When the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur arrives at Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Dunes Course this October, the venue itself will be one of the week’s headliners. Here are five reasons this coastal classic stands out.

1) A Seth Raynor design finished by Robert Hunter

Opened in 1926, the Dunes Course began with Seth Raynor’s strategic templates and was completed by Robert Hunter after Raynor’s death. The course still reflects Raynor’s hallmark ideas—think Redan, Short, and Biarritz concepts adapted to coastal dunes and forest terrain.

2) It helped launch the Crosby “Clambake” era

From 1947 to 1964, the Dunes Course stood alongside Pebble Beach and Cypress Point in the Bing Crosby Pro-Am rotation. That pedigree cemented MPCC as part of one of the most storied neighborhoods in golf.

3) Two modern overhauls restored its Golden Age soul

Rees Jones addressed infrastructure and strategy in 1998, then the 2016 Fazio Design Group/Jackson Kahn work transformed the look and feel—adding sculpted dunes, varied green sizes, and a rugged links character that pushed the Dunes back into national Top 100 lists.

4) Greens, not length, are the real defense

The course stretches a modest 6,000-plus yards, yet plays to a championship-level difficulty thanks to demanding green complexes—some compact targets near 3,800 square feet, others sprawling past 11,000. Precision into these surfaces is everything.

5) The par-3 14th is coastal perfection

Just 138 yards on the card, the 14th plays across famed 17-Mile Drive to a green perched above the Pacific. Wind, firm turf, and tight surrounds make this postcard hole a potential round-wrecker.

The bottom line

MPCC’s Dunes Course is a restored Golden Age classic with modern championship bite. As the 2025 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur unfolds, expect strategy, precision, and coastal conditions to take center stage.