The lure of courses a bit farther south in the Monterey, California, area—Pebble Beach and Cypress Point, say—usually reduces the Lightfighter Drive exit on Highway 1 to a passing blur. A shame really, since it took me to the recently renovated Bayonet Golf Course, which now belongs with other stellar renovations of public courss like Long Island’s Bethpage Black, San Francisco’s Harding Park and Brackenridge in San Antonio.

Long, hilly and tight, Black Horse justifiably had a reputation as one of the hardest courses in the area. The 7,014-yard layout is still difficult after a three-year makeover by Florida-based designer Gene Bates (who also made over Bayonet’s sister course, Black Horse), who added and redesigned bunkers, rebuilt the greens, re-grassed the entire course and oversaw the installation of an irrigation system.

Bates also took down some trees: The deep blue of Monterey Bay is now clearly visible from many angles previously blocked by trees. Still, there are plenty of pines lining each hole, and spraying tee shots will make pars as elusive as a Cypress Point invite.
 
Located at the former Fort Ord military base and opened in 1954, Bayonet owes its name to the 7th Infantry Light Fighter Division, which was known as the “Bayonet Division.”

The course climbs and falls over rolling land on the inland side of Highway 1. There are plenty of tough-to-judge uphill shots to greens, like on the daunting 476-yard 9th and the 419-yard 12th. But other holes, including the 387-yard 11th and the downhill par-3 17th, with its water views, provide better birdie chances.
 
The 527-yard closer is a beast, more so when it plays directly into a coastal wind, which was absent the day I played, allowing me get on in three for par.

Bayonet is a big, bold layout in eye-popping condition thanks to new grass surfaces. While playing Bayonet I also got glimpses of both nines of the 7,024-yard Black Horse, which opened 10 years later. Black Horse’s fairways looked a bit wider but from a distance the putting surfaces seemed more severely sloped.
 
There are bigger plans for Bayonet besides the golf. Residential lots are planned between the 4th, 5th and 9th holes. But actual construction, as well as plans for a luxury hotel, will depend on economic conditions.

For now, Bayonet remains an affordable option for the area—you can play three rounds at weekend rates here for less than one round at Pebble.