1880
1880
Pacific Improvement Company, headed by the “Big Four” of railroad fame—Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington and Mark Hopkins—open Hotel Del Monte near Monterey. Eleven years earlier, these ambitious gentlemen led the completion of the Trans-Continental Railway with the driving of the “Golden Spike.” Tourists now arrive on the Monterey Peninsula via Southern Pacific’s Del Monte Express.
June 2 1881
The Pacific Improvement Company opens scenic 17-Mile Drive along the majestic coast that hugs what is now Pebble Beach Company’s Del Monte Forest.
April 1 1887
Hotel Del Monte burns to the ground, but is quickly rebuilt and the official re-opening is held in 1888.
1890
1891
Hotel Del Monte, having built a reputation for fine taste, licenses Oakland Preserving Company the right to use “Del Monte” on their canned food products. The food brand continues to be quite successful.
May 1 1897
Del Monte Golf Course opens as a 9-hole golf course, making it the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi still on its original site. In 1903, it was made into an 18-hole golf course.
1900
1901
Pacific Improvement Company collect their first toll for 17-Mile Drive, charging liverymen from Monterey and Pacific Grove $0.25 per person to access the Drive.
1907
Pacific Improvement Company announces plans for a summer resort at Pebble Beach, with coastal lots available for $500 to $2,500.
August 28 1909
The original lodge (made of logs) opens to serve meals to travelers on 17-Mile Drive.
1910
1915
Pacific Improvement Company hires the entrepreneurial 29-year-old Samuel F.B. Morse, distant cousin of the inventor of the Morse Code, to liquidate all of the Company’s land holdings.
1916
Heinrich Schmidt wins the Western Golf Association Amateur Championship at Del Monte Golf Course, marking the first time the event is played west of the Continental Divide.
1917
A fire destroys The Lodge. Morse convinces Pacific Improvement Company to rebuild a “modern” lodge, rather than recreate what he called the old “log lodge.”
1919
Samuel F.B. Morse forms Del Monte Properties Company and buys the 18,000-acre Del Monte unit including Hotel Del Monte, The Lodge at Pebble Beach and two golf courses.
Both the new Lodge and Pebble Beach Golf Links open.
1920
September 27 1924
The main building of Hotel Del Monte burns to the ground. Dynamiting the connecting loops during the fire saves the wings built in 1888. They remain to this day with a rebuilt main building, which opened in 1926. Photography by Julian P. Graham
December 1926
Del Monte hosts the 1926 Monterey Peninsula Open on Pebble Beach Golf Links, putting up a $5,000 purse and attracting most of the top golfers—professionals and amateurs—in the country. Harry “Light Horse” Cooper of Texas wins with a 72-hole score of 293, five over par. Photography by Julian P. Graham
1929
Pebble Beach hosts its first “Major”: the U.S. Amateur. Field favorite Bobby Jones ties for medalist honors but loses his first 18-hole match. Minnesota’s Jimmy Johnston beats the field with a 4 & 3 win in the final 36-hole match against Oscar Willing. Photography by Julian P. Graham
1930
1934
Hollywood brings Imperial Russia to Monterey, using the Del Monte Equestrian fields for the filming of Anna Karenina, starring Greta Garbo. This is but one of dozens of movies filmed in the area. Photography by Julian P. Graham
August 1935
In the heart of the Depression, Pebble Beach Golf Links hosts the California State Open after a long hiatus. Pebble Beach head professional Cam Puget wins the event on his home course, pocketing the $300 first place money. Pebble Beach hosts the event again in 1936 and 1948. Photography by Julian P. Graham
December 1935
Three-time British Women's Amateur Champion Joyce Wethered made stops at the Del Monte and Pebble Beach courses as part of a worldwide exhibition tour. Photography by Julian P. Graham
1940
September 1940
The USGA returns to Pebble Beach for the 1940 U.S. Women’s Amateur, which is won by defending champion Betty Jameson. The USGA also schedules the 1942 U.S. Men’s Amateur for Pebble Beach Golf Links, but it is canceled due to World War II. Photography by Julian P. Graham
1941
Artist Salvador Dali designs an elaborately decorated costume party at Hotel Del Monte. Photography by Julian P. Graham
September 1943
The U.S. Navy leases Hotel Del Monte as a naval pre-flight school “for the duration” of the war. Morse changes the corporate focus from the large hotel to the operation around Pebble Beach. Photography by Julian P. Graham
January 1947
The Bing Crosby National Pro-Am golf tournament is played for the first time at Pebble Beach (after being played for six years at Rancho Santa Fe before World War II). Photography by Julian P. Graham
September 1947
The U.S. Amateur returns to Pebble Beach and is won by Skee Riegel. Photography by Julian P. Graham
1948
The U.S. Navy buys Hotel Del Monte from the Del Monte Properties Company for $2.2 million. It is now the Naval Postgraduate School. Photography by Julian P. Graham
September 1948
The U.S. Women’s Amateur returns to Pebble Beach. It is won by Grace Lenczyk. Photography by Julian P. Graham
1950
1950
The first annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is held at The Lodge at Pebble Beach in conjunction with the short-lived (1950 – 1956) Pebble Beach Road Races. Photography by Julian P. Graham
January 1958
For the first time, television covers the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. Bing Crosby hosts the broadcast of the final round live from the 18th green. Photography by Julian P. Graham
1960
September 1961
Pebble Beach again hosts the U.S. Amateur, attracting one of the top international showings to date, as it follows just weeks after the Walker Cup is held in Seattle. Jack Nicklaus sees Pebble Beach Golf Links for the first time and decides he likes it—defeating Dudley Wysong 8 & 6 in the final match. Photography by Julian P. Graham
1966
Spyglass Hill Golf Course opens. The names given to most of the holes are derived from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel Treasure Island.
