California Golf Course Reviews
Fast times and greens at Royal Vista Golf Club near Los Angeles
Royal Vista Golf Club, a 27-hole daily-fee complex in the heart of southern California, churns through golfers at a steady rate. The 50-year-old Ted Robinson, Sr.-designed course combinations aren't long, but the greens are extremely challenging. That makes Royal Vista a great place to work on your short game, Mike Bailey writes.
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The Golf Club at Terra Lago: A unique mesh of resort and rustic play in Indio
With a spread of diverse and sprawling terrain, the two courses at The Golf Club at Terra Lago in Indio offer some of the most unique grounds in the Coachella Valley. Though the South charts as the tougher of the two courses, the North is the more engaging track, Judd Spicer writes.
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Historic Pasatiempo Golf Club still packs a punch, just the way MacKenzie wanted it
Pasatiempo Golf Club, which opened in 1929, is the work of world-renowned course architect Alister MacKenzie. The regulars boast MacKenzie wrote in his memoirs that Pasatiempo's back nine is "the best I have ever built or seen." Even in the era of oversized drivers, MacKenzie's setup still offers a stern challenge, Wes Gilbertson writes.
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The Golf Club at Terra Lago: A unique mesh of resort and rustic play in Indio
With a spread of diverse and sprawling terrain, the two courses at The Golf Club at Terra Lago in Indio offer some of the most unique grounds in the Coachella Valley. Though the South charts as the tougher of the two courses, the North is the more engaging track, Judd Spicer writes.
... full article »Historic Pasatiempo Golf Club still packs a punch, just the way MacKenzie wanted it
Pasatiempo Golf Club, which opened in 1929, is the work of world-renowned course architect Alister MacKenzie. The regulars boast MacKenzie wrote in his memoirs that Pasatiempo's back nine is "the best I have ever built or seen." Even in the era of oversized drivers, MacKenzie's setup still offers a stern challenge, Wes Gilbertson writes.
... full article »Big Break, big drives and big presentation: Players Course at Indian Wells Golf Resort near Palm Desert
The result of a total overhaul by designer John Fought in 2007, the Players Course at Indian Wells rolls at nearly 7,400 yards from the tips (3,917 on the front alone) and features 60 impeccably sculpted bunkers. Without question, the Players is among the most well sculpted golf courses in the desert. Aptly lauded among the nation's finest muni venues, few public plays in the Coachella Valley that can boast such manicured grounds.
... full article »Tilden Park Golf Course in Berkeley is a not-so-hidden Bay Area gem
It doesn't take long to realize why Tilden Park Golf Course has a deep, devoted pool of regulars. This public course in the hills less than two miles east of Berkeley offers a back-to-nature setting few other facilities can match. With hundreds of Monterey pine, redwood, oak and eucalyptus trees, the course makes you feel like you're seeing the land as it was. The more you play Tilden, the more it can grow on you.
... full article »Desert Dunes Golf Club: Let the windmills guide you toward Palm Springs' solitude
On a calm day, Desert Dunes Golf Club in Desert Hot Springs will prove to be one of the desert's most tranquil rounds. If the prevailing wind from the northwest is howling, however, be assured that spinning windmills will serve as a compass for a scorecard trending north, Judd Spicer writes.
... full article »It's always sunny at Carmel Valley Ranch: Great weather equals great golf
It is a testament to the distinct micro climates of northern California that a course such as Carmel Valley Ranch sits so close to Pebble Beach and yet can be so different. Unlike chilly Pebble, at Carmel Valley, blue sky and bright sun are the norm. Also the norm for this Pete Dye course: Distinct features that can test higher handicappers. It's a course whose natural setting on the back nine brings one very close to nature.
