CaddieTrail Guide
California is the deepest golf state in America. Cypress Point and Pebble Beach anchor the Monterey Peninsula, Riviera and LACC define Los Angeles, and Pasatiempo stands alone in Santa Cruz. No state puts more courses in the national conversation.
California is the deepest state in American golf, and this trail captures its top 20 courses. Five rank among the national elite, anchored by Cypress Point and Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula. The trail spans the full breadth of the Golden State — from Tillinghast and MacKenzie Golden Age work in the Bay Area to George Thomas's Los Angeles trio of LACC North, Riviera, and Bel-Air, to RTJ Sr. at Spyglass Hill, to a modern desert closer at Gil Hanse's Ladera. Most are private, accessible only through invitation. A handful — Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Pasatiempo — open the door to anyone willing to book a tee time. Together they form the most concentrated assembly of championship architecture in any single state.
#1 on trail
Cypress Point ClubPebble Beach, California
MacKenzie's 1928 masterpiece weaves through sand dunes, cypress groves, and dramatic Pacific cliffs. Holes 15–17 rank among the most celebrated seaside holes in golf. Strictly private.
#2 on trail
Pebble Beach Golf LinksPebble Beach, California
Clifftop public access on Monterey Peninsula, designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant in 1919. Nine holes run directly along the coastline. Hosted six U.S. Opens.
#3 on trail
Los Angeles Country Club (North)Los Angeles, California
George Thomas and Billy Bell's 1921 design sits on rare flat-to-rolling terrain in the heart of LA. Hosted the 2023 U.S. Open. Strictly private.
#4 on trail
Riviera Country ClubPacific Palisades, California
George Thomas and Billy Bell's 1927 design remains one of America's most strategically demanding layouts. Home to the Genesis Invitational, Riviera's kikuyu rough and par-4 10th are iconic.
#5 on trail
San Francisco Golf ClubSan Francisco, California
A.W. Tillinghast design from 1918, widely regarded as one of his finest works. Tight, tree-lined fairways demand precision over power on this exclusive private layout.
#6 on trail
Olympic Club (Lake Course)San Francisco, California
Redesigned by Sam Whiting in 1927 — following Willie Watson's original 1924 layout — this private San Francisco layout winds through dense cypress and eucalyptus. Host to five U.S. Opens.
California is the deepest state in American golf, and its publicly playable courses run nearly as deep as its private elite. Three Pebble Beach Resort courses headline this trail — Pebble Beach itself, Spyglass Hill, and The Links at Spanish Bay — joined by Pasatiempo, Alister MacKenzie's personal favorite, and Torrey Pines South, a two-time U.S. Open venue perched on the La Jolla cliffs. Pete Dye's brutal Stadium Course at PGA West and his cliffside Trump National in Rancho Palos Verdes anchor the desert and SoCal entries. RTJ Jr. appears twice — at CordeValle and Poppy Hills — and TPC Harding Park, host of the 2020 PGA Championship, closes the trail as San Francisco's championship muny. Ten rounds, all bookable, that span the geographic and architectural breadth of the Golden State.
#1 on trail
Pebble Beach Golf LinksPebble Beach, California
Clifftop public access on Monterey Peninsula, designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant in 1919. Nine holes run directly along the coastline. Hosted six U.S. Opens.
#2 on trail
Spyglass Hill Golf CoursePebble Beach, California
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1966, this Pebble Beach resort track drops from dense Del Monte Forest into coastal lowlands. A regular AT&T Pro-Am host.
#3 on trail
Pasatiempo Golf ClubSanta Cruz, California
MacKenzie's personal home course, opened in 1929 and largely intact. Dramatic elevation changes and deep-faced bunkers define the routing across the Santa Cruz hills.
#4 on trail
Torrey Pines (South Course)La Jolla, California
Rees Jones's 2001 renovation of William F. Bell's 1957 municipal layout brought U.S. Open credentials to a public clifftop track above the Pacific. Hosted 2008 and 2021 U.S. Opens.
#5 on trail
CordeValle Golf ClubSan Martin, California
Robert Trent Jones Jr. design in the Diablo Range foothills, opened 1999. Resort access with dramatic elevation changes across 18 holes of rolling California terrain.
#6 on trail
The Links at Spanish BayPebble Beach, California
Wind-swept links terrain along the Pacific at Pebble Beach, co-designed by Tom Watson, Robert Trent Jones II, and Sandy Tatum. Bag fees run high; the experience is authentic Scottish-style.
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