California’s lineup of public-access golf courses is one of the strongest in the U.S., with more than a few that even casual golf fans will have heard of. Pebble Beach Golf Links tops that list, of course, but which layouts follow?
With so many miles of staggering coast, it’s a lock that many oceanside courses will land on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for public-access layouts in California. But it certainly isn’t a requirement. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with the list of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this 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.
Also popular are the Golfweek’s Best rankings of top private courses in each state, and that list is likewise included below.
MORE COURSES: Best Modern | Best Classic | Top 200 Resort|
Top 200 Residential | Top 100 Best You Can Play
(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960
(c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.
Best public-access courses in California
1. Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach (9c)
Book your round at Pebble Beach Golf Links
2. Pasatiempo
Santa Cruz (34c)
Book your round at Pasatiempo
3. Spyglass Hill
Pebble Beach (31m)
Book your round at Spyglass Hill
4. Torrey Pines (South)
San Diego (103c)
Book your round at Torrey Pines – South
5. Rustic Canyon
Moorpark (m)
6. Yocha Dehe at Cache Creek Casino
Brooks (m)
7. Rams Hill
Borrego Springs (m)
8. Links at Spanish Bay
Pebble Beach (m)
Book your round at Links at Spanish Bay
9. CordeValle
San Martin (m)
10. Torrey Pines (North)
San Diego (m)
Book your round at Torrey Pines – North
11. PGA West (Stadium)
La Quinta (m)
Book your round at PGA West – Stadium
12. Poppy Hills
Pebble Beach (m)
Book your round at Poppy Hills
13. Barona Creek
Lakeside (m)
14. Pelican Hill (Ocean North)
Newport Coast (m)
15. Pelican Hill (Ocean South)
Newport Coast (m)
16. The Grand
San Diego (m)
17. Bayonet
Seaside (c)
Book your round at Bayonet
18. Soule Park
Ojai (m)
19. Desert Willow (Firecliff)
Palm Desert (m)
20. Classic Club
Palm Desert (m)
Book your round at Classic Club
21. Trump National Los Angeles
Rancho Palos Verdes (m)
22. SilverRock
La Quinta (m)
Book your round at SilverRock
23. PGA West (Nicklaus)
La Quinta (m)
Book your round at PGA West – Nicklaus
24. Baylands Golf Links
Palo Alto (m)
25. Fantasy Springs (Eagle Falls)
Indio (m)
26. Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood)
Truckee (m)
27. TPC Harding Park
San Francisco (c)
28. Oak Quarry
Riverside (m)
Book your round at Oak Quarry
29. La Quinta Resort & Club (Mountain)
La Quinta (m)
30. Whitehawk Ranch
Clio (m)
Book your round at Whitehawk Ranch
Best private courses in California
1. Cypress Point
Pebble Beach (2c)
2. Los Angeles CC (North)
Los Angeles (T13c)
3. San Francisco GC
San Francisco (17c)
4. Riviera
Pacific Palisades (18c)
5. California GC
South San Francisco (33c)
6. Valley Club of Montecito
Santa Barbara (T36c)
7. Olympic Club (Lake)
San Francisco (T38c)
8. Monterey Peninsula (Shore)
Pebble Beach (25m)
T9. Monterey Peninsula (Dunes)
Pebble Beach (T55c)
T9. Bel-Air
Los Angeles (T58c)
11. Martis Camp
Truckee (T50m)
12. Quarry at La Quinta
La Quinta (m)
13. Mayacama
Santa Rosa (76m)
14. Meadow Club
Fairfax (100c)
15. Tradition
La Quinta (T94m)
16. Santa Lucia Preserve
Carmel (T114m)
17. Wilshire
Los Angeles (T124c)
18. Stone Eagle
Palm Desert (T135m)
T19. Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe
Rancho Santa Fe (m)
T19. Lahontan*
Truckee (m)
How we rank courses
The hundreds of members of the Golfweek’s Best ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based 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 these rankings.