... full article »From sycamores to chardonnay, The Course at Wente Vineyards in Livermore provides plenty of thrills
The Course at Wente Vineyards, a sprawling multi-dimensional layout 45 miles southeast of San Francisco, plays more than 7,100 yards from the back tees and has an eye-popping slope rating of 145. That's why first-timers -- even single-digit handicappers -- might want to take on this Greg Norman design from the blue tees, Ted Johnson writes.
... full article »Peacock Gap Golf Club: San Francisco-area play tickles your fancy
Peacock Gap Golf Club in San Rafael, a bucolic suburb about 10 miles north of San Francisco, is not a course that will wear you out. It is only 6,200 yards and has relatively little elevation changes, but it will require some forethought off the tee and precise approach shots. Long hitters might find Peacock less than a challenge, but it keeps its defense up throughout thanks to the difficulties surrounding and on the greens.
... full article »Designed before the Model T, Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco is still a fun ride
Presidio Golf Course is listed at only 6,400 yards from the back tees, but it plays at least 500 yards longer, says Rob Dugan, head professional at Presidio. The course, which opened in 1895, offers stunning views that give it the feeling of being in a wooded oasis, Ted Johnson writes.
... full article »Marriott's Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Palm Desert is the Faldo fan's cup of tea
Shadow Ridge Golf Club, an amenity of the Marriott Shadow Ridge resort in Palm Desert, represents the first American design for six-time major winner Nick Faldo, and it's clear that he wanted to make a statement with the creation. And he did, making Shadow Ridge one of the Coachella Valley's most challenging golf resort destinations, Judd Spicer writes.
... full article »- Poppy Ridge Golf Course maintains a Jones tradition of excellence in NoCal
- Short irons or Dye: La Quinta Resort & Club's Dunes Course offers tough choices
- Charms and challenges make Pleasanton's Callippe Preserve a stand-out public golf experience
- San Geronimo Golf Course's beauty provides a peaceful taste of west Marin
- Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links provides plenty of challenge and a stunning finish
- Enjoy a taste of wine country at Napa Valley's Eagle Vines Vineyards and Golf Club
- Massive green makes Chardonnay Golf Club a memorable Napa Valley stop
- Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert: A unique and challenging Coachella Valley play
- Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club: San Diego tournament golf without the price tag
- Quail Lodge Golf Club in Carmel: Fun course, flawless conditioning
- Golf at Sevillano Links up in Corning: What you see is what you get
- Rustic Canyon Golf Course in Moorpark offers great conditions and value
- A private setting with public access at Malibu Country Club
- Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert offers colorful courses for all levels
- Whitehawk Ranch Golf Club in Clio: The High Sierra's remote golf escape
- History and nature come together at Knollwood Country Club in Granada Hills
- Playability makes for fun rounds on the Palm and Valley at Desert Springs Resort and Spa
- Fun on the slopes of Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey
- Led by the Ike course, Los Angeles area's Industry Hills Golf Club deserving of national honor
- Poppy Hills G.C. shouldn't be the Rodney Dangerfield of Pebble Beach golf
- Vallejo's Hiddenbrooke Golf Club is more than meets the eye
- Classic Club in Palm Desert: Former Bob Hope Classic stop still plenty worthy of traveling golfers
- South Course holds its own at storied La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad
- Memorable Champions Course at La Costa Resort & Spa still fit for the pros
- The Crossings at Carlsbad: San Diego-area golfers get another top-flight municipal golf course
- Nine holes with bite: Links at Terranea in Rancho Palos Verdes reinvents par-3 golf
- Tricky greens, panoramic views make Black Gold Golf Club in Yorba Linda a slick escape from Orange County
