122 of the best courses in California that take public tee times, in 7 areas. Pick an area to see its courses. Private member clubs are left out.
When to go: Golf all year on the southern coast; the desert is best January to April, the north coast June to October, and Lake Tahoe only from May to October.
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡5/5 Golfing Volts rate each area from 1 to 5 on four things, weighted equally: how good the best courses are (national rankings), how many good courses there are and how varied, value for the green fee, and how long the golf season runs.
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡4/5 Golfing Volts
La Jolla · Borrego Springs · Poway · Carlsbad · San Diego (Carmel Valley) · Lakeside · Coronado · Encinitas · El Cajon · Jamul · Oceanside · San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) · Ramona · San Diego
Top picks: Torrey Pines Golf Course – South, Rams Hill Golf Club, Maderas Golf Club
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡3/5 Golfing Volts
Newport Coast · Moorpark · Rancho Palos Verdes · Dana Point · Riverside · Irvine · Mission Viejo · Yorba Linda · Sunland · Tustin · San Clemente · Los Angeles · Thousand Oaks · Fullerton · City of Industry
Top picks: Pelican Hill Golf Club - Ocean South, Rustic Canyon Golf Course, Pelican Hill Golf Club - Ocean North
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡5/5 Golfing Volts
La Quinta · Palm Desert · Indian Wells · Palm Springs · Rancho Mirage
Top picks: PGA West Pete Dye Stadium Course, Desert Willow Firecliff, PGA West Pete Dye Mountain Course
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡5/5 Golfing Volts
Pebble Beach · Santa Cruz · Seaside · Carmel Valley · Carmel · Pacific Grove · Monterey · Aptos
Top picks: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill, Pasatiempo
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡3/5 Golfing Volts
Santa Cruz · San Francisco · Half Moon Bay · Livermore · Alameda · San Jose · Napa · Palo Alto · Pacifica · Morgan Hill · San Leandro · Oakland · Walnut Creek · Pleasanton
Top picks: Pasatiempo Golf Club, TPC Harding Park, Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Ocean Course
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡3/5 Golfing Volts
Napa · Sonoma · American Canyon · Bodega Bay · Vallejo · Windsor · Petaluma · Fairfield · Santa Rosa · Rohnert Park · Novato · Yountville
Top picks: Silverado Resort – North Course, Sonoma Golf Club, Eagle Vines Golf Club
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡3/5 Golfing Volts
Stateline, NV · Truckee · Incline Village, NV · Kings Beach · South Lake Tahoe · Genoa, NV · Clio · Olympic Valley · Tahoe City
Top picks: Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, Old Greenwood Golf Course, Coyote Moon Golf Course