Played here today (8/7) as the last of a 3 course visit to Monterey, playing alongside GK member Alex R. and his two friends. Had very high hopes coming in and as usual with courses on the Peninsula, ... Continue »

Played here today (8/7) as the last of a 3 course visit to Monterey, playing alongside GK member Alex R. and his two friends. Had very high hopes coming in and as usual with courses on the Peninsula, I was not disappointed. Spyglass was as promised in every way, with even the weather working out (some sun, high 60’s, no wind). Some ocean holes, many forest in and outs, conditions were 10’s all around.

Tees: Played the whites and no issues here. Turf was soft enough to drive in the tees, par 3 holes were a tad chewed up but no more than expected. No issues here!

Fairways: Lush beautiful grass, similar to AstroTurf in its uniformity. Roll was fair, getting better as the day went on. Grass is cut in two directions (fairway views are phenomenal) so you know the line that divides them is dead center of fairway.

Rough: Grown out for an upcoming tournament, the stuff was gross. Grabbed your club hard and didn’t let go. Rough owns major property on this course!

Bunkers: 90% of the ones I was in were perfect; great soft sand. Some bunkers here are enormous, others slopes so badly you had to just take your medicine and lay up from the fairway.

Greens: Amazing. They rolled like glass; smooth and fast. Couldn’t tell you the stimp, but it was up there. Some breaks are dictated by the ocean outright, others are just wicked and pin placements today were deceptive and unfair.

ETC: Had a wonderful forecaddie (John) that helped tremendously! Course is C.P.O. so best to just walk it; hilly but doable. Staff was very friendly at all times. Saw cart attendant three times. Phone on 8 to call in your orders to the halfway house. Good grass range and chipping area. Course has everything you could want. Conditions are amazing right now.

I don’t have much to add to Matt’s excellent review of Spyglass Hill. Obviously with a top notch course the conditions are excellent as are the views. The only thing to really add is regarding the d... Continue »

I don’t have much to add to Matt’s excellent review of Spyglass Hill. Obviously with a top notch course the conditions are excellent as are the views. The only thing to really add is regarding the driving range. Players are allowed to use the large range/practice facility up the road at Pebble Beach. The other range is usually (90% of the time) on grass and has some practice bunkers, putting green etc. The range at Pebble even has it’s own mini-pro shop/coffee house in case you forget something like a glove, balls or the such. Just be prepared to take out a loan if you need a dozen.

I always enjoy playing The Glass and this time was no different. Matt and I already decided if we make the final at GK 15 we are holding the match at Spyglass Hill!

Played on 2/29/20 With Greg, Alex P, and Alex326 at 8:30 am. Huge shout out to Alex326 for playing with us and providing the dukes club price which was large discount off rack. I have always dreamed o... Continue »

Played on 2/29/20 With Greg, Alex P, and Alex326 at 8:30 am. Huge shout out to Alex326 for playing with us and providing the dukes club price which was large discount off rack. I have always dreamed of the day I would be able to play here and after 2 months of planning and addition of my brother Alex and good friend Greg we settled on leap day 2020. We kept watching the weather up to the 7 day cancellation notice to give the final go/no go. We ended up getting a solid morning partly cloudy day and about 55° with some 10-15 mph gusts but mostly after we played the unprotected ocean holes 2-5.

Three of us walked the course with Greg paying the extra $45 to ride due to a torn ligament in his foot (FYI it is always CPO). If you dont normally walk courses this course will take some energy on the up hill holes. I had a few moments where I was huffing and puffing but they provide benches at all tee boxes. Overall I walked around 7 miles with a push cart and it takes a toll but the views and walk through the trees make it worth it 100%.

As for the course and its conditions from the moment you arrive you are treated with world class service. There was a bag man who greeted us at the car and gave us all of the information of where to go. The club house is small but practical and per Alex326 Spyglass was meant to focus on the golf not a flashy monstrosity of a clubhouse. This was a simply one story maybe 2000 sq. ft. building. Range balls were included and I was supprised to see they were Taylormade TP5's. Today the range was on the mats which was a slight bummer but they were nice to hit from. The practice green was large and provided the exact conditions found on the course.

We walked off the first tee right on time and our wonderful round was underway. The conditions looked spectacular from the first tee as all tee boxes had plenty of level and lush grass. We chose the white tee's due to difficulty of the course compared to our handicap and I think they were the right ones to play from. From the elevated tee's you were presented a two tone fairway with the grass mowed in one direction on the left and the other on the right providing amazing pictures. It also helps you follow the middle of the fairway if you just follow the line. The Rough was penal and around 3" thick and I sure had issues on the first two holes judging how hard I needed to hit in order to pick my shots clean. Sand traps were very nice and I found a lot of the green side versions however I did find two that had a hard clay layer about 1.5 inches down which made floppy sand shots difficult. As for the greens I dont think I have ever given a 10 out of 10 but I could not find a single issue on the course. They were slightly firm, quick, and rolled perfect. I honestly think they were the best I have ever played.

