California is home to some of the finest golf courses in the United States, but many of its highest-ranked layouts are reserved for members. For visiting golfers, that can make finding a truly exceptional public course a challenge.
Fortunately, the California Top 100 ranking includes several outstanding courses that welcome public play. From the bucket-list experience of Pebble Beach to the much more affordable Rustic Canyon, here are the five highest-ranked courses in The Golden State that visiting golfers can play.
Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of golf’s great amphitheaters, where the Pacific Ocean provides the backdrop and almost every hole carries a piece of history. Jack Neville’s original 1919 layout, remodelled by Henry Chandler Egan, has evolved over the years, but its essential character remains intact.
This is the course where the greats have made history, from U.S. Open champions to the stars of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, yet its greatest appeal is that anyone can play it. The price may make the wallet wince, but where else can an ordinary golfer walk in the footsteps of Nicklaus, Watson and Woods?
The stretch from the 7th to the 10th is among the most exhilarating in golf, while the run to the 18th provides a suitably spectacular finale. Pebble Beach may not be perfect, but when the Pacific is crashing against the cliffs, who really cares?
Only resort guests can reserve Pebble Beach tee times more than 24 hours in advance, subject to a minimum two-night stay. Non-resort guests can call 24 hours before play to enquire about any remaining tee times.
Green Fees: Resort Guest: $695 (£513)
Non-Resort Guest: $755 (£557), including cart fee
Pasatiempo Golf Club is one of America’s great Golden Age survivors and, remarkably, the only public-access course that famed golf architect Alister MacKenzie regarded as his finest work. Founded by Marion Hollins in 1929, the rolling Santa Cruz layout was MacKenzie’s American home, and he lived alongside the sixth fairway during the final years of his life.
The course has plenty of history, but it remains a thoroughly enjoyable test for visiting golfers. The front nine winds through the trees before the routing becomes more dramatic on the back nine, where deep barrancas and undulating terrain come into play.
A major restoration completed in 2024 returned the greens and bunkers closer to their original forms. Although Pasatiempo is a semi-private club, visiting golfers can book two types of tee times through the club's online booking system – regular, available up to a week in advance, and priority, available up to a year in advance.
For golfers looking to experience one of California's great courses without the price tag of Pebble Beach, Pasatiempo offers a rare chance to play a genuine piece of Golden Age golf.
Green Fees: 18 holes: $465 (£341), excluding $50 cart fee
Spyglass Hill is one of the great tests on the Monterey Peninsula and, for many, the most demanding of the Pebble Beach quartet. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in 1966, it has been part of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am rota since the following year.
The opening five holes sweep from the Del Monte Forest towards the Pacific, with Jones deliberately drawing inspiration from Pine Valley. The course then turns inland through towering Monterey Pines and Cypress, with its tree-lined corridors recalling Augusta National.
The 12th and 15th provide memorable par-three challenges, while the closing holes demand a strong finish. Spyglass Hill may live in the shadow of Pebble Beach and Cypress Point, but its reputation as one of America’s toughest and most rewarding layouts is thoroughly deserved.
Unlike its more famous neighbour, Spyglass Hill is considerably easier for visiting golfers to book, with non-resort guests able to reserve tee times up to three months in advance.
Green Fees: Resort Guest: $550 (£406)
Non-Resort Guest: $610 (£450), including cart fee
Rustic Canyon Golf Course offers a very different experience from the famous resort courses of the Monterey Peninsula. Laid out by Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and Geoff Shackelford on a former sheep ranch north-west of Los Angeles, it is a relaxed, natural-looking course where wide fairways and firm, fast-running turf give golfers plenty of options.
The course is relatively forgiving from the tee, but its large, undulating greens provide a sterner test, while the exposed setting means wind can quickly change the character of the round. The back nine is particularly memorable, climbing into the surrounding hills before a testing finish.
It may lack the ocean views and tournament history of California's marquee courses, but Rustic Canyon offers excellent golf at a fraction of the price. For golfers looking beyond the obvious names, it is one of the state's best-value public courses.
