Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Played Spyglass back in Two thousand aught two. This is the second RTJ write-up in a row I’m doing and where I said at Bellerive no particular hole stood out, well here the first five all stand out (above is the par three third). If you’d never previously played or weren’t in any way familiar with Spyglass, at the first few holes you’d think you’d be getting a steady dose of ocean front holes but that’s it. After five you climb into the woods and never see the ocean again.
When I think of RTJ I think 60’s and 70’s designs and Spyglass (probably his most famous design) is right there, opening in 1966. Besides some of his work, this was the dark period for golf course design according to most critics (and I guess I agree). However, I do like parkland and tree-lined fairways more than most critics so I’m not so dead-set against this period. What I didn’t know was that RTJ designed his first course in 1931 and his last in 1999. So really he spanned from the Golden Age of design right up until the new Golden Age. Pretty remarkable.
So back to Spyglass. Played this as part of our Coattails Gary tour. This is by far one of the toughest golf courses I’ve ever played. The first is a beauty of a beast of a par five. Four is one of my all-time favorite holes, which has a pickle-shaped green surrounded by mounds covered with ice plant. There’s probably a two club difference if the pin is up front or in the back of this green. The forest part of the course reminded me of Sahalee or Sahalee of it in that you are constantly negotiating tight trees on your drives and approaches.
The clubhouse here is almost like (or was almost like when I played it) a muni-type affair but it worked here. I wrote up about the area in my Pebble write-up and I want to add that this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime golf buddies trips that everyone should take. Granted it is gonna set you back the cost of a nice low-mileage used car but the courses will not disappoint. This is another place I’d retire but like a skid row connoisseur at a fine restaurant, my budget would probably mean just looking wantingly at the courses and not being able to dine. Unless they let me in at Cypress. And pay for my initiation.
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