Fly into MRY or SFO + 90 min drive. Stay at the Lodge or the Inn at Spanish Bay.

• Pebble Beach Gl

  Pebble Beach Golf Links, the cliff 7th, the long 8th, 18th along the Pacific.

Tee off as early as the resort will book. The fog clears by 10.

• Spyglass Hill Golf Course

  Spyglass Hill, RTJ Sr. 1966, five holes through the dunes then ten through the cypress.

A bagpiper plays the 18th at sunset. Walk along 17-Mile Drive after.

• The Links at Spanish Bay

  Spanish Bay, RTJ Jr. + Watson + Tatum, dunes-restoration links across the property from Pebble.

Fly into SFO. Stay downtown. Olympic's Lake Course is just south of the airport.

• Olympic Club Lake Course

  Olympic Club Lake Course, five U.S. Opens. The 17th is the tightest tee shot in major championship golf.

Ultra-private. A.W. Tillinghast 1915. Sponsored play only; the architectural community ranks it above the Olympic Lake.

• San Francisco Golf Club

  San Francisco GC, Tillinghast 1915, course rating 72.5 / slope 137.

Drive 90 min south to Santa Cruz. MacKenzie's personal home course, public-access. Wide, walkable, hilly.

• Pasatiempo Golf Course

  Pasatiempo, Alister MacKenzie 1929. He lived in a house off the 6th fairway.

Fly into PSP. Stay at the La Quinta Resort. American Express PGA Tour event venue every January.

• Pete Dye Stadium Course

  PGA West Pete Dye Stadium Course, Pete Dye 1986. Phil Mickelson territory.

Carved into an old rock quarry north of La Quinta. Sponsored-play.

• The Quarry at La Quinta

  The Quarry at La Quinta, Tom Fazio 1994. Ranked top-10 in California.

Public-resort closer at the Indian Wells Golf Resort. Two Clive Clark layouts (Players + Celebrity).

• Indian Wells Golf Resort

  Indian Wells Golf Resort, Clive Clark redesign 2007. American Express co-host.