[Garland Bayley]

After seeing these quotes in The Courses of the PGA Tour by George Peper, I am wondering if the modern ball, and club improvements have served to tame Spyglass for the pros. In recent years we have seen the pros go way low there. It would be interesting to see the history of scoring there since the modern ball was introduced, and began being used there in 2001.

The quotes:

"Pebble and Cypress make you want to play golf. They're such interesting and enjoyable layouts. Spyglass Hill, that's a different. That makes you want to go fishing." Jack Nicklaus

"if it were human, Spyglass would have a knife in its teeth, a patch on its eye, a ring in its ear, tobacco in its beard and a blunderbuss in its hands. It's a privateer plundering the golfing main, an amphibious creature, half ocean, half forest. You play through seals to squirels, and dunes to pine cones, pounding surf to mast-high firs. It's a 300-acre unplayable lie." Jim Murray Los Angeles Times columnist

"They ought to hang the man who designed the course, Ray Charles could have done better." Lee Trevino

[Matt_Cohn]

A few things based on 50+ rounds there:


1. The longer par 4's like 6, 8, 9, 13, and 16 obviously play far shorter than they used to. That makes a huge difference.


2. In February, the course is soft and the rough is short. During the 2018 US Amateur, with firm greens and serious rough, it played almost exactly as much over par as Pebble Beach did (about +4.3).


3. The course has been made easier since not long after it opened, continuing through the present. There's more grass, more formalized bunkers where there used to be dunes on 1-5, no iceplant, and so on. It's a resort course, and while I don't want to say it's dumbed down (because it's still an awesome course with great greens!), it's not just equipment that's changed since 1966.


4. Should they choose, there is room to move back tees on 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16. Some would require a bit of construction, but the room is there.


5. As a side note, the 17th green was reconstructed over the summer (pic below), partially for maintenance and partially because most of it was unpinnable due to slope/speed. I've heard that #8 might be next, because the front half of that green is unusable, and the front half of #9 is barely usable as well.

[Adam Clayman]

Matt, Thanks for posting. I think I'm going to be sick.


Sacrilege!

[Matt_Cohn]

I think I'm going to be sick. Sacrilege!

Which part?

[Joel_Stewart]

Matt, Thanks for posting. I think I'm going to be sick.


Sacrilege!

It's the state of the game Adam. Every RTJ course has become easier.


Furthermore, the PB company spent quite a bit of money a few years ago to finally install a state of the art irrigation and drainage system. As a result conditioning has improved.


On a negative side, someone (possibly Fazio) took out all the iceplant which made 3,4 and 5 not as penal. The 16th, which was one of the hardest holes had the green reshaped to be much more receptive and they took out the tree at the corner of the dogleg.


I'm waiting for the PB company to move forward with the plan to rebuild the old clubhouse behind the 18th green and then switch the 9s.

[Niall C]

One of the few US courses I've played. I enjoyed it, especially the holes down towards the sea, and not just because of the views, but they were of a higher standard and more interesting. The inland holes, presumably including 17 but I can't recall the routing, were OK and nothing great in terms of design IMHO. I certainly don't recall seeing a green that I thought was so special it shouldn't be touched, not in the inland holes at any rate.

Did I miss anything ? I only played it once.

Niall

[Matt_Cohn]

I certainly don't recall seeing a green that I thought was so special it shouldn't be touched...Did I miss anything ? I only played it once.

Niall

Pick a couple of random numbers between 1 and 18 and I'll expound. 

[Matthew Rose]

How serious are they about flipping the nines?

[Matt_Cohn]

How serious are they about flipping the nines?

I've also heard that will definitely happen once they re-do the clubhouse area, which I think will be around the same time as they build the new hotel adjacent to Spyglass. I have no idea when that will be.

[Adam Clayman]

My reaction was to the 17th green and bunker presentation.


In it's former glory, #17 was, and likely still is, a short par 4. The defense and strategic merit of the hole was accentuated by the severely sloped sectioned green. The deep bunkering in front and hazardous looking nature of the rear bunkers, sent the proper signal, "don't hit it here".


When I was leaving the peninsula, I recall Bill Sendell being given the marching orders to get Spyglass up in the magazine rankings. Even then, I knew how misguided that impetus is.


It's good to see that the heart of their GCA acumen of the PB Co. is still well rooted somewhere near their rectum. Flipping the nines is about a bad an idea as I've ever heard. Why? Starting on #10 is no handshake. Switching the nines will lose the current ebb and flow in the sequencing. Creating an imbalance that will diminish the whole, imo.  But, to their credit, it might increase sales in the halfway house.   


Edit; 


If there was a way to conclude the course at #6, IMO, that would be a decent alteration to the routing, if climaxing in the dunes, is the ultimate desire.. #7 is a handshake and #5 as a penultimate, works. That would make #12 the first par 3 and the 6th hole in the round. The ubiquitous 3rd hole par 3, just seems too formulaic.

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