Pebble Beach sits on the Monterey coast, which means the temperature almost never moves and the fog does. It can be sixteen degrees and grey at eight in the morning and sixteen degrees and brilliant at noon, and you dress for both at once.
That makes it a layering course in a way that has nothing to do with cold. A shell over a polo, a light knit in the bag, and something with a bit of colour, because everything here photographs against grey water and dark cypress. Coastal wind on the seaward holes is real, so a cap that stays on beats one that looks better. The St Andrews list handles the wilder version of the same problem, and the Augusta edit the opposite one.
A light windproof layer earns its place in the bag on every round here. Our guide to the best golf apparel covers the options.
1 out of 25 photos
#1: White Polo with Navy Trousers
A white polo with navy trousers. The Pebble Beach photograph everyone has, and it holds up against grey water better than any brighter option.
2 out of 25 photos
#2: Coral Polo with White Trousers
A coral polo with white trousers. Colour matters more here than at most courses because the background is grey, dark green and blue at once.
3 out of 25 photos
#3: Light Shell over a Sun Shirt
A light windproof shell over a long sleeve sun shirt. Fog in the morning, sun by noon, and this handles both without a change of clothes.
4 out of 25 photos
#4: Navy Skort with a Cream Polo
A navy skort with a cream polo. Monterey rarely gets hot enough to need a skort for heat, but the freedom of movement is the real reason.
5 out of 25 photos
#5: Grey Quarter Zip with Beige Trousers
A grey quarter zip with beige trousers. Quiet, coastal and unshowy, and it suits a course where the view is doing all the work.
6 out of 25 photos
#6: Sky Blue Polo with Navy Shorts
A sky blue polo with navy shorts. The blue picks up the water on a clear afternoon, which is the one thing worth planning for here.
7 out of 25 photos
#7: Cream Knit over a Collared Shirt
A cream knit over a collared shirt. The layer for a fog bound morning round, and it looks right in the lodge afterwards too.
8 out of 25 photos
#8: Green Polo with Khaki Trousers
A green polo with khaki trousers. The cypress trees on this course are dark green and an outfit that echoes them photographs unusually well.
9 out of 25 photos
#9: Navy Gilet over a White Polo
A navy gilet over a white polo. Wind protection through the body with the swing untouched, which is the right answer on the seaward holes.
10 out of 25 photos
#10: Striped Polo with White Shorts
A striped polo with white shorts. Nautical without trying, and stripes are the one pattern that never looks out of place on a coastal course.
11 out of 25 photos
#11: Long Sleeve Sun Shirt with a Skort
A long sleeve sun shirt with a skort. California sun is stronger than the temperature suggests and the fog does not stop it.
12 out of 25 photos
#12: Lavender Polo with Grey Trousers
A lavender polo with grey trousers. Softer than the classics and it suits the muted light here better than a saturated colour would.
13 out of 25 photos
#13: Black Trousers with a Cream Quarter Zip
Black trousers with a cream quarter zip. The reverse of the usual arrangement, and the pale layer keeps it from reading as heavy.
14 out of 25 photos
#14: Yellow Polo with Navy Trousers
A yellow polo with navy trousers. Yellow is the most visible colour in fog, which is a practical argument as well as a photographic one.
15 out of 25 photos
#15: Windproof Cap with Layered Neutrals
A windproof cap with neutral layers. The wind off the eighteenth will take a loose cap into the Pacific and it will not come back.
16 out of 25 photos
#16: White Skort with a Navy Polo
A white skort with a navy polo. Crisp, classic and the version of this outfit that works in the middle of the afternoon.
17 out of 25 photos
#17: Beige Trousers with a Pink Polo
Beige trousers with a soft pink polo. Warm neutrals with one gentle colour, which flatters more people than white and navy does.
18 out of 25 photos
#18: Fleece Lined Layer for a Cold Start
A fleece lined layer for an early tee time. Monterey mornings are colder than the day suggests and the first three holes are the coldest.
19 out of 25 photos
#19: Teal Polo with White Trousers
A teal polo with white trousers. Teal sits between the water and the trees and it is the colour nobody else in the group will have.
20 out of 25 photos
#20: Navy Dress with a Light Jacket
A navy golf dress with a light jacket. One decision plus one layer, which is the simplest way to handle a changeable coastal day.
21 out of 25 photos
#21: Grey Skort with a Coral Top
A grey skort with a coral top. Grey below keeps a bright top from overwhelming, and it hides a morning of damp grass.
22 out of 25 photos
#22: Cream and Camel Layers
Cream and camel layers together. Warm neutrals photograph better against cold coastal light than cool neutrals do, which is worth knowing before the trip.
23 out of 25 photos
#23: Printed Skort with a White Polo
A printed skort with a plain white polo. The one place to add pattern, and the print stays out of the way of the view.
24 out of 25 photos
#24: Packable Rain Jacket over Everything
A packable rain jacket over the outfit. Monterey rain arrives without much warning and a jacket that folds into the bag costs nothing to carry.
25 out of 25 photos
#25: The Coastal Layering Kit
A sun shirt, a polo, a light knit, a windproof shell and a cap that stays on. This covers every hour of a Pebble Beach round.