If we needed to choose part of the nation with one of the best golf programs and situations, it’d be troublesome to confidently choose only one. However, California would most actually be within the dialog. Whereas Florida presents a tropical golf paradise and New York boasts a number of the nation’s most revered tracks, California, and its 900 programs (sure, 900!), supply a distinct sort of magic.
With visually gorgeous and ingeniously designed programs round each mountain or valley, there’s arguably no spot extra saturated with award-winning golf. From these skirting the rugged coast of the Pacific to the inexperienced splotches breaking apart the barren desert panorama, we’ve gathered one of the best golf programs in California that you just should see to consider.
The Greatest Golf Programs in California
1. Cypress Level Membership
Pebble Seaside
Alister Mackenzie’s masterpiece, Cypress Level Membership, has stood as a pinnacle of {golfing} excellence since its inception in 1928. Nestled on the Monterey Peninsula, it has earned its place amongst California’s best programs. In Golf Digest’s 2021-2022 rankings, Cypress Level Membership proudly secured the No. 3 spot, putting it alongside {golfing} legends like Pine Valley and Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership. It’s a prestigious group, and Cypress Level Membership is true at residence amongst them.
2. Torrey Pines Golf Course
La Jolla
Torrey Pines will not be solely the most effective golf programs in California, however it has additionally hosted quite a few skilled occasions. The tournament-caliber golf course, owned by town of San Diego, boasts 36 holes of public golf overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The course was named after the Torrey Pine, a uncommon tree native solely to the realm, and is now largely considered the nation’s premier municipal golf course.
3. San Francisco Golf Membership
San Francisco
After a sequence of renovations and restorations over the course of a century, San Franciso Golf Membership was and is among the finest golf programs in California. The membership occupies an beautiful piece of land, highlighted by rolling hills and towering pines.
Its quiet setting is exceedingly interesting, however the historical past of the membership isn’t fairly as unsuspecting. Its most well-known gap, the par-3 seventh dubbed the “Duel Gap,” was the location of the nation’s final authorized duel. Now, fairly than difficult one another, gamers are confronted with a downhill tee shot, a two-tiered inexperienced, and a handful of bunkers lengthy and left.
4. Pebble Seaside Golf Hyperlinks
Pebble Seaside
Extremely considered the No. 1 public course within the nation and one of the vital sought-after golf programs in California, a spherical at Pebble Seaside Golf Hyperlinks is on each golfer’s bucket listing. The timeless design is carved into the rugged California coast, simply steps away from the Pacific Ocean. With strategic bunkering, a prevalent wind, and the looming water hazard of the ocean, Pebble Seaside is the expertise of a lifetime.
5. The Olympic Membership
San Francisco
Established in 1860, when mail was nonetheless being delivered by way of horseback, Olympic Membership is the oldest athletic membership in the US and the most effective golf programs in California. And if there’s any spot that has really withstood the take a look at of time, it’s this gem nestled between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean. The membership boasts a complete of 45 holes of unforgettable golf, together with the Lake Course, the Ocean Course, and the Cliffs Course – a member-favorite, par-3 observe with postcard-worthy views of the Pacific.
6. The Los Angeles Nation Membership (North Course)
Los Angeles
Host of the 2023 U.S. Open, a 2010 restoration led by Gil Hanse has breathed new life into the fairways on the Los Angeles Nation Membership, the most effective golf programs in California. Initially designed by George C. Thomas, Los Angeles Nation Membership occupies a stunning piece of actual property nestled within the coronary heart of The Metropolis of Angels. The parkland-style course is simply as angelic with magnificent par-3s and the occasional view of downtown Los Angeles.
7. Riviera Nation Membership
Pacific Palisades
It solely took 15 completely different drafts of the course design to lastly attain what we see immediately at Riviera Nation Membership. Designed by George C. Thomas in 1927, the course has solely undergone one renovation in its nearly 100 years – a bunker revitalization led by Coore & Crenshaw. Riviera was constructed on what was initially a less-than-stellar piece of land among the many Santa Monica Canyon.
In the present day, it’s one of the vital celebrated golf programs in California. Positioned minutes away from Sundown Boulevard, Riviera has hosted a handful of main tournaments and is the annual host of the Genesis Open.
