Spyglass Golf Course, Carmel-by-the-Sea

Somebody told me this is called “The poor man’s Pebble.” As in it’s less expensive to play than neighboring Pebble Beach. There’s NOTHING poor about Spyglass. Ok, it’s $150.00 cheaper than Pebble, but at $300.00 a round (w/out cart or caddy), I wouldn’t say it’s “cheap.” I rarely drop 300 bucks on a round of golf…actually, I’ve never dropped that much money on golf before this round.

Prior to playing Spyglass, I had probably played twice in the last 9 months – I did not shoot well, but it didn’t even matter. This course is soooo beautiful, and so well maintained. The first 6 holes all have great views of the Pacific before you turn inland for the remainder. On the second hole, you can look to the South West and see the unassuming white club house of Cypress Point Golf Club. Cypress was designed by Allister Mackenzie (same guy who designed Augusta). Cypress is always rated in the top 3 courses in America.

At any rate, Spyglass is a beautiful course, and if you’re not ready to cough up the $450+ to play Pebble, this is a great ‘alternative.’ Of course, if you can, you might as well play Spyglass, Poppy Hills, and Pebble so you can play the same courses as they do at the Pro-Am.