead. Small groups working through Monterey Golf Tours’ IAGTO allocation can sometimes access PBGL tee times with shorter lead time.

Eight to twelve players is the most common group size Monterey Golf Tours works with. At this size, you are typically booking two or three consecutive tee times rather than a full tee sheet block, which keeps you under the threshold most courses use to trigger their tournament/outing rate structure.

Lead time at this size: 60 days minimum for May through October, 30 days for shoulder season. The Portola Hotel in downtown Monterey is the natural anchor property at this group size — 560 rooms, no minimum room block for groups under 15, walking distance to Cannery Row.

At 12 players, Bayonet and Black Horse will accommodate back-to-back tee times easily. For Pebble Beach Resorts® courses, 12-player groups should plan for IAGTO access through Monterey Golf Tours rather than attempting direct booking.

At 16 to 24 players, you are moving into tee sheet block territory. Most courses on the peninsula will quote a group/outing rate at this size, which typically includes dedicated consecutive tee times, sometimes a starter, and simplified billing. Bayonet and Black Horse are the easiest courses on the peninsula to accommodate this group size for a full outing day.

Lead time at 16 to 24: 90 days minimum peak season, 60 days shoulder. Hotel room blocks become relevant at this size — the Portola Hotel can accommodate groups of this size with a formal room block at group rates. Carmel Valley Ranch and Hyatt Regency Monterey are also viable options.

Ground transportation starts to matter at this group size. Moving 16 to 24 players between a downtown Monterey hotel and courses in Seaside or Carmel Valley is a logistics item that benefits from coordination. Monterey Golf Tours handles shuttle and transfer arrangements as part of the package.

At 40 or more players, you are typically looking at a shotgun start — all foursomes tee off simultaneously from different holes at a set time. Courses that accommodate shotgun starts for groups this size on the Monterey Peninsula include Bayonet, Black Horse, Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, and TPC Monterey at Pasadera (Monday public access for groups).

Pebble Beach Resorts® courses do not offer shotgun starts for outside groups. Groups of 40 or more wanting to include a PBGL round typically break into smaller waves over consecutive morning tee times rather than a shotgun format.

At this group size, hotel logistics become as important as golf logistics. The Portola Hotel is the only property on the peninsula with conference center capacity adjacent to a 560-room hotel — it is the natural choice for groups of 40 to 100 that need meeting space alongside golf.

Large incentive groups and corporate outings of 100 or more require full tee sheet buyouts and, in some cases, multiple courses running simultaneously on the same day. Bayonet and Black Horse together can run a combined tee sheet for groups up to roughly 200 players in a single shotgun day.

Groups of this size are the most logistics-intensive: multiple shuttle routes, staggered food and beverage service, scoring and prizes, and a single contract covering all vendors. Monterey Golf Tours coordinates all of this as a single point of contact.

Lead time for groups of 100 or more: 6 to 12 months minimum for any peak-season date. This is not a soft recommendation — tee sheet buyouts at the right courses during the right dates simply do not exist on shorter notice.