Sea Pines Golf Resort opened in 1954 as Sunset Terrace Golf Course, a nine-hole amenity for the Sunset Terrace housing development in the bayside community of Los Osos and Baywood Park. A mid-1970s ownership change brought the current name, honoring the 100-plus Monterey cypress trees planted at construction that had matured into borders between the holes. Golf databases credit Glen Setting with the design, and the Setting family still owns and operates the resort today. The property covers just 27 acres on the Back Bay of the Morro Bay estuary, near the entrance to Montana de Oro State Park.

On the course

The par 31 executive layout measures 2,002 yards from the blue tees with an unusual shape: two par 3s to open, four short par 4s through the middle, and three par 3s coming home. The 361-yard third is the longest hole, and the finish is no pushover, with par 3s of 201 and 203 yards at the seventh and ninth. There is not a single sand trap on the property. The defense is wind off Morro Bay, the mature pines, cypress and eucalyptus, and firm, medium-paced greens that take a round or two to learn. Morro Rock and the estuary are visible from nearly every hole, with protected coastal dunes bordering the course.

Who it suits

The practical case is value and pace. GolfPass reviewers score its value 4.7 out of 5 and describe rounds as quick, fun and scenic, though some note conditioning gets thin in winter. The flat 27 acres make an easy walk, and three tee sets starting at 1,544 yards suit beginners, juniors and seniors, while the wind keeps better players honest.

Practice facilities include a driving range, two putting greens, a chipping area and a golf shop offering lessons. The resort calls itself the only Central Coast hotel set directly on a golf course, plus a bar and grill, FootGolf and disc golf, and anchors the Central Coast Golf Trail stay-and-play network. Pick it for a Morro Bay trip, a family round or an iron-game tune-up by the sea.

Architect: Glenn Setting · Opened: 1954