Spanish Bay Bagpiper
DETAILS:
Location: The Inn at Spanish Bay - 2700 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
Bagpiper Times:
Mid-November to January: 4:30PM to 5:15PM
February to Mid-March: 5PM to 5:45PM
Mid-March to Mid-November: 5:45PM to 6:30PM
Parking: Free parking lot on site.
Cost: Free! (not including any food or beverages you might buy while watching from the patio of Sticks Restaurant)
Time Commitment: The bagpiper plays for approximately 45 minutes, traversing from the 1st tee to the 2nd green, so you’ll only witness about 15-20 minutes of the performance if you don’t follow the bagpiper along their walking route.
MISC:
Dogs are welcome on the patio.
Jim Nance may have been referring to The Masters when uttering the phrase “a tradition unlike any other”, but those same words could apply to the bagpiper of Spanish Bay. Located on Pebble Beach’s famed and picturesque 17-Mile Drive, connecting Carmel to Monterey, The Inn and Links at Spanish Bay has featured this daily bagpiping tradition ever since it first opened its doors back in 1987. Rumor has it that the inspiration came from 5-time British Open champion; Tom Watson, who commented that the golf course looked so much like Scotland (which it does!), that he could almost hear the bagpipes playing. The rest is history.
Occurring every day prior to sunset (times listed above in “details”), the bagpiper begins his/her 45 minute set on the first tee and finishes on the second green, playing some typical (Amazing Grace) and not-so-typical (we heard the Top Gun theme during our visit) bagpipe selections. For visitors not staying at the resort, you can watch the performance for free from the patio of Sticks; one of the restaurants at the Inn. They don’t take reservations on the patio so it’s a first-come-first-served policy. Complete with fire pits for those colder days and a great selection of food and drinks, the patio frames the bagpiper perfectly and makes for a great dining choice if you want to kill two birds with one stone. Either way, Tom Watson was definitely right!
RESOURCES:
The Inn at Spanish Bay website.
