Straddling 17-Mile Drive along a coastline Robert Louis Stevenson once described as “the most felicitous meeting of land and sea,” lies a golfing diamond in the dunes: welcome to Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
In golf terms, there a few places on earth, quite like the Monterey Peninsula. Here, along a rugged stretch of California’s Pacific coast, the game has woven itself into the fabric of the land. Cypress trees cling to wind-battered headlands, fairways tumble towards white-sand beaches, and the roar of the ocean is a constant companion. To stand here with a club in hand is to feel the game at its most elemental.
Monterey Peninsula Country Club has a stellar list of neighbours. Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, and Spyglass Hill sit in close proximity – names spoken in reverent tones wherever golfers gather. The Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club has, in recent years, joined that conversation too — a Mike Strantz masterpiece that winds along the coastline in a sequence of unforgettable holes.
And yet, tucked just inland, lies the Dunes Course — the elder statesman of the club. It may not court the same attention as its showier neighbours, but it shares the same sand-based soils, the same briny air, and the same proud lineage. To play it is to be reminded that in this part of the world, greatness doesn’t always shout; sometimes it whispers through subtle contours, classic lines, and a quiet sense of place.
To celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary, The Dunes Course at Monterey Peninsula was selected to host the 38th US Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, the first national championship at the club since 1976. The Dunes will step out of the shadows of its illustrious neighbours, reaffirming its quiet but enduring and significant place in the story of American golf.
HISTORY OF DUNES COURSE AT MPCC GOLF
The Dunes Course owes much to the vision of Samuel Finley Brown Morse, a pioneer of the Peninsula who saw golf not as a disruption of the coastline but as a way to preserve its unobstructed ocean views. A Yale graduate, Morse first turned to Seth Raynor, who sketched plans for the course but died before construction began. Out of that misfortune came opportunity. Just a few well-struck irons away, Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Robert Hunter were shaping Cypress Point. While awaiting membership approval and funding for that project, Hunter stepped in to complete the Dunes — giving MPCC’s founding members a world-class course for $5 per month ($2.50 for military).
In 1947, the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am — the famous “Clambake” — expanded to a 54-hole rota of Cypress Point, the Dunes, and Pebble Beach. For 17 consecutive years the Dunes hosted the spectacle, its fairways alive with music, laughter, and the game’s greatest players. Though the tournament eventually moved on, the Dunes’ pedigree was firmly established. The decades that followed brought challenges of their own: clay soils beneath the sandy top layer complicated drainage, and in 1997 Rees Jones was called upon to restore Raynor’s vision. His raised greens, reshaped fairways, and tree removals improved playability in some respects, but left others yearning for something truer to the land.
RENEWAL AT Monterey Peninsula Country Club
That chance came in 2016, when Tom Fazio’s protégés Tim Jackson and David Kahn returned the Dunes to its rightful character. Their work reimagined the routing to capture the authentic sensation of playing among dunes — through forest, down towards the sea, and back again to the Spanish-style clubhouse. Today, the course blends history and modern craft, a reminder that Morse’s original dream of golf as a steward of the landscape still lives on. Holes 1 through 3 lead eastward toward the Del Monte Forest, often accompanied by herds of deer. The round begins with intrigue, but the thrill truly starts at the 4th hole.
This downhill par-3 stretches from under 120 to over 200 yards, depending on your tee, crossing a creek via Swilcan Bridge-esque walkways, to a vast yet deceptive green. Pins tucked into the back right can be invisible from the tee, but clever contouring makes them accessible. The Dunes quickly reveals itself as a 3D chess match. You cannot simply grip it and rip it here—targets are small, angles matter, and strategy rules.
This test of nous continues at the drivable par-4 5th, turning back west toward the Pacific. Local knowledge pays dividends here—miss long-left and you may escape trouble. But even reaching the green from the tee doesn’t guarantee fewer than three putts. Two brilliantly demanding holes early in the round whet the appetite for what’s to come, and the course does not disappoint. At the 6th green and 7th tee, you realise how high into the forest you’ve climbed—panoramic ocean views stretch out below.
