The Best Golf Courses in California
With almost a thousand courses to chose from, we’ve whittled it down to the top 10 best golf courses in California. We based this on a number of independently assessed factors to ensure only the highest quality courses and resorts in California made our top 10.
With it’s beautiful coastlines and naturally warm climate, it’s a no brainer that California is home to the second highest number of courses in the country!
1. CordeValle Golf Club
Address:
1 Cordevalle Club Drive, San Martin, California (CA) 95046, USAPhone: 408 695 4500
Website: Visit
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Rye grass
Slope index: 142
Course Rating: 75.0
Total par (men's tees): 72
Total yardage (men's tees): 7,169 yards
Scorecard: Link
Championships hosted: US Senior Women's Amateur, US Women's Open
Nestled in the countryside of San Martin, California, CordeValle is a golf lover’s dream and the ultimate choice for a golf vacation. Opened in 1999, the course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
2. Meadow Club
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Other grass
Slope index: 131
Course Rating: 72.7
Total par (men's tees): 71
Total yardage (men's tees): 6,602 yards
Scorecard: Link
Total size of golf course: 180 acres
A great golfing experience in harmony with the open, natural beauty of the Bon Tempe meadow, situated beneath Mt. Tamalpais. Opened in 1927, the course was designed by Alister MacKenzie.
3. Mayacama Golf Club
Address:
1240 Mayacama Club Dr, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, United StatesPhone: 7075692900
Website: Visit
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Rye grass
Slope index: 150
Course Rating: 74.3
Total par (men's tees): 72
Total yardage (men's tees): 6,759 yards
Scorecard: Link
Total size of golf course: 675 acres
Nestled in the hills of northern Sonoma County, California, not far from the charming town of Healdsburg, Mayacama is a private golf and residential community. Designed by Jack Nicklaus.
4. Rustic Canyon Golf Course
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Municipal Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Rye grass
Slope index: 128
Course Rating: 73.3
Total par (men's tees): 72
Total yardage (men's tees): 7,044 yards
Scorecard: Link
Total size of golf course: 350 acres
Rustic Canyon is an exercise in restraint with flat, wide-open fairways that fade into the native surroundings and bunkers edged with shaggy eyebrows of thick, drooping fescue. Opened in 2002, the course was designed by Gilbert Hanse.
5. Spyglass Hill Golf Course,
Address:
3206 Stevenson Dr, Pebble Beach, CA 93953, United StatesPhone: (800) 877‑0597
Website: Visit
Type of field: Links
Course access: Municipal Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Rye grass
Slope index: 148
Course Rating: 75.3
Total par (men's tees): 72
Total yardage (men's tees): 6,862 yards
Scorecard: Link
Championships hosted: Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Spyglass Hill Golf Course is rated one of the toughest courses in the world from the Championship tees. Opened in 1966, the course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
6. Martis Camp Club
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Rye grass
Slope index: 146
Course Rating: 76.7
Total par (men's tees): 72
Total yardage (men's tees): 7,751 yards
Scorecard: Link
Championships hosted: US Junior Amateur
The course is unique from other Lake Tahoe golf courses because of the way it so seamlessly blends into the High Sierra landscape. Opened in 2008, the course was designed by Thomas Fazio.
7. Pasatiempo Golf Club
Address:
20 Clubhouse Road, Santa Cruz, California (CA) 95060, USAPhone: (831) 459 9155
Website: Visit
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Municipal Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Rye grass
Slope index: 139
Course Rating: 72.6
Total par (men's tees): 70
Total yardage (men's tees): 6,439 yards
Scorecard: Link
Championships hosted: US Senior Women's Amateur, US Women's Amateur
Can a golf course exist in harmony with its natural surroundings? At Pasatiempo, it actually can. Opened in 1929, the course was designed by Alister MacKenzie and Tom Doak.
8. Olympic Club (Lake)
Address:
599 Skyline Blvd, San Francisco, California (CA) 94132, USAPhone: 415.404.4300
Website: Visit
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Rye grass
Slope index: 140
Course Rating: 74.4
Total par (men's tees): 71
Total yardage (men's tees): 6,842 yards
Scorecard: Link
Championships hosted: Tour Championship, US Amateur, US Junior Amateur, US Open
The Olympic Club enjoys the distinction of being America’s oldest athletic club. Opened in 1918, the course was designed by Sam Whiting, Robert Trent Jones, and William R. Love.
9. California Golf Club of San Francisco
Address:
844 West Orange Ave., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USAPhone: 650 589 0144
Website: Visit
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Bent grass
Slope index: 139
Course Rating: 73.2
Total par (men's tees): 72
Total yardage (men's tees): 6,735 yards
Scorecard: Link
Total size of golf course: 400 acres
Championships hosted: US Junior Amateur, US Senior Amateur
The land was part of the original Baden Farm and its rolling hills, timbered land and views of the bay created an ideal setting for a world class golf course. Opened in 2008, the course was designed by A. Vernon Macan and Kyle Phillips.
10. Pebble Beach Resorts
Address:
1700 17 Mile Drive,Pebble Beach, California (CA) 93953, USAPhone: (800) 877-0597
Website: Visit
Type of field: Links
Course access: Municipal Course
Length of play: 18-hole course
Type of grass: Bent grass
Slope index: 144
Course Rating: 74.3
Total par (men's tees): 72
Total yardage (men's tees): 6,828 yards
Scorecard: Link
Championships hosted: US Open, PGA Championship, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, PURE Insurance Championship, US Amateur, US Womens Amateur, Tour Championship
There are few golf thrills like teeing-up for the first time on Pebble Beach Golf Links. You sense the presence of golf’s biggest legends. Opened in 1918, the course was designed by Jack Neville, Douglas Grant and Jack Nicklaus.
