Buying Into Tehama: What The Homesite Price Doesn't Buy You

If you write a check for eight acres in the hills above Carmel Valley, the average size of a Tehama homesite, do you also get a tee time? At Tehama, the answer is no, and it isn't a technicality buried in fine print. It's the central fact of how this community works, and it's the one detail that gets flattened every time someone describes the price of a homesite as if it were the price of a lifestyle.

Tehama sits on more than 2,000 acres above Carmel, split by an 18-hole course that Jay Morrish carved into the ridge in 1999 at the direction of Clint Eastwood, who wanted the golf routing to bend around the land rather than the other way around. Only 90 homesites exist across the entire property, ranging from 3.5 to 25 acres. That scarcity, combined with views toward Point Lobos, Monterey Bay and the Santa Lucia Range, is most of what buyers are picturing when they consider a purchase here. But the golf course, the clubhouse, and the wellness amenities that make up the rest of that picture sit behind a second, separate gate that no amount of real estate spend opens on its own.

Two Gates, Two Different Price Tags

Every credible account of Tehama's structure agrees on one point: golf membership is by invitation only, and it is never included with the purchase of a home or a homesite, regardless of price. Whether you're buying a $1.6 million raw parcel or a finished estate listed near $13 million, the golf club sits outside the transaction. You can own land inside the gates for years and still be waiting on an invitation that has nothing to do with your deed.

That distinction matters because Tehama isn't the only invitation-only club on the Peninsula, and initiation costs at this tier aren't small. Industry tracking of private club economics puts the average initiation fee among Carmel's private clubs at roughly $145,000, a figure that gives a sense of scale even though Tehama's specific fee isn't publicly posted. The club's own site confirms membership is private and by invitation, directing prospective members to contact the club directly rather than assume access comes standard.

What does come with most homesite purchases is something called a social membership, and this is where the language gets slippery.

What "Included" Actually Means

Read enough Tehama listings back to back and you'll notice the amenity language shifts depending on who wrote it. Some describe the social membership as simply included with purchase. Others describe eligibility for a social membership, which is a different promise. Still others spell out that access is subject to dues, fees, and the club's rules and regulations, which is the most accurate version and the one buyers should plan around.

The social membership itself is real and it's generous by most standards. It opens the Tehama Clubhouse, Callahan's restaurant, a fitness center with two swimming pools, a spa, tennis and pickleball courts, personal training, and guest suites for visitors. What it does not open is the golf course. A homesite purchase gets you a seat at the table and a locker in the gym. It does not get you onto the 18th green unless a separate, invitation-based process runs its course.

The gap between "included" and "eligible for, pending dues" is exactly the kind of detail a buyer needs before they anchor an offer to an assumed lifestyle. It changes the ongoing carrying cost of ownership and it changes what a buyer should ask the seller or the club to confirm in writing before closing.

Ninety Homesites, And Nobody Agrees On How Many Are Left

The scarcity story at Tehama is genuine, but even the exact count of what's left depends on which source you're reading and when it was published. A community blog post from early July 2026 put the number at 60 of 90 homesites sold, with a final phase of developer parcels being released. A property listing updated later that same month described more than 70 of the 90 as already spoken for. Both figures came out within roughly a week of each other, which tells you less about who's right and more about how quickly inventory is moving through a market this small. When a community only ever had 90 total homesites to begin with, a swing of even ten parcels is a meaningful share of what remains.

That final developer phase is being sold in parcels running from 3.5 to 25 acres, priced across a wide range depending on size, exposure and view corridor. Recent raw homesite listings have run from around $1.6 million for smaller or less prominent parcels up toward $4.7 million for larger sites with ocean and bay views. Finished estates carry their own premium, with one recently marketed home near $13 million once architecture, interiors and infrastructure like solar and battery systems are factored in. None of those numbers include what it costs to actually live the version of Tehama that shows up in the marketing photos.

Why This Matters When You're Comparing Tehama To Pebble Beach Or Carmel Valley

Buyers who put Tehama on a shortlist are usually also looking at Pebble Beach or Carmel Valley, and the comparison only works if you're pricing the same thing in each place. Pebble Beach ties its identity to golf access that, for many buyers, comes bundled with proximity to The Lodge and its associated privileges. Carmel Valley sells a more agrarian, wine country version of Peninsula life where club access isn't the organizing feature at all. Tehama occupies a different position entirely: the land is the product, the social club is a genuine but bounded amenity, and the golf course is a separate aspiration that money alone doesn't guarantee.

A buyer who treats Tehama's list price as comparable to a Pebble Beach price that includes a clearer path to golf is comparing two different products with one number. The honest comparison has to account for what each price actually delivers, not just what it costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does buying a home or homesite in Tehama guarantee golf club membership? No. Every source describing Tehama's structure, including the golf club's own site, confirms that membership is by invitation only and is never included with a real estate purchase, no matter the price paid.

What does the Tehama social membership actually include? Access to the clubhouse, Callahan's restaurant, a fitness center with two pools, spa services, tennis and pickleball courts, personal training and guest suites. It does not include use of the golf course, and it is generally described as subject to ongoing dues and the club's rules rather than a one-time perk.

How many homesites are still available at Tehama? Sources published within weeks of each other in mid-2026 put the number sold anywhere from 60 to more than 70 out of the total 90, with a final phase of developer parcels currently being brought to market. The exact remaining count shifts quickly given how few homesites exist in total.

If you're weighing Tehama against Pebble Beach, Carmel Valley or another Peninsula enclave and want a clear read on what a given price actually includes before you write an offer, that's the kind of question worth asking before you fall in love with a homesite. Michelle Hammons works this market closely enough to help you separate the marketing language from the membership contract. Request a private consultation to talk through what a specific Tehama property would and wouldn't get you.