SPANISH BAY (LINKS AT)

The windswept dunes and native grasses create an authentic links experience rare on the Monterey Peninsula, where Robert Trent Jones Jr. routed holes through corridors of sand and scrub that feel lifted from Scotland's coast. The closing stretch along Asilomar State Beach delivers some of the most dramatic seaside golf in America, particularly the par-4 18th where Pacific swells crash just yards from the green. While purists appreciate the walking-only policy and bagpiper at sunset, it's the relentless coastal wind and firm conditions that separate pretenders from players.