If I had money to burn.................. might retire here
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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The bluffs connecting land and sea at Pebble Beach Golf Links would have been lined with houses and become, as Bing Crosby once said, “Coney Island.” But Samuel F.B. Morse Jr.’s unwavering commitment to preserving the land for golf kept development at bay, guided by his belief that the sport itself would draw the kind of discerning homeowners the region sought. More than a century later, his vision has been resoundingly fulfilled. Mansions now ring the golf course, and Pebble Beach Co., the resort operator and steward of probably the most-expensive zip code in the country (93953), has been buying up some of them to tear down (for a longer second hole?), luxury units on the first fairway (transforming what was once resident pro Lawson Little II’s “bungalow”), Casa Palmero (spa and hotel units along the first fairway), and the Canary Cottage, nestled behind units of the Lodge at Pebble Beach, which once was a clandestine gambling parlor for lodge guests.
This week, the eyes of the golf world turn to the pristine property near Monterey for the PGA Tour's first signature event of 2026, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Let's take a look at some of the mansions of Pebble Beach.
The MLB owners (Moores and Crane)
In August 2024, former San Diego Padres owner John Moores sold his 18th fairway home called “The Masterpiece” for a record $45 million, eclipsing the $40 million purchase by actor Brad Pitt in Carmel Highlands, about eight miles down the coast from Pebble Beach. Haven’t been there, but Pitt might have a peek at Pebble Beach when he gazes at Point Lobos (the setting for Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”). Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has owned a couple of homes adjacent to the famed golf course.
Bing Crosby, Jim Nantz and more
The famed crooner, who founded the Bing Crosby Pro-Am (now this week’s AT&T… ), lived on the 13th fairway. In addition to Bing, actor John Travolta rented a mansion on the 13th for a year. It was more than Saturday night fever. CBS's Jim Nantz got married at Pebble’s seventh tee, then built a replica of the hole for his backyard at his home on the 14th fairway and still jogs down to the seventh tee to reminisce. In all, there are fewer than three dozen homes that abut the course. On the 12th hole is a seven-acre spread built by attorney Cary Patterson, who collected settlement fees in tobacco litigation, thus dubbing his pad “Lucky Strike.” You, too, can have your lucky strike if the price is right. One of the mansions is currently on the market, overlooking the 11th green, and could be yours for $27.5 million.
Other important Pebble Beach real estate facts of note:
1 – High-tech CEOs who have lived on the fairways: Michael Dell (Dell Computers), Scott McNealy (Mav’s dad and Sun Microsystems founder), Joe Lacob (Warriors owner)
2 – For nearly a century, Pebble Beach had a dogleg, inland par-3 fifth hole, because the Jenkins family had bought oceanfront property before Morse could implement the golf course plan. That is, until the death of Mimi Jenkins in 1995. Under ownership by Japanese Lone Cypress Co., Pebble Beach negotiated the purchase of that property from the Jenkins family, subdivided two lots (bought by car sales mogul Don Lucas and stockbroker Charles Schwab) for $7.5 million. That funded the current hole designed by Jack Nicklaus, which opened in 1998. Lucas has died. Schwab still owns but primarily lives in Texas (tax purposes) and moved his bull/bear sculpture that once located between his house and the fifth green to parts unknown.
3 – AT&T has owned the house that casts a shadow on the third green for years. It is used as a hospitality center during the tournament. Miffed that he had to use Xfinity for internet connection, a CEO reportedly ordered AT&T broadband installed. A pretty (copper) penny for miles of wire to one house.
4 – Myth buster. Clint Eastwood never lived on the course. He had a house up the hill on Del Ciervo Drive. Sold it and lives at Tehama Golf Club, west of Jacks Peak, the private club he founded. The movie star and film director turns 95 years old on May 31.
