Bayonet Golf Course opened in 1954 on the grounds of Fort Ord, the U.S. Army training facility established in 1917 outside Seaside. The course was designed by General Robert B. McClure, the post's commanding officer, who named it after the 7th Infantry Light Fighter Division, nicknamed the Bayonet Division. Local golf professional Robert "Boots" Widener assisted with the build, and McClure even drew input from a young soldier named Ken Venturi. A left-handed player with a habitual slice, McClure routed several holes to suit his own game.

On the course

The course sits on rolling terrain lined with mature cypress, oak, and pine, with views of Monterey Bay from numerous holes. Its most famous stretch is Combat Corner, holes 11 through 15, a run of sharp doglegs that has long defined the round. After Fort Ord closed in 1994, the City of Seaside acquired the golf facilities in 1997, and in 2008 architect Gene Bates completed a roughly $13 million renovation across both Bayonet and the sister Black Horse course. Bates reshaped tees, fairways, and bunkers, replaced kikuyu and poa annua with Jacklin T1 bentgrass, and thinned trees to open up bay views. The routing was largely preserved, though several holes were re-sequenced and the par-3 17th was relocated.

Who it suits

From the championship tees Bayonet plays 7,104 yards to a par of 72, with a slope of 139 and a rating of 74.8. The Bayonet hosted the PGA Professional National Championship in 2012 and 2018 and has served as a PGA Tour Qualifying venue. It suits stronger players who can shape the ball both ways and handle firm, quick greens, though the post-renovation conditioning and bay vistas make it a worthwhile play for visiting golfers working through the Monterey Peninsula.

Architect: General Robert B. McClure (1954); renovated by Gene Bates (2008) · Opened: 1954