A Tale of Two Courses: Welcome to Spyglass Hill
The Greatest Meeting of Sand and Trees comes to GOLF+.
Situated along the picturesque Monterey Peninsula, Spyglass Hill Golf Club is a crown jewel in American golf. Known for its challenging layout, impeccable routing and rich history, Spyglass Hill offers an unforgettable experience for anyone that steps foot on the famed property. Step onto “Spy” and it doesn’t take long to recognize why many refer to it as the most underrated golf course in the United States.
Fast Facts
Location: Pebble Beach, California
Accessibility: Public
Year Opened: 1966
Architect: Ronald Trent Jones Sr.
Par: 72
Yardage: 7026
Tournaments Hosted: Co-Host of AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, 2 U.S. Amateurs (1999 and 2018)
The Greatest Meeting of Sand and Trees
If its sister-course, Pebble Beach Golf Links, is regarded as the “Greatest Meeting of Land and Sea”, it’s easy to see why Spyglass is subsequently known as the “Greatest Meeting of Sand and Trees”. While more than half of the holes at Pebble Beach run along or into the Monterey coastline, lead architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. took a different approach with the routing of Spyglass Hill.
The course essentially has two totally different personas. Your round opens with arguably the most stunning opening five hole stretch in golf, winding through the coastal dunes with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. After finishing up at the Par-3 5th hole, you quickly shift gears as the course transitions into the Del Monte Forest. Large dunes and ocean views are replaced with towering trees and narrow fairways to create a more tranquil - albeit more difficult - setting.
Signature Hole
4th Hole - Par 4 | "Blind Pew"
Robert Trent Jones Sr. calls the 4th hole at Spyglass Hill his favorite Par 4 that he’s ever designed. A dogleg left off the tee, anything left of the fairway ends up in the natural sandy waste area. The safe play off the tee is to hit a 220-230 yard shot towards the widest part of the fairway, leaving an approach shot around 150 yards. The more you can cut off the approach the better, as the green sits just 10 paces wide (at its most forgiving point) and nearly 50 yards deep with a large bunker protecting the area right of the green and waste area surrounding the rest.
For longer hitters, a 290+ yard tee shot is needed to cover the last of the dunes short of the green. A drive into the front right bunker is the place to miss should you pull driver off the tee.
Spyglass Hill is available for public play.
How Can I Play Spyglass Hill?
Just like Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill is publicly accessible for golfers to experience throughout the year, however tee times and accommodations are scarce and should be booked well in advance.
The most surefire way of securing your tee time at “Spy” is to book a stay at one of the Pebble Beach Resort hotels. Guests at The Lodge at Pebble Beach are able to book tee times at Spyglass up to 18 months in advance, while a stay at The Inn at Spanish Bay provide guests the chance to book their tee times 12 months ahead.
Golfers that are not staying at one of the Pebble Beach properties can also test their luck by calling the course and trying to schedule a tee time no more than 24 hours in advance.
A round at Spyglass Hill costs $495 for resort guests, and $495 plus a cart fee for non-resort guests.
Play Spyglass Hill in GOLF+!
The majority of golfers will never have the pleasure of getting to play Spyglass Hill in person. But now, golfers everywhere have the ability to experience the beauty and tranquility of Spyglass Hill Golf Club for themselves in GOLF+.
GOLF+ players can download "Spy" from the Meta Quest Store, or access it - along with more than 20 other iconic golf courses - by becoming a GOLF+ PASS Member.
