Brambles

Brambles is the only course in Northern California where zoysia turf runs tee to green across barranca-laced terrain designed to encourage the ground game at every turn. Founded on the principles of walking, match play, and links-style conditioning, it offers a playing experience with no direct equivalent on the US West Coast.

History of Brambles

James Duncan, a long-term associate of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, first conceived the project in 2012 while living in San Francisco's South Bay. Working from a map pinned at the Golden Gate Bridge, he drew a two-hour driving radius to identify potential sites for a club modelled on the traditions of North Berwick and St Andrews.

The land in Middletown, Lake County, was acquired in 2017. Duncan shared his vision during the 2013 Walker Cup at the National Golf Links of America, and a subsequent meeting at the San Francisco Golf Club secured Coore and Crenshaw's commitment to design the course. The 2015 Valley Fire had devastated the surrounding area, burning over 76,000 acres; the county planning commission gave Brambles unanimous approval on the basis that an irrigated golf course would serve as a firebreak for Middletown.

Coore and Crenshaw's design opened for play in 2024. The grow-in period was deliberately extended, with a working sheep herd used alongside mowing equipment to graze the rough and integrate the course into its agricultural setting. No par has been officially assigned to the layout.

Course Layout & Playing Experience

Brambles occupies a 670-acre meadow floor ringed by the Mayacamas foothills in Lake County. The routing crosses barrancas — dry and wet washes of varying width and depth — that introduce both visual drama and strategic complexity throughout the round. Fairways are planted entirely in zoysia, producing firm, fast conditions that reward ground-game play over aerial approaches.

The 5th is a reachable par-four with a blind tee shot over a hill. The par-five 7th bends right while sloping left, with barrancas intruding and an old stone wall marking out of bounds. The 9th is described as the club's reverse interpretation of the Road Hole at St Andrews. The course carries no official par, aligning with founder Duncan's view that par discourages rather than enhances enjoyment.

Guest access operates via a ballot committee process, consistent with the traditional British and Irish members' club model. Walking is integral to the club's identity.

The Verdict

Brambles is the most distinctly British-influenced golf project to open in California in the modern era. The zoysia-over-barranca terrain, parless scorecard, working sheep herd, and ballot-based guest access collectively position it as a course that has imported the ethos of the Scottish game rather than simply its aesthetics. It will continue to mature — the native perimeter grasses and heather plantings are still establishing — but even at this early stage the architectural confidence is evident.

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