Golf Pilgrimage: Central Coast, CA
Morro Bay Golf Course
For Southern Californians, a weekend trip up the coast is medicine. Open highway ahead, ocean to the left, sun-toasted hills to the right: it's a welcome sight for folks accustomed to spending the majority of each day on hot concrete. Golf up north is different, too—quieter surroundings, fewer players.
While the Central Coast’s status as a golf pilgrimage site is questionable, I’m using the term because this destination will always hold considerable personal meaning for me, as a late friend of mine used to take his daughter and me there for high school tournaments, and my dad has retired to the area, so I’ll be playing Morro with him regularly for years to come.
Regardless of my personal connection to the Central Coast, the region makes for a solid golf getaway—more down to earth than Monterey or Santa Barbara, yet just as beautiful and historic. And if you remain unconvinced, almost every Central Coast course features a grass range, there is plenty for nongolfers to get up to, and the food and wine slappps. Here are a few recommendations:
Where to Play
You’re probably thinking San Luis Obispo Country Club is worth trying to get on, but it lacks the charm of the following public courses:
Morro Bay Golf Course: Originally established as the 9-hole Cabrillo Country Club in 1923, Morro Bay expanded to become one of the most underrated public clubs in California, featuring views of San Luis Bay and Morro Rock, a sacred landmark for the Chumash and Salinan tribes. The front nine were added in 1951, making the original nine the back, and the course was renamed in 1957. You’ll find in old photographs that the original clubhouse was a gorgeous rustic Spanish-style structure, but was replaced by an unfortunately soulless, gray mid-century building during the construction of the front. Fairly lush grass range.
Cabrillo Country Club in the 1920’s
Dairy Creek Golf Course: Surrounded by crumbling volcanic necks (morros) and lush greenery (except for maybe during the height of summer), Dairy Creek is one of the most scenic inland courses in the state. It was built on land that was once a bona fide dairy owned by Swiss immigrant Giuseppe Gilardi, used for military training during World War II, then deeded to the public in 1972 as part of the Nixon administration’s Legacy of Parks program. The Gilardi farmhouse still stands nearby and the remaining sheep sun themselves on the hillsides, watching you whiff it, expressionless. Sadly, it was recently reduced from eighteen to nine in order to both expand the Cal Poly SLO Mustangs’ practice area, and add an imitation Top Golf, but it’s still worth a play. Grass range.
Sea Pines Golf Course: Weird layout and not in the greatest condition, but it’s cute and the drive out there is beautiful. A 9-hole track built right on the edge of the bay in the 1950’s, Sea Pines is the kind of course you play in a hoodie and hiking shoes with a coffee in hand. Go there on a Saturday afternoon in the summer and find locals dancing barefoot on the practice green to a live cover band. Grass range.
Pismo Golf Course: Fun little par-3 course built in 1965 by a local family. But bundle up—it gets incredibly windy being a few steps from the unprotected Pismo Dunes. No range.
Cypress Ridge Golf Course and Blacklake Golf Resort: Built in 1999 and 2000, respectively, both rank highly on value lists and feature uniquely Central Californian foliage, including towering cypress trees. Grass ranges.
Monarch Dunes Golf Club: We have a hard time embracing new-new courses, especially ones surrounded by tract homes, but the Challenge course at Monarch is a super fun 12-hole par-3, so I’ll include it. Grass range on certain days of the week.
Although I’m going to make a separate guide for the Solvang area, I do want to include a great course you can play on the way up (if you’re coming from SoCal) to break up the drive: La Purisima. It’s carved into oak forested hills, features a Spanish mission-style clubhouse, and rents out those motorbikes you’ve seen on Instagram. If you finish in the afternoon, hit The Hitching Post in Casmalia (the original one of the two locations) for a steak before heading back to the 101.
Where to Stay
San Luis Obispo is actually home to the first motel in the world—can you evennn?!! Built in 1925 as cars were becoming more accessible, traffic was increasing on the highways going up and down the west coast, and motorists needed convenient and affordable places to stay the night, the Milestone Mo-tel sparked a travel revolution. It closed in 1991, but a couple sections of the original building still exist, having been coopted by a neighboring business. We can’t stay there, sadly, but here are a few alternatives:
The Madonna Inn: Established in 1958 by entrepreneurs Alex and Phyllis Madonna, this sprawling ranch-style motel can be described in two words: kitschy and pink. Its rooms, pools, tennis courts, and restaurant look like they belong on a tea tray. And the place doesn’t just look like a cake—their bakery makes an unreal chocolate, nut-covered, layered one.
