Spyglass Hill is possibly the hardest golf course on the Monterey Peninsula. The hilly land tumbles down towards the sea, leaving fairways lined with cypress and pines, laced with areas of brilliant white sand.















Spyglass Hill is possibly the hardest golf course on the Monterey Peninsula. The hilly land tumbles down towards the sea, leaving fairways lined with cypress and pines, laced with areas of brilliant white sand.















5.5
Spyglass Hill is an exhilarating experience. Everyone knows the first five holes have incredible, sweeping ocean vistas, but what lies beyond those offerings are outstanding as well. Though I have never been, the par three 12th hole on Spyglass looks like it'd belong at Augusta National. Actually, you could say the same about the 16th. That's high praise, but this is a world class course. My only complaint about those heavily wooded final 13 holes is that you don't get another ocean view. Aside from that, they are just well designed, brutally difficult golf holes. If you have a similar experience, you'll see an abundance of wildlife, notably a boatload of deer who aren't afraid of your presence. Now that I have neglected them long enough, let's go back and review the first five holes. The opening par five is an interesting tee shot up top, but it all comes together once you walk down that hill and see what the next hour has in store for you. The second maybe isn't talked about as much as the other openers, but what a short par four that is. One of the great views in golf is the tee box of the par three third. Just to look down and see that green and the flowing ocean behind is worth the steep green fee. Consider yourself lucky to be in such a spot at that moment. The fourth has the funky, thin green and will probably be the hole you talk about the most; that is, unless you're like me and three putted. The fifth is another fun par three that caps your seaside links experience at Spyglass Hill. As others have noted, this is the hardest golf course on the Monterey Peninsula and should be treated as such. Even still, don't let that get in the way between you and this magnificent property. Let's put it this way: I wouldn't necessarily run you out of the room if you were of the opinion that Spyglass Hill is superior to its more famous neighbor, Pebble Beach.
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The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
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