1969
Samuel F.B. Morse, who became known as “the Duke of Del Monte” dies at age 83, along with an era.
1970
1972
Pebble Beach Golf Links hosts its first U.S. Open golf championship. Jack Nicklaus wins by 3 strokes with a 2-over par 290.
January 1977
Del Monte Properties Company reincorporates as Pebble Beach Corporation.
August 1977
The Company hosts its first PGA Championship tournament. Lanny Wadkins wins on the third hole of sudden death.
1978
After the financial success of the movie Star Wars, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation purchases Pebble Beach Corporation and reorganizes it as Pebble Beach Company.
Del Monte Lodge is renamed The Lodge at Pebble Beach.
1980
June 1982
The U.S. Open is held at Pebble Beach Golf Links for the second time. It features the battle between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus and the most talked about shot in golf. Watson needs birdie to win but completely misses the 17th green. To accomplish his mission, he sinks his legendary chip shot. He also birdies 18 and defeats Nicklaus by two strokes with a 6-under par 282.
1984
The Lone Cypress is a victim of arson; forest resident and “Lone Cypress Guardian Angel” Mrs. Larkey calls PBC security in the middle of the night, just in time to save the tree.
January 1986
The Crosby Clambake becomes the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament.
The NCGA opens Poppy Hills Golf Course.
November 1987
The Inn and Links at Spanish Bay opens.
1990
1990
Ben Hogan Properties, under the ownership of Japanese businessman Minoru Isutani, purchases Pebble Beach Company.
In preparation for the 1992 U.S. Open, Jack Nicklaus is hired as a consultant on a project that includes rebuilding greens 4, 5 and 7 of Pebble Beach Golf Links.
March 1992
Taiheiyo Golf Club of Japan purchases Pebble Beach Company and continues the Morse tradition of stewardship of the land.
June 1992
Pebble Beach Resorts hosts the U.S. Open for the third time. Under brutal winds, Tom Kite shoots an incredible par round and wins his first major with a 3-under 285.
1997
Pebble Beach Company constructs the new 5th hole of Pebble Beach Golf Links, as designed by Jack Nicklaus. It opens for use in November, during the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational.
July 1999
Casa Palmero opens in July. A group of American investors, headed by Peter Ueberroth and Dick Ferris, purchase Pebble Beach Company from The Lone Cypress Company, just in time to host the 99th U.S. Amateur Championship.
Twenty-year-old David Gossett of Tennessee defeats 17-year-old Korean champion Sung Yoon Kim 9 & 8 to become the U.S. Amateur Champion.
2000
February 2000
The Spa at Pebble Beach opens.
June 2000
The U.S. Open returns for the 100th playing of the championship. Tiger Woods captures the trophy, besting his nearest competitor by 15 strokes and tying the lowest 72-hole score ever in the national championship.
2001
Golf Digest ranks Pebble Beach Golf Links as the No. 1 Golf Course in America—the first time a public course has been so honored.
2010
June 2010
The U.S. Open Championship returns for the fifth time to Pebble Beach Golf Links. A number of course enhancements—all under the direction of legendary Arnold Palmer—are completed to strengthen player appreciation, heighten the challenge and exceed guest and championship expectations.
It is an amazing week and quite a celebration at Pebble Beach Resorts. Congratulations to Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open Champion.
In a championship where a score of par is the most meaningful, the 30-year-old McDowell posts an even-par 284 for the 72 holes to become the first European winner since England’s Tony Jacklin in 1970.
2012
The Bench restaurant opens in August. Symbolizing the iconic location where the current ownership group agreed to acquire Pebble Beach Company in 1999, The Bench features a dining experience marked by stunning views of the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links, a casual atmosphere featuring outdoor dining and fire pits and an eclectic internationally inspired menu using a wood-roasted cooking technique.
2014
The Pebble Beach Golf Academy opens, featuring internationally renowned golf instructors, state-of-the-art golf-swing teaching technology and cutting-edge training facilities.
2017
Fairway One at The Lodge opens, adding 38 guestrooms, including two golf cottages, plus a new meeting facility along the first hole at Pebble Beach.
2018
In 2018, the U.S. Amateur returned to Pebble Beach, where Norwegian Viktor Hovland claimed victory.
Pebble Beach previously hosted the U.S. Amateur in 1929, 1947, 1961 and 1999, and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1940 and 1948.
2019
Pebble Beach Golf Links and the USGA again celebrate a centennial together, when the U.S. Open Championship returns for the sixth time.
Gary Woodland executes exquisite shot-making down the stretch on Sunday to hold off two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka and win his first Major.
Pebble Beach Company: A Celebrated Heritage Since 1919
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