Best Public Golf Course California

I think Spyglass is the toughest

Ranked number five on “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” list by Golf Digest for 2003 – 2004.

Spyglass Hill Golf Course takes its name from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Treasure Island, published in 1863. Local legend maintains that Stevenson once wandered the Spyglass area gathering ideas for his novels. A unique aspect of this course is that the holes are named after characters in Treasure Island. Hole names such as “Black Dog” and “Billy Bones” are hints for the unwary. As players attempt to master this difficult course, they may hear the laughter of pirates in the distance.

Spyglass Hill was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., as a part of the master plan for the Pebble Beach ocean front. S.F.B. Morse, founder of Pebble Beach Company, and chairman of the board of Del Monte Properties, envisioned a string of golf courses around Del Monte Forest’s shoreline. Morse commissioned Jones to design a course between Cypress point and Pebble Beach.

After six years of planning, Spyglass Hill opened on March 11, 1966. The design features two distinctly different kinds of terrain that influence the way the holes look and play. The first five holes roll through sandy seaside dunes challenging the golfer to carefully pick the safest path. The following 13 holes are cut through majestic pines with elevated greens and strategically placed bunkers and lakes to grab the errant shot.

Spyglass Hill is rated one of the toughest courses in the world from the Championship tees, boasting a course rating of 75.3 and a slope rating of 148. The PGA Tour consistently lists Spyglass Hill’s holes 6, 8 and 16 among the toughest on the tour, and during the 1999 United States Amateur, the stroke average of the field during medal play was in excess of 79.

“The Glass,” a local nickname referring to the slippery greens, is an annual co-host to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, formerly known as the Crosby. Spyglass Hill co-hosted the 1999 United States Amateur during medal play rounds, and hosts many other world-class professional and amateur events each year as well.

Located one mile west of The Lodge at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill Golf Course also offers putting greens and practice range.

18 Holes
Par: 72
Championship Rating: 75.3
Yardage: 6,862

Things to do Pebble Beach

Website: Pebble Beach

Spyglass Golf Course

Spyglass Hill Rd & Stevenson
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
(831) 625-8563‎

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