8. PGA West
La Quinta
With 9 completely different world-class programs and a handy location close to Palm Springs and Palm Desert, PGA West is definitely the most effective golf spots in California. Whereas the Stadium Course is the premier observe of PGA West, the remaining programs supply every kind of nice golf. From a style of the Scottish hyperlinks to lush fairways in opposition to a backdrop of the Santa Rosa Mountains, it’s straightforward to see why so many golfers proceed to return to PGA West.
9. Pasatiempo Golf Membership
Santa Cruz
Pasatiempo, designed by famend architect Alister MacKenzie, is a historic High 100 golf course in Santa Cruz, California. It was MacKenzie’s favourite structure, and he made his American residence there. In the present day, it’s a semi-private membership with tee occasions out there for public play, providing spectacular views of Monterey Bay. Conveniently situated close to 4 airports and inside an hour’s drive of Pebble Seaside and Spyglass Hill, Pasatiempo is a perfect vacation spot for golfers.
10. Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Pebble Seaside
Spyglass Hill is usually considered one of the vital stunning and most troublesome golf programs you’ll be able to play on a golf journey to California. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., the course boasts sweeping views of the Monterey Peninsula that current a prevalent ocean wind. Spyglass is of championship caliber, too, as co-host of the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am and the U.S. Novice Championships.
11. Half Moon Bay Golf Hyperlinks
Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay Golf Hyperlinks presents 36 holes of championship golf on the spectacular San Mateo County Coast, simply half-hour from San Francisco and San Jose. The Previous Course, designed by Arnold Palmer and Francis Duane, opened in 1973 and is a lush parkland structure with Pacific views, difficult doglegs, and water hazards. It’s hosted U.S. Open Qualifiers and encompasses a memorable ending gap.
The Ocean Course, designed by Arthur Hills in 1997, presents a conventional hyperlinks fashion design with agency fairways, native grasses, and gorgeous views. Its remaining three holes, a number of the finest ending holes in golf, are significantly notable, offering a difficult and scenic conclusion to the spherical.
12. Pelican Hill Golf Membership
Newport Coast
Pelican Hill Golf Membership boasts 36 holes of top-notch golf that winds by way of spectacular landscapes, providing awe-inspiring views at each flip. With every shot, you’ll end up immersed in the fantastic thing about the pure environment, nearly forgetting concerning the recreation at hand. The Ocean North Course treats you to panoramic ocean views from each gap, making each swing a scenic expertise. In the meantime, the Ocean South Course encompasses a panorama of sage and eucalyptus bushes that meet the deep blue sea beneath a cloudless sky.
13. California Golf Membership of San Francisco
South San Francisco
Established in 1918, The California Golf Membership of San Francisco, affectionately generally known as “Cal Membership,” started its journey in Ingleside. Nevertheless, the membership’s ambitions led it to buy roughly 425 acres of the unique Baden Farm down the Peninsula in 1924.
This new location, with its rolling hills, timbered land, and bay views, offered the proper canvas for a world-class golf course. The unique routing, designed by Willie Locke and A. Vernon Macan and opened in 1926, was later enhanced by the legendary Alister MacKenzie, simply earlier than his work at Cypress Level Membership. It was later restored in 2007 by Kyle Phillips who returned the course to its “golden age” design and is now the most effective golf programs in California.
14. Valley Membership of Montecito
Montecito
In 1929, Dr. Alister MacKenzie crafted a gem of subtlety and class: the Valley Membership of Montecito. In contrast to his extra famend designs, this course, with the development led by Robert Hunter, stands out for its understated class. Nestled in Montecito, it effortlessly blends into its pure environment. With the salty sea breeze and the solar’s heat embrace, it presents a really charming and peaceable {golfing} expertise, in contrast to another on the earth.
15. Monarch Seaside Golf Hyperlinks
Dana Level
Nestled on the spectacular bluffs of Southern California, Monarch Seaside Golf Hyperlinks stands as a testomony to the brilliance of grasp golf architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. This course is a uncommon gem, providing a singular mix of breathtaking pure magnificence and numerous challenges. With its prime location overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Monarch Seaside supplies not solely a good take a look at of golf but additionally attractive views of the surf breaks. It’s a great vacation spot any time of 12 months, however its common winter highs within the mid-60s make it an particularly wonderful winter golf vacation spot.