Tee times can be booked online, with reservations available to public golfers up to 28 days in advance. Popular weekend slots can fill quickly, while green fees vary depending on the day of the week and how far in advance you book.
PGA West’s Stadium Course is the toughest of the three public courses at the La Quinta resort and has been challenging golfers since 1986. It has plenty of tournament pedigree, having hosted the televised Skins Game and now serving as the venue for The American Express on the PGA Tour.
At 7,300 yards, the Stadium Course is no pushover, with water coming into play on many holes. The closing stretch is particularly demanding, with the famous island green on the 17th – nicknamed Alcatraz – followed by a daunting water-guarded 18th.
The course underwent a major restoration in 2024 and remains one of California’s most memorable public golf experiences. For golfers who enjoy a challenge, the Stadium Course offers the chance to test themselves on a layout that continues to feature on the professional circuit.
Tee times can be booked online through PGA West, with the Stadium Course available to both resort and non-resort guests.
Green Fees: Approximately $60–$399+ (£44–£295+), depending on the season and tee time.
There are few tee times in golf more desirable than one at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The setting is extraordinary, the history is unparalleled and the opportunity to play a course that has hosted multiple U.S. Opens and countless other significant events is firmly on many golfers' bucket lists. Eighteen-time Major champion Jack Nicklaus once said if he only had one more round to play, he’d choose to play it at Pebble Beach, calling it “possibly the best [course] in the world”. Pebble Beach has retained its status as one of the world’s great public-access courses, meaning there are ways for ordinary golfers to play it, unlike many of the world's most exclusive layouts. The catch? Getting a tee time requires a little more planning than simply clicking through an online booking system. The good news is that there are a couple of different routes to the first tee at Pebble Beach. Here's everything you need to know. Where is Pebble Beach Golf Links? Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of golf’s great amphitheaters, where the Pacific Ocean provides the backdrop and almost every hole carries a piece of history. The course sits on the spectacular Monterey Peninsula on California's central coast, roughly 120 miles south of San Francisco. It forms part of Pebble Beach Resorts and is reached via the famous 17-Mile Drive, a scenic road that winds around the coastline between Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. Pebble Beach occupies a dramatic stretch of Pacific coastline, with several holes running directly alongside Carmel Bay. It is also surrounded by some of the most recognisable scenery on the Monterey Peninsula, including the Lone Cypress and the rocky coastline for which the area is famous. For golfers arriving by air, Monterey Regional Airport is by far the closest airport. From the airport, the route to Pebble Beach Golf Links follows Highway 68 and then 17-Mile Drive, with the resort estimating a journey of about 15 minutes. The Easiest Way To Play: Stay at Pebble Beach Resorts The most dependable strategy to secure a tee time is to make your trip a resort stay. Guests staying at The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay or Casa Palmero have access to Pebble Beach's courses, and resort guests are the only golfers who can reserve a Pebble Beach tee time more than 24 hours in advance. The booking window is particularly useful for golfers planning a bucket-list trip well ahead of time. Guests at The Lodge and The Inn at Spanish Bay can book accommodation up to 18 months in advance, while Casa Palmero reservations can be made up to 12 months ahead, subject to availability. To avoid disappointment, Pebble Beach explicitly recommends that resort guests request their tee times at the time of booking their room. A minimum two-night stay is required to secure a round at Pebble Beach Golf Links, although the resort can require three nights on certain dates. The resort's availability calendar identifies dates where different requirements apply, so it’s worth checking before finalising your itinerary. How Far Ahead Should You Book? As soon as possible is the short answer. Because resort guests can plan their accommodation up to 18 months in advance, Pebble Beach is best approached as a destination trip rather than an isolated round of golf. For a once-in-a-lifetime trip, we'd recommend starting with dates rather than a particular tee time. If you are travelling a long way to play Pebble Beach, it’s better to have several possible dates than to become fixated on one particular morning. Another important consideration for larger groups is that up to two players may be booked per room, based on room occupancy. A group of four should therefore plan around two rooms if everyone wants to play Pebble Beach. What if You Don't Want to Stay at the Resort? There is another considerably cheaper option to walk in the footsteps of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods, although it is much less certain. Non-resort guests are able to book Pebble Beach Golf Links one day in advance, meaning you don’t necessarily need to fork