Logo
Panel background

Darkhorse

California, United States

Want to play
Have played

Nestled within the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the course at Dark Horse Golf Club is set within a former 1,100-acre cattle ranch where natural changes in elevation were used by architect Keith Foster to route the fairways in a most engaging manner.

Overall rating

Course rating full ball
Course rating full ball
Course rating full ball
Course rating full ball
4

Darkhorse

If one were to boil Keith Foster’s golf course architectural career down to one niche, it might be his specialty for carrying out A.W. Tillinghast restorations. That said, Foster’s appreciation for the Golden Age architect has not necessarily been obvious in his own original designs (a statement on Foster’s originality, not a lack of quality). There are a few instances at Darkhorse Golf Club, located northeast of Sacramento, that show a tip of the hat to Tillie.

For one, as players conclude the first nine, they’ll notice the talon-like bunker clawing at the green...a style made famous at Bethpage Black and numerous other Tillinghast standbys. Two holes later, on the course’s longest par five, Foster creates his own version of the “Double Dogleg,” a concept that his icon wrote extensively about (and designed numerous examples of, as well).

Even if you’re not an architecture buff, you’ll quickly grasp the concept at nos. 2 and 14, short par fours that dare you to pull driver. The angel on your shoulder may point out that both feature sizable centerline bunkers, which may be safer to lay up in front of.

World Top 100 Golf Courses

The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings

  1. Cypress Point Club

    California, United States

  2. Pine Valley Golf Club

    New Jersey, United States

  3. Royal County Down (Championship)

    Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

  4. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

    New York, United States

  5. National Golf Links of America

    New York, United States

Explore All