Daniel B.
Yelp
Spyglass Hill is a magnificent course and arguably makes for a better round of golf than its sister course Pebble Beach. Admittedly, I'd never heard of Spyglass until we booked our rounds at Pebble. This course kicked my ass. To date, I consider it one of the most challenging courses I've played and certainly one of the most memorable due to its difficulty. It didn't help that I wasn't having a good day, golf-wise.
I played with my dad and we were paired up with another twosome, a couple guys from Texas, and they had a forecaddie. We played in early August and the weather was perfect -- bright and sunny with temperatures during our round mostly in the 60s. I have never seen a course so beautiful yet so menacing. This is the kind of course that requires your A game if you want to have a good (and for competitive folks, enjoyable) round. Placing shots is at a premium. When it came to course conditioning, Spyglass was in noticeably better shape than Pebble, which we had played the day prior.
Compared to Pebble, I'd say this is an underrated course, but not really. It just has to live in the shadow of Pebble. Currently, Spyglass is ranked #10 in America's 100 Greatest Public Courses as rated by Golf Digest (Pebble is #1). It's ranked #45 overall among all public and private courses in the states.
From the tips, Spyglass measures 6,960 yards with a 75.5 rating and 144 slope. We played two tees in, from the whites, where the course measures 6,123 yards with a 72.2/132 rating/slope. Statistically, this is one of the longer courses I've played from the whites with an above average, but not extreme, difficulty. I ended up shooting a 107 even with the forecaddie's help from time to time. I lost several balls.
The course shifts from holes close to the ocean, with amazing ocean views, on the front nine to more inland-style style holes on the back. It's two completely different kinds of scenery. The front was more memorable and scenic to me, but that's because I'm used to playing holes like the hilly, tree-lined ones on the back in Georgia and the Carolinas (where I normally play). The first five holes at Spyglass play out and alongside the Pacific Coast before No. 6 takes you back in for good. The most memorable hole for me was No. 3, a medium-to-long range par 3 that plays downhill directly towards the ocean. It's a great view. The relatively short par-4 4th hole has really unique terrain and a long, narrow, and sort of cucumber-shaped green.
All 18 holes, from tee to green, were in outstanding shape. This was one of the most immaculate courses I've played on with lush fairways and perfect tee boxes and greens. If only all courses could be this finely manicured. There were even deer on and around the course, just like in the marketing photos. Spyglass is one of those courses that looks just as good in person as it does in advertisements.
I haven't played Spanish Bay or Del Monte so I don't know how they compare, but if you're making a trip to play Pebble Beach, then I think playing Spyglass Hill is a necessity too. They're pretty much an unbeatable one-two punch in golf. I'd love to return and play again some day.