out for several nights of accommodation to play the course. Being one of the premier public courses in the world, tee times are in high demand, making the one-day window a genuine gamble. If you're already in the Monterey or Carmel area and have some flexibility, it's worth trying. If you're flying across the Atlantic specifically to play Pebble Beach, however, the resort route is significantly safer. How Much Does it Cost? Playing at such a prestigious course does not come without a hefty price tag, particularly if you’re planning on staying at Pebble Beach Resorts. For the current rate period of April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, the published green fee for Pebble Beach Golf Links is $695. The green fee applies to both resort and non-resort golfers, although non-resort golfers also pay the applicable cart fee. Additional published charges include: Cart: $60 per person Pull cart: $20 Single-bag caddie: $175 Double-bag caddie: $250 Forecaddie: $62.50 per person, with a three-player minimum Club rental: $120 per bag, plus tax Those figures make Pebble Beach one of the most expensive public-access rounds in the United States, particularly once accommodation, travel and caddie gratuity are added - but for many golfers this isn't an everyday round, it is the centrepiece of a trip.
The purpose of the Review of The Month feature is twofold. Top100GolfCourses has always aimed to salute and encourage those who are putting admirable effort into reviewing the world’s great golf courses. Moving forward, we are also looking to learn from these experts! We’ll be chatting with the month’s star authors and discussing topics such as golf in their area, what they like to see in a strong course review, and of course dig a little deeper into their own winning review. August 2022’s Review of The Month comes from Ron Stelten, a former European Tour pro who sheds some light on Soule Park Golf Course, a California municipal course given a new lease on life by Gil Hanse. The tough question first: One quote that caught my eye: "One might say there are no great holes but all eighteen holes work well together." Would you prefer a few great holes among a few weak holes, or a consistent 18? For me the clear answer is that I love both types of courses. Addressing “a few great holes among a few holes” first: I am one who is of the opinion that the 18th hole at Cypress Point is a weak hole and a weak finishing hole. That said, I wouldn't change a thing about the 17th to improve the 18th. I feel the same is true of Pasatiempo. The weak holes are still good golf holes and may be strong holes on another course. Cruden Bay is one of my favorite courses in the world. A great balance of strong and quirky holes. As for “a consistent 18”? Ganton and Swinley Forest are two of my favorite English courses. I describe both as having 18 solid holes. No standout holes and no weak holes. In the United States, I see Olympic Club and Prairie Dunes as courses with 18 very good, consistent holes. Interestingly, the question really brings to mind the saying “eye of the beholder.” The par 3 finish at Pasatiempo could be considered by some to be a weak hole while others may think of it as a consistent hole that balances the 18th. Are the first two holes at Royal Dornoch a weak start considering what's in store when you get to the dogleg on three and beyond, or are those same two holes just as consistent as the rest of the course? A reason why I am such a fan of Top 100 Golf Courses is because of the various opinions stated in the reviews. Seeing eye-to-eye, or not seeing the same thing that others see in a golf course, is what makes my hobby of playing the best golf courses in the world so much fun. Although William F. Bell got around, many of his designs reside in California. Anything you've noticed that stands out among his works? This question caused me to wonder just how many Bell courses I have played. The answer is a lot! I have lived in California for over 45 years. Without counting, I believe I have played more golf courses designed by Bell than by any other architect. The William Bell Society website credits Soule Park to [William] P Bell while Top 100 Golf Courses has [William] F Bell as the architect. No matter, I will refer to the Bells’ golf courses. The spectrum of courses is great. Bel-Air, Sandpiper and Stanford at one end…Blythe, Skylinks, and San Luis Rey Downs on the other. The Bells covered California and the western states with golf courses for all walks of life. What I notice more than anything about the work of the Bells’ courses is how many have gone through the now-so-popular renovation. As my review of Soule Park tries to make clear, the renovation has restored and helped make a good golf course better. That said, I want to play the remodeled Bel-Air, where the first reports I have heard from golfer friends are not flattering; a move away from the Bell design. A more well known example may be Torrey Pines North and South. I have played both many, many times before and after renovations. I ask myself “are they still Bell design courses?” The Los Angeles region is obviously widespread...are there any other "gems" that you might recommend to visitors, or even residents? To answer this question I am going to extend the Los Angeles area to include the greater Palm Springs area, my previous home for over 30 years. Because