Granada Hotel & Bistro: Bougie and cozy. Established in 1922, the brick structure takes you back to oil boom times. It’s walking distance from all the best downtown spots and has a chic restaurant of its own.
San Luis Creek Lodge: A former Tudor-style motel made new with the kinds of materials you see on those “modern farmhouses” you see popping up in gentrified neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
Cambria Beach Lodge: If you want less action and more ocean views, try this place or one of the more affordable motels along Highway 1.
Where to Eat
The Central Coast is known for its wine and barbecue, so go ham, litchrally. Here are a few you might try:
Breakfast
Louisa’s Place: Classic breakfast joint. Get there early.
The Steaming Bean, Zorro’s, and Joy Health Bar: Cute spots in Shell Beach for breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and super healthy bowls, respectively.
Lunch/Dinner/Drinkypoos
The Hitching Post: There are two locations, and while the Hitching Post II is featured in cult favorite movie Sideways, we always prefer the original anything. An iconic California ranch country haunt dating back to the 1950’s, the Hitching Post serves the freshest steak you can get. The cows and the grill are right out back and the atmosphere is bare bones, in the most comforting way. Enjoy complimentary crudités before the meal and rainbow sherbet after.
Jocko’s: Barbecue almost as fresh and just as delish as The Hitching Post, and is usually served with amazing garlic bread for juice soaking. The outside was recently renovated to look a little less ‘70’s, but the inside remains gorgeously dated.
Firestone Grill: Amazing pulled pork sandwiches, or “pig sandwiches,” as they call them. But get there early, the lunch crowd is rough.
Novo: If you’re on a trip with your sugar pie honey bun, this is a good date spot. Dress up a little, sit under the string lights, and look down at the creek.
Puffer’s of Pismo: A tiny wine bar owned by a former schoolteacher from Watts, Los Angeles. The charcuterie boards and tapas are unreal and the live musicians are always super cute and soulful.
Aprés Golf
Downtown SLO: Established in the 1770’s with the building of the mission and the enslavement of the local Salinan and Chumash people, the village of San Luis Obispo eventually transformed into an oil port, and later a college town. The school has often been rated the whitest public university in California, but there are great Mexican and Central American restaurants and food trucks to be found if you know where to look. There are also some traces of a once bustling Chinatown (see next paragraph). Voodoo Records, Phoenix Books, and the year-round Thursday evening farmer’s market are some of the featured attractions.
Chinatown: Like most Chinatowns in the U.S., SLOs’ Chinese neighborhood was subject to repeated extermination efforts by white people, but luckily there are a couple surviving signs of the rich history of Chinese immigration to California, including the Ah Louis Store, former home of Ah Louis, a gold prospector, agriculturalist, brickyard owner, and labor organizer, which served as general store/post office/bank for the Chinese community in the 19th and 20th centuries. Hit the Palm Theatre for an arthouse film while you’re there.
Hearst Castle: If you’re wondering if you just passed a living, breathing zebra on the right side of Highway 1, you did. It’s one of several descendants of the zoo animals kept by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. But there’s much more to see at the top of the hill. Buy a ticket for the general tour of Hearst’s European cathedral-meets-Spanish mission-style mansion, complete with both Greek and Roman inspired pools, art and furniture imported from Europe, and views of both the Pacific Ocean and Coastal Mountain Range. History nerds will love watching the short yet surprisingly cinematic film of his life in the onsite IMAX theater before taking a mildly treacherous bus ride up the mountain. Take the general tour of the opulence and hear some scandalous stories about him and his famous guests.
Sunset Drive-In: They play mostly family friendly movies, unfortunately, but the experience is still fun. Place hasn’t changed since the old days—they still play the old “Let’s All Go to the Lobby” clip before every film.
Wine tasting: Real winos routinely choose nearby Paso Robles or Edna Valley over places like Napa or Sonoma.
Hiking at Bishop’s Peak or Madonna Mountain: Pretty tough hikes if you’re going to the top, but the views are worth it, especially during late afternoon when the fog rolls in.
Horseback riding: I know I always mention horseback riding in these things but I love it and have fully embraced being a horse adult after making fun of horse girls as a kid. Just don’t do it through Madonna Inn.
Pismo Beach: Can get crowded and gross, but kind of fun to experience once. Grab breakfast at Old West Cinnamon Rolls or a bowl of clam chowder at Splash Cafe.
First photo from Morro Bay Golf Course website; second photo from San Luis Obispo Tribune