After the round the staff is waiting for you so they can clean you clubs and they air blast the grass off you shoes and for those with ticklish feet they put the nozzel in the shoe and blast away too which feels amazing but odd at the same time. The offer you bottled water and they give you a nice heavy metal bag tag as a souvenir.

I put this course at number 1 all time over the likes of Wolf Creek, Cascata, grizzly ranch and the 175 other courses I have played. I would honestly pay the full rack rate in a heart beat to play here again and I can see why everyone loves this course. One down side to the course is the rates for refreshments including alcohol. A jack and coke is $17, powerade's were $7 and cokes are $4. A hot dog and fries costs 11.50 after pre-added gratuity. It is expected but very expensive for booze. If you have not played spyglass dont hesitate if given the opportunity I'll be back!

Played Spyglass Hill on Thursday with the rest of the gang. We had some weather to deal with but other than about a 20 minute period where the rain really came down along with high winds, it wasn't t... Continue »

Played Spyglass Hill on Thursday with the rest of the gang. We had some weather to deal with but other than about a 20 minute period where the rain really came down along with high winds, it wasn't too bad. I have to say how well the course held up to the rain. No standing water on the greens (in fact they were even watering the greens) and the fairways were excellent. Yes it was lift, clean and place, but the fairways were still a joy to hit from.

Greens were nice as well. As the others mentioned there was a very light top dressing on them but it didn't really affect the putts. They still rolled smooth at a medium pace. Tee boxes were excellent and the sand traps were as good as you could expect in these conditions.

Other than that 15-20 minute period of high wind and heavy rain, it wasn't all that bad. JohnnyGK had a 15 footer for eagle, I had 6 pars (2 birdie putts lipped out), Deepsea14 had his usual barrage of 1 putts (with his share of pars as well) and of course RGM2525 was down the middle all day long giving our forecaddie a reprieve from his side job as a search and rescue member! And speaking of our forecaddie, Cody is one of our regular caddies and he earned his stripes Thursday. How he kept track of so many stray balls is beyond me! Especially when we routinely had at least one ball on each side of the fairway.

The Glass is still one of my all time favorite tracks and I have to agree with JohnnyGK. It's my second favorite course behind Pebble Beach. It was so awesome to play them back to back with RGM2525 and JohnnyGk.

Final round of my dream Monterey trip was at Spyglass joined by rgm2525, Alex362 and Deepsea14. Awesome time with those guys. I had played Spyglass before for the first time two years ago in the summe... Continue »

Final round of my dream Monterey trip was at Spyglass joined by rgm2525, Alex362 and Deepsea14. Awesome time with those guys. I had played Spyglass before for the first time two years ago in the summer and loved it. I loved it again but different experience this time as we had some gusty winds and rain to start off. Also the golf course was very saturated and unfortunately they had lightly sanded the greens recently (no punching). It was very strange leaving putts short most of the day at Spyglass due to saturated greens/wet sand layer. Unfortunately the combination did detract from the experience given the expectations. However we had a great forecaddie (Cody) that helped the best he could with the wet conditions. He helped us read the inconsistent green speeds well and was excellent at finding wayward shots that in some cases were plugged lies. Super guy with a fun personality.

Spyglass, despite the out of norm conditions we had, is still a bucketlist experience and one I am so happy I’ve got to experience a second time. The layout is now my second favorite only to Pebble Beach so you can guess where I will be playing someday a lot of golf after I win the lotto – LOL. It is sort of mystical if that makes sense playing among the beautiful peninsula forest and wildlife. So easy to get lost in thought and take it all in.

My rating for Spyglass from a playing conditions standpoint is lower than norm for sure but I always rate a golf course on how I experienced it that day. Can’t wait to return. Will be posting some photos soon.

Played 1/9/2020 early morning second group out. There are reasons green fee deals can be found this time of year in Monterey. The four hour weather window in which we played was the most severe in a... Continue »

Played 1/9/2020 early morning second group out. There are reasons green fee deals can be found this time of year in Monterey. The four hour weather window in which we played was the most severe in a 5 day period. Temperature high 40's to low 50's Wind 14mph with gusts to 20-25+ partly sunny to sideways driving rain showers.

Now I will describe the course and how fun it was! Course is in great shape considering what mother nature has thrown at it. In the last month 11" of rain including 1/4" the night before our round. They have a swarm of maintenance crew daily prepping for the pro event 2/4-9th. Unlike the jewel down the road (Pebble) Spy can be described as a golf focus only facility. Simple pro shop and snack bar large practice putting green and good range area.

Rough wet and sticky aforementioned rain had soggy areas in low spots. Fairways great and bunkers variable. One fairway bunker on 10th like curing cement but ball sat up well. Green-side thicker sand with wet top layer. Best to play lift clean and place everywhere other than hazards this day. When the course dries out it should quickly return to top notch conditions as it normally plays I'd expect.

Greens were top dressed with finest grain sand and have been micro-spiked many times to promote drainage and keep high quality surface. Putted medium fast. Every green had a hand squeegee roller in the fringe. Very fair and some unusual shapes (4th) and sizes no huge undulations.