- The Bridges Golf Club in San Ramon: Beauty and the beast rolled into the fairways
- Golf is better than good at the Challenge Course at Monarch Dunes in Nipomo
- San Francisco city escape: The New Links at Bodega Harbour in Sonoma
- Journey at Pechanga in Temecula: Tribe's golf course embraces history
- Renovated Black Horse Golf Course is the perfect Monterey-area complement to Bayonet
- Changes suit Monterey Peninsula's renovated Bayonet Golf Course
- Sonoma County's Road to Hana: Sea Ranch Golf Links a whole trip of its own
- Don't be fooled by Back Bay Golf Course: It's good for kids days only
- The Eisenhower Course at Industry Hills Golf Club: First-rate golf minutes from Los Angeles
- Palm Desert Country Club golf course sheds its problem past with ultra-green redo
- Desert Willow Mountain View brings mellow good times to Palm Springs golf
- Robinson Ranch G.C. in Santa Clarita offers private-club-quality golf at daily-fee rates
- Palm Springs' Desert Princess C.C.: House hecklers, go-for-it par 4s and lakes aplenty
- Quirky Cimarron Golf Resort in Palm Springs: Hot girls, weird sand, good laughs
- Nicklaus plays nice: Tahoe's Old Greenwood golf course not the same old Jack
- Plumas Pines Golf Resort squeezes that driver in Reno/Tahoe shadow
- Reno-area's Golf Club at Whitehawk Ranch delivers
- Prehistoric golf theater: Coyote Moon Golf Course's ancient granite a Sierra blast
- Bushes of horror at Desert Dunes
- Play relaxed at Indian Canyons
- Dunes Course at PGA West
- PGA Tour's loss is your gain at historic, eccentric Indian Wells Country Club Classic Course
- SilverRock Resort: Great potential overcomes shaky conditions in Palm Springs-area's new Palmer showcase
- The Donald's new design
- Palm Springs, Calif.'s newest offers style and surprises
- Pete Dye Resort Course has fun with the form
- Gary Player Signature course at Mission Hills supplies perfect fairways, career rounds
- Quail Lodge: A slice of California countryside for Monterey golfers
- Pacific Grove Golf Links gets into the groove - at a mellow California pace
- Links at Spanish Bay offers golfers a long, leisurely day at the beach
- Del Monte serves up ample style and charm for Monterey golfers
- Bayonet Golf Course bares its teeth for those who dare to take it on
- Harding Park falls short of its renovated hype, but still worthwhile
- Pete Dye's fortified greens loom over the Mountain Course
- Cheap golf with spectacular scenery awaits at San Francisco's city heart Lincoln Park
- Still hard to beat the show-stopping finish at La Costa's North Course
- Norman Course toughness cannot overcome its design choke
- Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside sticks out from the San Diego crowd: A rare underpriced delight
- La Costa's South Course gets its character from the front nine
- Saddle Creek Resort: Gold Country haven leaps into national prominence
- Mare Island layout sails under the radar
- St. George pacesetter Entrada every bit as demanding as Johnny Miller
- DarkHorse: Sierra Foothills gem golden for golfers
- Stevinson Ranch: Fertile land, wetlands define a valley classic
- Old Greenwood: New Nicklaus design proves player-friendly
- Coyote Creek GC has history, and celebrity, on its side
- Cinnabar Hills GC a special place
- Escape from L.A.: Mountain golf in Santa Barbara
- Pasadera Country Club: Nicklaus design features sunny side of Monterey
- Bayonet, Black Horse sprint to new heights
- Tierra Rejada Golf Club in Moorpark stands out in the Emerald Triangle
- Pebble Beach Golf Links: Crosby weather, unmatched scenery define ultimate layout
- La Costa hosts golf's version of March Madness
- Torrey Pines: Muscled up South Course showcase for golf's big boys
- Indian Palms gets modernized, and now it's even more of a test
- Harding Park gets Jenny Jones-like makeover
- Sierra Lakes is a playable course in the Inland Empire
- Carmel Valley's Quail Lodge gets a bit of a facelift
- Mission Hills Country Club: Unique memberships allow non-members to tee it up
- TPC at Valencia provides challenges, but that's the fun part
- Desert Falls: A desert jewel celebrates 20 years
- The Hideaway: Tumultuous beginning levels out for affluent desert golfers