Cypress Point Golf Course

Few courses anywhere earn the reverence that Cypress Point commands. Alister MacKenzie designed it in 1928, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest golf courses ever built — routinely appearing at or near the top of every serious world ranking. The private club on the Monterey Peninsula draws comparisons to Augusta National and Pine Valley not merely in prestige but in the sense that playing it feels like a privilege the game rarely grants.

MacKenzie's routing moves through an almost implausible sequence of landscapes: woodland, heathland, sand dunes, and finally the raw Pacific coastline, where the course reaches its dramatic peak. The 15th, 16th, and 17th holes along the cliffs are among the most photographed and discussed in golf, the 16th in particular — a carry over open ocean — representing one of the game's most audacious design moments.

Cypress Point was part of the old Bing Crosby Pro-Am rotation before withdrawing in 1991 over a membership dispute. It has remained intensely private ever since, which only deepens its mystique.