Where to Play Golf During Monterey Car Week 2026
Planning golf around Monterey Car Week 2026? Here's when to play, which courses to book, and how to make sure your round gets photographed as beautifully as the cars.
Every August, the Monterey Peninsula turns into two festivals happening at once. On the roads and lawns, it's Monterey Car Week — ten days of concours shows, vintage racing, and seven-figure automobiles. On the fairways, it's still one of the most famous stretches of golf on Earth. For visitors who want both, timing and planning make all the difference.
Here's what to know if you're building a golf trip around Car Week 2026.
When Is Monterey Car Week 2026?
Monterey Car Week runs August 7–16, 2026, a ten-day stretch of automotive events spread across the Peninsula — from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to downtown Monterey to the Pebble Beach Golf Links itself. The week builds toward its centerpiece: the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, taking place Sunday, August 16, 2026, on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links.
That last detail matters more than most visitors realize.
The One Day You Can't Play Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach Golf Links closes to golfers on exactly one day each year — the day of the Concours d'Elegance. For 2026, that's Sunday, August 16. If a round at Pebble Beach is central to your trip, plan around that date rather than through it.
The good news: for the other nine days of Car Week, Pebble Beach Golf Links operates on its normal schedule, and tee times can be booked well in advance through Pebble Beach Resorts (subject to the standard advance-booking windows for resort guests versus the general public).
Where Else to Play
Pebble Beach Company operates five golf courses on the Peninsula, and several of them make excellent alternatives — or additions — to a Car Week golf trip:
Spyglass Hill Golf Course — Often ranked among the toughest courses in America, with holes that wind through Del Monte Forest before opening up to ocean views. A favorite of AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am players for a reason.
The Links at Spanish Bay — A true links-style course along the dunes, with the added ritual of a bagpiper closing out the day at sunset.
Del Monte Golf Course — The oldest golf course in continuous operation west of the Mississippi, offering a more relaxed, walkable round in the heart of Monterey.
The Hay — A short, nine-hole par-3 course designed for a faster, lower-pressure round, ideal for squeezing in golf between Car Week events.
Booking any of these during Car Week requires more lead time than a typical week on the Peninsula — hotels, tee times, and restaurant reservations all tighten up considerably as car enthusiasts descend on the area.
Building a One-Day Car-and-Golf Itinerary
Because Car Week events are spread across the Peninsula and traffic during peak days can be significant, most seasoned visitors recommend anchoring each day around one or two events rather than trying to see everything. A golf round pairs naturally with this approach:
Morning: Tee off early — both for better light and to beat Car Week traffic building later in the day.
Midday: Head to a nearby event. The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering (Friday, August 14) and Concours on the Avenue in Carmel are both within easy reach of the golf courses.
Evening: Wind down with dinner in Carmel-by-the-Sea or Pacific Grove before the next day's events.
Don't Let the Round Disappear Into Memory
Car Week visitors already understand the instinct to document things — nobody leaves the Concours d'Elegance without photos of a 1930s Duesenberg or a debut concept car. But somehow, the golf round that happened that same morning often goes undocumented beyond a few phone photos.
That's the gap TeeTimePhotos.com fills. Our photo caddie service walks the course with your group — capturing the swings, the scenery, and the moments in between — so that the golf side of your Car Week trip gets remembered as vividly as the cars do. High-resolution, professionally shot, and delivered after your round, with two decades of experience shooting specifically on Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill.
If Car Week 2026 already has a car show, a dinner reservation, and a hotel booked, it's worth adding one more line to the itinerary: a photo caddie for the round.
For more information or to book a photo caddie for your Car Week round, visit TeeTimePhotos.com or call (831) 717-1428.
TeeTimePhotos.com is an independent photography service and is not affiliated with Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, or Monterey Car Week.