Looking to play the best golf courses in California? Welcome to our annual Golfweek’s Best ranking of public-access and private courses.
Following are the rankings for both types of courses, as judged by our nationwide network of raters. The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek’s Best course rankings.
The courses on the first list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required.
KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.
* indicates new or returning to the rankings
Best public-access courses in California
Rustic Canyon in California (Courtesy of Rustic Canyon/Tommy Naccarato)
1. Pebble Beach Resorts (Pebble Beach Golf Links)
Pebble Beach (10c)
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2. Pasatiempo
Santa Cruz (36c)
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3. Pebble Beach Resorts (Spyglass Hill)
Pebble Beach (T24m)
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4. Torrey Pines (South)
San Diego (T116c)
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5. Rustic Canyon
Moorpark (T147m)
6. Yocha Dehe at Cache Creek Casino
Brooks (m)
T7. Pebble Beach Resorts (Links at Spanish Bay)
Pebble Beach (m)
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T7. CordeValle
San Martin (m)
T7. Rams Hill
Borrego Springs (m)
10. PGA West (Stadium)
La Quinta (m)
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11. Torrey Pines (North)
San Diego (m)
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12. Poppy Hills
Pebble Beach (m)
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13. Pelican Hill (Ocean South)
Newport Coast (m)
14. Pelican Hill (Ocean North)
Newport Coast (m)
15. Bayonet
Seaside (c)
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16. Quail Lodge and Golf Club
Carmel (m)
17. Classic Club
Palm Desert (m)
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18. Trump National Los Angeles
Rancho Palos Verdes (m)
19. PGA West (Nicklaus)
La Quinta (m)
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T20. TPC Harding Park
San Francisco (c)
T20. Maderas*
Poway (m)
22. Fairmont Grand Del Mar (The Grand)
San Diego (m)
T23. Fantasy Springs (Eagle Falls)
Indio (m)
T23. Soule Park
Ojai (m)
25. Oak Quarry
Riverside (m)
26. Desert Willow (Firecliff)
Palm Desert (m)
27. Park Hyatt Aviara*
Carlsbad (m)
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28. La Purisma*
Lompoc (m)
29. Shadow Ridge*
Palm Desert (m)
30. Silverado Resort & Spa (North)*
Napa Valley (c)
Best private courses in California
Lake Merced Golf Club in California (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
1. Cypress Point
Pebble Beach (1c)
2. Los Angeles CC (North)
Los Angeles (11c)
3. San Francisco GC
San Francisco (16c)
4. Riviera CC
Pacific Palisades (17c)
5. California GC
South San Francisco (T27c)
6. Monterey Peninsula (Shore)
Pebble Beach (T19m)
7. Valley Club of Montecito
Santa Barbara (38c)
8. Olympic Club (Lake)
San Francisco (T43c)
9. Monterey Peninsula (Dunes)
Pebble Beach (T49c)
10. Bel-Air
Los Angeles (T57c)
11. Martis Camp
Truckee (43m)
12. Meadow Club
Fairfax (T71c)
13. The Quarry at La Quinta
La Quinta (m)
14. Mayacama
Santa Rosa (T92m)
15. Lahontan
Truckee (m)
16. The Tradition
La Quinta (105m)
17. Santa Lucia Preserve
Carmel (T111m)
18. Lake Merced*
Daly City (119c)
19. Wilshire
Los Angeles (T120c)
T20. Stone Eagle
Palm Desert (T147m)
T20. The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe*
Rancho Santa Fe (m)