The short-to-mid-iron par-3 7th plays harder than it looks; elevation, wind, and beauty conspire to pull shots astray. The 8th continues the drama with a floating downhill drive, then a short approach over a creek to a diagonal green. The 9th, the first par 5, punishes any wayward drive with out-of-bounds right and a creek left. But find the fairway, and a daring second shot tempts you into a natural amphitheater green tucked at the property’s edge. Every shot is memorable—a hallmark of great golf.
GOLF AND AWE: THE DUNES’ MEMORABLE BACK NINE
How often do you finish a front nine eager to play the loop again? Here, it’s tempting. But it would be criminal to miss what lies ahead. The 10th tee sits majestically atop the dunes surrounding the 9th green. From here, Monterey Bay is suddenly in play. Club selection for this delicate par 3 requires not just judgment of wind and elevation, but a pause to savor the setting.
That theme—golf meeting awe—repeats throughout the round. Relief comes briefly after the redan-style 11th with a visit to the newly renovated Dunes Shelter. To call it a halfway house is unfair—it’s now a restaurant with a patio, fire pits, and sweeping views. Even Pebble’s famed Hay’s Place would struggle to match this stop. Recharged, anticipation builds for the 14th hole. After a risk-reward par-5 13th, the day’s defining shot arrives.
Traffic halts on 17-Mile Drive as golfers cross the road to tees set into ancient rocks. The salt air stiffens the breeze. Distance matters less than the moment, though precision is still required to carry waves and craggy coastline. Tourists at Point Joe applaud both duffs and pure strikes alike, sharing in the thrill of golf on the edge of the continent. Among a Peninsula of legendary seaside par 3s, the Dunes’ 14th stands among the very best.
A MEMORABLE FINISH AT MPCC
The routing then turns inland—dunes to forest once more—as the round winds down. If the Mid-Amateur is decided here, it will be a spectacle. Perhaps the women’s game is now the truest showcase of classic courses. Modern men’s equipment has overpowered many historic tests, but here the drivable par-4 16th retains its bite. The corner guarded by tall cypress cannot simply be flown. Its slender green may be “reachable,” but holding it demands rare skill and touch. Like so many holes at the Dunes, it could be played 18 times in a day without revealing all its secrets.
At the home hole, the lion’s-mouth bunker in front of the green opens its jaws wide as you climb the hill and the clubhouse draws near. Melancholy sets in that the round must end—but comfort is close. The aromas from the clubhouse kitchens guide players from course to table, where five-star cuisine and patio views over the putting course await.
Monterey Peninsula Country Club: final thoughts
To walk the fairways of Monterey Peninsula Country Club is to feel part of something greater than the game itself. The ocean breeze carries the scent of salt and pine, cypress branches reach skyward in twisted defiance, and the dunes roll on as they have for centuries. Here, in the company of Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, and Spyglass Hill, the courses of Monterey Peninsula Country Club remind us that golf is not just played — it is lived, shaped, and cherished in places where land and sea conspire to create magic. Few landscapes could ask for a better steward than MPCC, and few clubs have embraced their role so completely.
No detail is overlooked at MPCC. From the warmest welcome in the parking lot, to a pro shop stocked with care, to immaculate greens and Pro V1s on the range, the club is a dream home for its members and a privilege for guests. When the women arrive for the Mid-Am or the men use the practice facilities ahead of the Walker Cup, the wider golf world will finally glimpse this gem in the Dunes. Is it America’s best 36-hole club? The Stranzophiles and members say yes, and Jackson-Kahn’s work has only strengthened the claim. One thing is certain: MPCC is every bit as impressive as its famous neighbors along arguably the world’s finest golf coastline.
