Long ago, Scottish polo players longed for a game where they could explore scenic terrain, ride an obedient mechanical horse, and wear more courageously plaid knickers. Marvel in their subsequent invention with today's Groupon: for $80, you get 18 holes of golf and an introductory Northern California Golf Association membership from Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach (an up to $236 value). Cart rental is an additional $18 charge.

Idyllic, sweeping greens entwine with the Del Monte Forest to create an unforgettable 6,857 yards of play at the par 72 Poppy Hills course, the former host of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The acclaimed design by Robert Trent Jones II accommodates players of all skill levels with four teeing areas on each hole. Take an online tour before aiming for the course’s welcoming fairways, maneuvering around its treacherous sand traps, and discussing club selection with its majestic trees. Par-seekers can visit the on-site pro shop to stuff their bags or hit Porter's Grill to restock their bellies.

After slicing your way across the well-tended turf of Poppy Hills, take advantage of an NCGA intro membership—a year-long online enrollment, not specific to any club—to tee up at lower rates at any of 90 participating NCGA courses. Participating courses offer special evening prices to members, as well as free clinics where misguided form is captured, rehabilitated, and released back into society.

Course aeration is scheduled for March 7, 2011 - March 8, 2011.

Reviews

Golf magazine named Poppy Hills Golf Course No. 24 in its list of California's 100 best public courses in 2010, and GolfCalifornia reviewed the course. Six Golflink reviewers give Poppy Hills an average of four stars, and 22 Yelpers give the course a five-star average rating.

• Judged on its own, Poppy Hills is a very good golf course. When I played it in May, it was in outstanding condition, including the Poa annua greens, which were as good as any on the Peninsula. – Mike Bailey, GolfCalifornia
• The course is in great shape for how much play it gets. Greens are pretty quick for a muni and the holes are beautiful. – j s., Yelp, 5/7/10