This year I’m hoping to play a few higher end courses in Northern California, as I am on the job hunt. I know most people wouldn’t advertise that fact and I normally wouldn’t either, but I work in a family business so it is a safe subject!

One of the specials the Northern California Golf Association ran was an off-season round at The Links at Spanish Bay for $160, with a $50 gift card to the proshop. Not bad at all considering that the course normally goes for more than $250!

A friend joined me on what turned out to be a perfect weather day! We got to the course a little early and found out that there is no driving range on site to hit balls to warm up. However, that isn’t a deal breaker for me. That aside, from the proshop the view of the ocean and course grabbed my attention right away and never let me down!

I would divide the course into three parts. Just about every hole on the front nine has an ocean view, the 10th through the 14th play through the coastal trees, and then the closing holes play out by the ocean again.

I played the blue tees at 74.2/142/6821 which is too much golf course for me to put up a good score, but at a place like this the score has very little to do with the enjoyment of the day.

The course starts out with a couple easier holes, which is always nice when trying to get into a rhythm. The 1st is a 500 yard par-5 with a tiered fairway and the possibility of getting on or around the green in two shots. The 2nd is a 307 yard par-4 that is all about getting a short iron close to the flag on a green with some interesting slopes.

The 8th is a 158 yard par-3 that is super close to the ocean. Seventeen Mile Drive runs right by the 7th and 8th so there is plenty of non-golf related activity with tourists passing by and people doing all sorts of other recreational activities.

Then, the course then works its ways into the trees which is a more traditional Monterey setting (think Bayonet and Black Horse). The wooded holes narrow things and I found this stretch of holes tough to play.

Finally, the course heads back out towards the ocean with some parallel closing holes. The 17th is a 413 yard par-4 that reminded me of the 17th at Bandon Dunes when it came to the scenery. The closing hole is a 574 yard par-5 that needs three big shots for a decent birdie putt. The last hole doesn’t finish along the coast and I thought it was a bit unspectacular, compared to the previous four holes.

There isn’t much to say about the maintenance besides that everything was in great shape, as it should be for the price! Overall, Spanish Bay is up there as one of my all-time favorites and if someone can stomach the price, the experience is worth it.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):