Expect changing winds, hard-commitment shots, and a finish where the best rounds don’t just look good… they hold up. If you haven’t experienced this place in tournament mode, the ocean stretch has a way of making every par feel earned—and every birdie feel like a steal.

Weather Outlook (Tournament Weekend)

The forecast currently points to classic peninsula scoring conditions: cool temperatures, the likelihood of coastal wind, and a chance of showers. If it stays breezy and a touch damp, Pacific Grove can play longer with less rollout—making the ocean-side holes even more about trajectory control, smart targets, and taking your pars before the course takes them from you.

Format + Divisions

This is a stroke-play championship with three divisions:

• Championship (15+ | index < 4.5)
• Senior Championship (50+ | index < 8.0; 55+ for NCGA Senior points)
• Net (15+ | index 4.5–18.0)

Tournament History: Champions Since 2021

Now in its fifth running (since 2021), the Pacific Grove City Championship has quickly become one of those events players circle for the combination of serious competition and a bucket-list public-golf setting.

One early trend? Butch Pirrone has already captured the Net title twice (2023 and 2025), proving consistency matters just as much as the Sunday surge. And the history will have a very real presence in 2026: past division champions returning to the field include Russell Humphrey, Craig Calkins, Pete Higgins, Butch Pirrone, Robin Carew, Matt Brody, and John Borrelli—a group that knows exactly what it takes to close at Pacific Grove.

What It Takes to Win at Pacific Grove

Pacific Grove rewards the complete player—especially the one who stays patient when the ocean starts talking.

• Control your ball flight and commit to your shape—particularly on the exposed holes along the water.
• Capitalize when you get a calm stretch, because it doesn’t always last on the peninsula.
• Finish with intent. This championship has a habit of rewarding players who don’t protect a score—they go get it.

Past Champion Stories

• Mitchell Hoey’s thrilling final round to win (2025)
• Hartej Grewal wins in a playoff (2024)
• Edan Cui wins AmateurGolf.com Pacific Grove City Championship (2023)

The Closing Word

Pacific Grove is the kind of venue that can make you forget your score—right up until the moment it matters most.

With 104 players in the field and a stacked Championship division ready to take on the peninsula’s coastal challenge, the 2026 Pacific Grove City Championship is set up for two days of shotmaking, momentum swings, and a finish you’ll remember long after the photos are posted.

The Poor Man’s Pebble Beach is ready. Now it’s time to see who handles it best.