Monterey Peninsula Country Club Map
Monterey Peninsula Country Club: Key Facts
Location: Pebble Beach, California, USA
Founded: 1925
Courses:
1. Dunes Course (1926) — Designed by Seth Raynor (plans), completed by Robert Hunter; later work by Rees Jones (1997), Tom Fazio, Tim Jackson & David Kahn (2016).
2. Shore Course (1961) — Originally designed by Bob E. Baldock; reimagined by Mike Strantz in 2003 to critical acclaim.
Membership: Private, invitation only
Clubhouse: Spanish Colonial–style clubhouse overlooking the Pacific
Major Tournaments:
-The Dunes course hosted Bing Crosby National Pro-Am (the “Clambake”) from 1947–1964 (rotating with Pebble Beach and Cypress Point).
-It was also hosted the Shore Course in 1965, 1966, 1977, and from 2010 to 2020, 2022, and 2023.
-MPCC Golf has also hosted four USGA Championships on the Dunes Course – the 1952 US Girls’ Junior, the 1958 US Senior Men’s Amateur, the 1968 US Senior Women’s Amateur, and the 1976 US Senior Women’s Amateur. The 2025 US Women’s Mid-Amateur on the Dunes Course is the fifth time MPCC hosted a USGA Championship.
Signature Features:
-Coastal setting among sand dunes, cypress trees, and Pacific Ocean vistas
-Two contrasting courses: the classic Dunes and the dramatic, modern Shore
-Known for its exclusivity and proximity to icons such as Pebble Beach and Cypress Point
Notable Neighbours: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Cypress Point Club, Spyglass Hill, Pacific Grove
Monterery Peninsula Country Club Scorecard
Monterey Peninsula Country Club: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which golf courses are at Monterey Peninsula Country Club?
The club has two highly regarded golf courses:
- The Dunes Course — originally designed by Seth Raynor and completed by Robert Hunter in 1926, later restored by Rees Jones and by Tom Fazio, Tim Jackson & David Kahn.
- The Shore Course — designed by Bob E. Baldock in 1961 and dramatically reimagined by Mike Strantz in 2003, now considered one of California’s finest layouts.
What is the Monterey Peninsula Country Club scorecard like?
- Dunes Course: Par 72, 7,089 yards from the tips, with classic Raynor-inspired hole designs and strategic bunkering.
- Shore Course: Par 72, at 6,942 yards from the gold tees, with coastal holes that showcase dramatic ocean views and bold Strantz artistry.
What is special about the Dunes Course at MPCC?
The Dunes Course is the elder of the two, first completed in 1926. It is a classic design that winds through dunes and forest before returning to the clubhouse. With recent restoration by Jackson-Kahn, it captures the authentic feel of links-style golf on the California coast.
What is special about the Shore Course at MPCC?
The Shore Course, redesigned by Mike Strantz in 2003, is widely celebrated as one of his masterpieces. It combines wild bunkering, undulating greens, and a breathtaking coastal stretch, making it one of the most photogenic and challenging courses in the region.
What does MPCC golf represent on the Monterey Peninsula?
MPCC golf represents a blend of tradition and modern creativity. The Dunes Course reflects early-20th-century classic design, while the Shore Course highlights contemporary artistry. Together, they embody the spirit of Monterey golf: strategic, scenic, and unforgettable.
Is Monterey Peninsula Country Club private?
Yes. MPCC is a private, invitation-only club located in Pebble Beach, California.
Who designed the courses at Monterey Peninsula Country Club?
The Dunes Course was originally designed by Seth Raynor and completed by Robert Hunter. The Shore Course was redesigned by Mike Strantz in 2003.
Can the public play Monterey Peninsula Country Club?
No. Both the Dunes and Shore courses are reserved for members and their guests.
Which course is better at MPCC — Dunes or Shore?
The Shore is regarded as more dramatic and scenic, while the Dunes offers a classic, strategic test. Both are highly respected.
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