The Links at Spanish Bay

• 🏆Top 100 Courses You Can Play — GOLF Magazine

Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Watson, and Sandy Tatum collaborated on The Links at Spanish Bay in 1987 — their deliberate attempt to build a true Scottish-style links on the Monterey Peninsula. The rolling fescue fairways, exposed dunes, and native-grass roughs were designed to play firm and fast, with the same ground-game character Watson had spent a decade celebrating on the European links. GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses You Can Play places Spanish Bay 47th. It's consistently recognized as a legitimate Top 100 public design. RTJ Jr. himself received the Donald Ross Award (the ASGCA's highest honor) in November 2024. Great second round on a Pebble Beach trip — a genuine links experience just up the coast from the iconic Pebble, without Cypress Point's private-only barrier.