Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach
The Links at Spanish Bay
is celebrating its 17th anniversary this month. The Spanish Bay course is the
most underrated course in the 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach. Cypress Point, Spyglass,
and of course Pebble Beach get all the recognition. If it were on its own,
Spanish Bay would get much of the attention now bestowed on Bandon Dunes. “A
mean, hard-running course,” is how Robert Trent Jones Jr. described his
creation on the Monterey Peninsula. Trent Jones Jr. also designed our own
Rancho San Marcos. Constantly buffeted by ocean winds, The Links at Spanish Bay
is a rare true links course. PGA Star Tom Watson and former U.S.G.A. President
Sandy Tatum collaborated with Trent Jones Jr. on this seaside masterpiece. The
wind-blown seaside track calls for waist-high drives and low approach shots. We
were fortunate enough to catch it on a quiet day with lots of sun and little
wind. You can carry your own bag which we did; however, carts are also
available. The atmosphere on the first tee is much more reminiscent of a
private club. The starter was very accommodating and would certainly help you
arrange a game.
The first hole, a par 5,
shoots out toward Spanish Bay and sets the tone for the day. Tee to green, The
Links at Spanish Bay is not overly taxing. The greens could be very difficult
if they were running fast. Although several American-style holes require forced
carries across low wetlands, well-traveled golfers will find many Scottish
touches. Many holes feature Scottish-style greenside bunkers which will be
quite a test for the average player. Remember not to short side yourself on
this course and you will be OK. Native dune shrubs ring the entire layout. I
found several holes to be quite similar to the dunes holes at Cypress Point, including
the second, fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth, 10th, 15th, and16th at Spanish Bay. All in
all, I found it to be a tough, but fair course. There are four sets of tees:
Blue Tees at 6,822 yards, Gold at 6,422 yards, White at 6,043 yards, and Red at
5,332 yards. Future plans call for a driving range. At present, players can use
the range at Spyglass Hill. As a guest of Spanish Bay players can also make a
tee time at Pebble Beach or Spyglass Hill and convenient shuttle service is
available.
Spanish Bay is full of
rich golf experiences, but the highlight is the evening bagpipe serenade that
guests and golfers are treated to. At 4:30 p.m. every afternoon, an authentic
Scottish bagpiper performs within sight of the Lodge. This scene is straight
out of Michael Murphy’s “Golf in the Kingdom.” I was looking for the mythical Shiva
Irons to appear at any moment. This scene is best viewed from the seating
surrounding the outdoor, wood-burning fireplaces at the Lodge. This is, in my
opinion, the best view in the 17-Mile Drive. Looking over the course with the bagpiper
and Spanish Bay along with the 17-Mile Drive in the foreground, it is at this
moment you will feel you have arrived.
The Resort
The Inn at Spanish Bay
has received numerous awards including the Travel and Leisure Magazine Award,
which ranked it fourth for hotels in North America in 2002, Conde Nast Traveler
also ranked it fourth in North America. The Inn and Links at Spanish Bay opened
in 1987 with the objective of offering a first-class resort in one of the
world’s most stunning settings. There is no doubt this has been achieved. Since
it’s opening, The Inn at Spanish Bay has been voted the Number One Mainland
Resort three times by Conde Nast Traveler and has been the recipient of the
prestigious Mobil Five-Star Award.
Most of the 270 guest
rooms and suites are accentuated by beautiful views of the ocean, Del Monte
Forest and The Links at Spanish Bay.
It is situated within a grove of Monterey Pines at approximately 1,000
feet from the Pacific Ocean shoreline. There are 254 fully appointed standard
luxury rooms, at 566 square feet, 13 executive suites, one hospitality suite, one
governor’s suite and one presidential suite. There is also a 5,700-square-foot
ballroom as well as extensive meeting and banquet facilities.
The Lodge features
several restaurants including Roy’s, a Hawaiian-fusion fare venue with an
exhibition kitchen and spectacular views. At the Spanish Bay Clubhouse, Sticks
is available as a casual restaurant with a sports-bar theme. This would be a
great place to watch any big event with 10 or more flat screen televisions
throughout. Sticks looks out over the first fairway and the ocean. For more
information, please visit www.pebblebeach.com or call 800-654-9300.