16. Bel-Air Nation Membership
Los Angeles
Bel-Air Nation Membership is among the finest golf programs in California, winding by way of the luxurious canyons of Los Angeles. This course is a real journey, the place golfers traverse mansion-dotted landscapes by way of a tunnel, an elevator, and a exceptional suspension bridge that spans a gulch on the par-3 tenth gap. The 18th inexperienced, set in opposition to the backdrop of this iconic bridge, presents a dramatic conclusion to your spherical.
Bel-Air’s design has developed through the years, touched by the fingers of architects like Dick Wilson, George Fazio, Robert Trent Jones Jr., and Tom Fazio. Nevertheless, in 2018, Tom Doak undertook a monumental job, erasing their work to revive Thomas’s unique imaginative and prescient.
17. Monterey Peninsula Nation Membership
Pebble Seaside
Monterey Peninsula Nation Membership is the place {golfing} goals come alive amidst the enchanting fantastic thing about the Monterey Peninsula. The membership is residence to 2 legendary 18-hole programs: the Dunes and Shore Programs, every with its personal story to inform. The Dunes Course, a Seth Raynor masterpiece courting again to 1926, is revered for its difficult greens and strategic bunkering. Then again, the Shore Course, a creation of the visionary Mike Strantz, mesmerizes golfers with its unimaginable views of the Pacific Ocean and dramatic seaside cliffs. Each tracks are persistently ranked among the many finest golf programs in California.
18. The Quarry at La Quinta
La Quinta
The Quarry at La Quinta is a {golfing} paradise the place championship golf meets unmatched magnificence, providing an unique expertise for its restricted 250 members. Designed by the famend Tom Fazio, the 18-hole Championship Course has been a mainstay on Golf Digest’s “America’s 100 Best” listing since its inception in 1994, standing as the one High 100 course within the Southern California desert. Its conditioning requirements rival one of the best on the earth, usually surpassing Augusta Nationwide and Pine Valley.
The membership additionally boasts a 10-hole brief course, ranked among the many world’s high 25 par 3 programs, and an 18-hole placing course. The membership’s historical past is as fascinating as its course, with the land as soon as being a county mine and gravel pit.
19. Mayacama Golf Membership
Santa Rosa
Nestled within the picturesque hills of northern Sonoma County, California, only a stone’s throw from the charming city of Healdsburg, Mayacama stands as the most effective golf programs in California. Among the many 200 programs bearing his title, Jack Nicklaus considers Mayacama amongst his absolute best creations. Its deep inexperienced fairways meander by way of valleys of gold and hills adorned with historical oaks, providing members a really rewarding and unforgettable {golfing} expertise.
20. TPC Harding Park
San Francisco
TPC Harding Park is an 18-hole, par 72 course nestled on the shores of Lake Merced in San Francisco. Harding Park has hosted a number of prestigious championships together with the 2020 PGA Championship, the Presidents Cup in 2009, and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on a number of events. The fairways are lined with towering cypress bushes, the contoured greens are a number of the finest within the west, and the gorgeous lakeside views full the expertise in your golf journey to California.
FAQs About {Golfing} in California
> How far prematurely ought to I guide tee occasions for my golf journey to California?
It’s really useful to guide tee occasions as far prematurely as doable, particularly for well-liked programs like Pebble Seaside, which may guide up months prematurely.
> How a lot does a golf journey to California price?
The price of a golf journey to California will fluctuate relying on the size of your keep, strategies of transportation, and which golf programs you decide to play.
> What are another actions I can get pleasure from throughout my golf journey to California?
California presents a variety of actions past golf, together with sightseeing, purchasing, eating, and outside adventures like mountaineering, biking, and seashore actions.
> When is one of the best time of 12 months to golf in California?
The climate in California is mostly favorable {for golfing} year-round. Nevertheless, the spring and fall months have a tendency to supply essentially the most nice temperatures and situations.
With timeless designs and unforgettable views, one of the best golf programs in California supply a golf expertise like no different. From the rugged coastal cliffs of Pebble Seaside to the plush fairways of Napa Valley, every course has its personal distinctive appeal and challenges that may stick with you lengthy after your remaining putt.
Make your subsequent golf journey unforgettable by experiencing one of the best golf programs in California fully stress-free. Get a free quote immediately to ship your golf golf equipment and baggage forward and allow us to show you how to plan the last word {golfing} journey.