the area has grown so much we now refer to it as the Coachella Valley. There are only a few golf courses in Palm Springs and over 100 in the towns east of Palm Springs. My gems include Mission Hills Dinah Shore, Tamarisk, Bermuda Dunes, The Palms, The Plantation, PGA West Norman. In my opinion all of these courses have a place in the Top 100 Golf Courses in California. How the Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills is not on the list and the Mission Hills Pete Dye course makes the list is beyond my imagination. Tamarisk Country Club is a William F&P Bell design of the 1950's and has perhaps the best classic design back nine in the Coachella Valley. Bermuda Dunes Country Club was designed by William F. Bell and a perfect example of country club golf in this winter haven for snowbirds. The Palms and The Plantation, both the product of Fred Couples and Brian Curley, are outstanding golf courses and must-plays if in the Valley. I personally rate the PGA West Norman better than the Palmer and two Nicklaus courses [Nicklaus Private and Nicklaus Tournament] at PGA West. About a year ago I got married and relocated to Carlsbad, CA just north of San Diego. My wife and I are members of Shadowridge Golf Club. Shadowridge is a fine course with challenging green complexes. Slope and speed test my iron accuracy every day. I am happy to extend an invitation to Top 100 members who are visiting Southern California. Now that you're a celebrated "Review of The Month" winner, let us know what factors you appreciate in a strong golf course review! First and most important, I am a golfer and want to know about the course. I enjoy reading opinions and will cross reference writers who I believe know their stuff. I care little for reports on service and amenities. Memorability is what I value most in a golf course. It has been decades since I played Pine Valley and believe I still remember every hole and every shot. Someone who can get that concept across in a review will get my attention. I believe that walking is an important part of good course design. If a ride is needed to get from one green to the next tee I can't give the course a high rating. Some reviewers that I respect are more flexible on this walking thing. I can value their description of the course but stop short of the same overall rating they may assign. I like personal takes on the golf course experience. When I travel I try to play a golf course twice. The first round is for reconnaissance. I want to take a good look and get to know what the course has to offer. This is a throwback to practice rounds when I was playing golf for a living. The second round is for score. I live to shoot good scores on great golf courses. I enjoy reading about actual golf and not just golf courses. I am not a course rater. As for architecture and design I am a novice, but am a novice with a lot of experience. What I have is the luck of having played hundreds of golf courses. Many were played in major competitions offering a very different way of seeing a golf course. These days playing Top 100 Golf Courses is my number one hobby. If I get a hint that a review may be slanted because of the perks offered by a course I close the page. Because this is a golf course rating site, I like reviewers that put a golf course in perspective. Better than this course, behind that course. We all have our opinions and all opinions can have some merit. I favor Top 100 Golf Courses over other golf course rating sites because I believe it to be less biased than the others. That said, I am still careful with my favorite site. California is my area of expertise. For me, there are a half dozen courses in the California Top 50 that are not in my personal top 40. What's one course that you'd love to write a review for during 2022 (or plan to)? This is a good one! My wife and I have a full slate of golf planned for the remainder of this year. We will be in Ireland/Northern Ireland the last week of September and first week of October. Decades ago I played in many Irish Opens at Portmarnock (a course that I love and played well) but this will be the first time I travel the country. I try to play top golf courses twice so this trip is quality not quantity. Ballybunion, Royal Portrush, Portstewart, Lahinch... all have long lists of reviewers and I will see if there is anything I can add. St. Patrick's Links is a new kid on the block. I am very interested in seeing if the links is for real or another example of the overblown hype brought on by too many new golf courses. I will let you know! As most Top 100 readers know, Ireland/Northern Ireland golf is very busy this year. My wife has agreed to a return trip in May 2023 to play the courses we will miss this trip. Two days at Royal County Down are already booked and paid for. The days before Thanksgiving 2022 we will be in Carmel, CA. Golf at The Preserve is set and we hope to see both Monterey Peninsula courses [Dunes and Shore]. With the addition of Monterey Peninsula Dunes I will have played all of California's top ten. Of course, if I am in the right place at the right time to meet a member of Cypress Point I would love to play it again. Imagine being 66 years old, playing the best golf course in the world, and hitting the same irons into the greens as I did back in the days of the Bing Crosby Pebble Beach Pro-am. That would be something to write about!
