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Links target golf in California
The Links at Spanish Bay is part of Pebble Beach Resorts with it’s numerous golf courses; Pebble Beach Links, Spyglass Hill, Del Monte and The Links at Spanish Bay.
The Lodge at Spanish Bay is a very pleasant experience in itself, with its facilities, restaurants, etc. Watching the sunset on the large outdoor terrace with its fireplaces is magic and the bagpipe playing Scotsman just adds to the magic.
The Links at Spanish Bay is an enjoyable experience. It’s a links hybrid with most of the holes having a scenic ocean view and a few holes inland. It’s also more like target style golf played on a links like golf course. The wind from the pacific will determine just how difficult it’ll be. The rugged beautiful Monterrey coastline can easily distract you at any time.
The course is a top condition, the variation of the holes are good and enjoyable to play. It may not be the toughest test of your game, but well worth playing as a warm up for the other more testing Pebble courses; Pebble Beach Links and Spyglass Hill.
The following holes comes to mind as the more memorable ones:
Hole 5 – 411 yards par 4
This is a risk and reward hole with three deep fairway bunkers 200 to 230 yards off tee. Play it safe to the left of the bunkers or go for it on a tight line to the right. Regardless of which you’ll have an approach shot right in to the wind from the Pacific to a small green right by the Pacific – great hole. Played it aggressive to the right, second shot short of green, pitch and two put for a bogey 5.
Hole 7 – 412 yards par 4
The fairway is divided in two areas and you need to be very precise on the tee shot to have a reasonable good chance to get on green on the second shot. A good shot off tee is a 250 yards shot straight down the middle avoiding the two fairway bunkers to the right. You’ll then have a 160 yards shot right into the wind to a green just by the Pacific shore. A very good fairway wood 240 yards on the left hand side of the fairway, 3-iron short on green, missed the 20 foot birdie foot, but made a solid par – well played.
Hole 14 – 546 yards par 5
Breathtaking view from tee with the Pacific in the background. Generous fairway working itself down to the ocean and the green. Be aware, you’ll have out-of-bounds to the left and marsh and willow to the right. Drive in the semi rough, 4-iron avoiding the fairway bunkers, 8-iron to 10 feet form the pin, missed the birdie put, but got a par.
Hole 17 – 376 yards par 4
Not a long hole, but precision is what you need and in particular off tee. You need to carry over the dunescape to reach a narrow landing area with plenty of bunkers to the right. The green is elevated and slopes from rear to front – difficult to stick the ball on the green. Badly hit fairway wood found the semi rough, 4-iron from 190 yards found wasteland just off green, bad wedge just short of green, knocked the ball in the hole with a good touch from an 8-iron (my favorite club around the greens). Did not deserve a par.
I had the pleasure of playing with a couple from South Korea. The man was playing The Links at Spanish Bay as a warm up for the FedEx challenge at Pebble Beach Links and Spyglass Hills the following two days. We had a very enjoyable game of golf.
I’m very pleased with how I was striking the ball today. All clubs worked really well and the few times I was in difficulty, I managed to make good recovery shots. A very solid 2 over par 37 on the front nine and a 4 over par 41 on the back nine for a total of 78 shots (gross).
It looks good for my coming two games at Pebble Beach Resorts; Spyglass Hills tomorrow and Pebble Back Links the day after that.
The Links at Spanish Bay
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