Played third hole straight into 2+ club wind from 131 yards in the sun. By the time we tee'd off 4 driving rain shower that stopped before we putted out. Turning back up hill in the forest on 6th was a relief.

Overall a recommend at the rate we paid and the company I played with. My rain suit which I purchased in May for possible June use was finally needed and kept me warm and dry. At the end they not only wipe down your clubs, they service your shoes with air and clean towel and presented you a complementary bag tag . By then the sun was out and a Sculpin IPA (F&B $$$$ with 17% gratuity added automatically) enjoyed on patio near 9th green before I went to Pebble Beach and viewed the 18th hole in absolute perfect golf weather conditions.

I enjoyed a fantastic early morning round at The Glass! In short the course is in fantastic shape. A perfect 10 tee to green. We tee'd off a little before 7:30 in cool temps with a little fog. By ... Continue »

I enjoyed a fantastic early morning round at The Glass! In short the course is in fantastic shape. A perfect 10 tee to green. We tee'd off a little before 7:30 in cool temps with a little fog. By the time we got to first green the fog had already lifted. The rest of the round was in perfect sunny conditions with little to no wind. The swell was up producing some huge waves making the setting surreal. Tee boxes ranged from a 9.5 to 10. Fantastic all around with no unfixed divots. Fairways were immaculate. They were a dark lush green throughout. Never a thin or brown spot to be found. Fairways were easily a 10+. Rough was also nice and lush. Cut to about 3". The sand traps were so perfect that a 10 rating isn't a high enough rating. Traps consisted of super fluffy crystal white sand. Greens were also perfect. They rolled smooth, fast and held well struck approach shots. If you Google the definition of perfect golf course conditions, a picture of Spyglass Hill from today will appear. Just absolutely spectacular. I posted a handful of pictures to the app and will upload them here a little later.

Played last Sunday as a 3some, teeing off at 9:45am. As expected this time of year, it was completely fogged in. Visibility was about 150yds for the first hour. Surprisingly, the course was not very ... Continue »

Played last Sunday as a 3some, teeing off at 9:45am. As expected this time of year, it was completely fogged in. Visibility was about 150yds for the first hour. Surprisingly, the course was not very busy at all, we never had to wait on the group in front, nor get pushed from groups behind us. As mentioned in the previous review, the fairways were punched, but you can’t tell. Other than maybe a little loss in rollout on the drives, the fairways were excellent.

The greens were in fantastic shape. All greens rolled extremely well, fast, smooth, and held the approaches. No pitch marks or bad spots at all. This is exactly what you should expect for a course that costs this much. I’ll also echo the notes on the temp 17 green. If you can drive it well, this is a reachable par 4 with plenty of bailout to the left. The green itself is tiny, but you wouldn’t know it’s a temp, it played perfectly true. Behind the ropes was the real 17 green, which is so lush it looked like Augusta. Should be amazing once they reopen it.

Overall, the course was extremely challenging but fair. Course condition as fantastic, as was the service. Definitely an experience whether this is your first or return visit.

After riding 20 of the last 23 days during the Tour de France, I can finally get back to playing some golf. I figured there's no better place to get back on the horse than The Glass. Tee'd off this ... Continue »

After riding 20 of the last 23 days during the Tour de France, I can finally get back to playing some golf. I figured there's no better place to get back on the horse than The Glass. Tee'd off this morning just before 9am in the traditional cool damp fog. Is there any better way to play this place?!

The pro shop forewarned us that the fairways had been punched and there is a temporary green on the 17th while they flatten out the regular green to make it more manageable for the pros. NOTE: The temp green is small but a true green with the same grass and speed as the others. The normal green should be up and running in about 10-14 days.

Course conditions remain top notch all around. Greens were spectacular. Smooth, pitch mark free and rolling at a medium-fast speed. Just the way you want them. Greens easily held a well struck approach shot.

Even with the aeration holes in the fairway, I never had a bad lie. In fact other than looking at them while walking from the tee box to my ball, I wouldn't have noticed it. Fairways were dark green in color and lush offering a great flattform to hit from.

Rough was thick. Only about 2"-3" tall but very thick. Getting a hybrid on the ball proved to be a challange at times but irons were manageable. Skirt areas around the greens were top notch. always presented a good lie. I had an amble sampling of bunkers on the front nine and can tell you that the sand was excellent everytime. I never once had an issue coming out of the traps and I'm a terrible bunker player.

Tee boxes were the low point. Last time here, the tee boxes were like manicured artificial turf they were so perfect. This time they was nice (level and lush) but nothing spectacular. A couple of the par 3's had a number of divots.

POP was just a tad over 4 hrs. Not bad considering it was busy as usual and we were backed up by the third hole. It quickly eased up (my triple bogey on #4 probably helped) and we only had minor waiting one or two other times the rest of the day.

Spyglass is always a great course that offers excellent conditions and service. As I mentioned before The Glass is all about the golf. And great golf it is!!