West Region US Best In State Rankings 2014 The final phase of our revised and updated US Best In State rankings for 2014 is complete 27th March 2014 We are pleased to announce that the fourth and final phase of four Regional updates is now complete detailing our latest biennial US Best in State rankings. The West Region of the USA, as defined by the US Census Bureau, comprises of thirteen states; the Mountain states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, alongside the Pacific sates of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. For the purpose of grouping our Best in State updates, we have decided to implement the rollout in four regional phases (Northeast, Midwest, South and West). The famous 19th century quote: “Go West, Young Man!” may well have promoted the expansion westward at an exciting time in US history, but statistically the Western United States is still one of the most sparsely populated areas in the country. Of the thirteen Western states, only California and Washington exceed the national average of inhabitants per square mile. The eight states that make up the West’s Mountain Division cover an enormous and incredibly diverse geographical area. Despite these inherent challenges, the Mountain West currently has six golf courses in America’s Top 100 and the most highly ranked is the inland links of Ballyneal at Holyoke in Colorado – Colorado, incidentally, currently boasts three layouts in the national hundred. Most courses in the Mountain region are modern designs and two notable layouts with a farming theme can be found at Gozzer Ranch in Idaho and at the Rock Creek Cattle Company in Montana – both of which were fashioned in the new millennium. Only the Mid-Atlantic States boast more golf courses in the national Top 100 than the West’s Pacific States. With eighteen layouts in the US hundred, the Pacific States are well endowed with top-flight courses and California (with eleven American Top 100 tracks) is the second most prolific behind only New York State. Cypress Point is the Pacific Division’s standard-bearer and those golfers lucky enough to tee it up at “The Point” consider it a seminal experience. Next door to the ultra-private Cypress Point is Pebble Beach, which is simply Mecca for many golfers. Host to five U.S. Open Championships and numerous other important events, Pebble may be expensive, but it’s a course that many golfers consider to be the best you can play in the entire USA. Further up the Pacific Coast in Oregon you’ll find the only property in America where you can play four world-class courses. Bandon Dunes is an extraordinary property but it would be remiss not to savour Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s 13-hole par three course, Bandon Preserve, while visiting Bandon. We’ve extended most of our Best in State ranking lists since our first iteration some two years ago. California now features a Top 50 for the first time and Arizona and Colorado now profile Top 30s. Washington now features a Top 25 and Nevada, Hawaii and Oregon now display Top 20s. The latest revision of our Best In State rankings is simply work in progress, as we know there are many unheralded golf courses that we still need to feature. If you’re passionate about your home state’s golf courses and would like to help us further develop our Best In State initiative by shining a light on a hidden gem, then please send an email to info@top100golfcourses.com. We’d love to hear from you. To learn more about our revised Best in State rankings for the West Region, please navigate to the dedicated US state pages by clicking on any one of the following links: Alaska Best In State Golf Courses (Top 5) Arizona Best In State Golf Courses (Top 30) California Best In State Golf Courses (Top 50) Colorado Best In State Golf Courses (Top 30) Hawaii Best In State Golf Courses (Top 20) Idaho Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Montana Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Nevada Best In State Golf Courses (Top 20) New Mexico Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Oregon Best In State Golf Courses (Top 20) Utah Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Washington Best In State Golf Courses (Top 25) Wyoming Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) The Top 100 Team
