Page 52 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

CA.GOLF
BY ROBERT KAUFMAN
California’s
10 Best Hidden Gem Golf Courses
Under the radar landscapes are magnificent places to swing away
NORTHWOOD
GOLF COURSE
Northwood Golf Course, above,
uniquely runs entirely through a
redwood forest. Other excellent
places to play in Northern
California include Half Moon Bay
Golf Links, San Francisco’s Harding
Park and Presidio, San Ramon’s
Bridges, Napa Valley’s Silverado and
Sonoma’s Sea Ranch. And we can’t
forget, of course, top tier courses
such as Pebble Beach, Spyglass,
Pasatiempo and Bayonet.
Viewing a satellite image of California
north to south will reveal a right-to-left
dogleg fairway bordered on the west side
by a 1,264-mile water hazard and a 400-
mile stretch of High Sierra mountains on
the east. Covering the entire golden terrain
between these borders is enough yardage
of golf holes to stretch from the Pacific to
the Atlantic Ocean.
With Mother Nature’s help planting
landscapes of mountains, valleys, forests,
coastline and desert, it’s no surprise the
Golden State is considered one of the most
attractive destinations in the world. When
it comes to teeing up the little white ball,
these geographical wonders have produced
backdrops for an incredibly diverse collec-
tion of golf courses to suit every golfer’s
taste and budget.
While there are myriad coveted bucket-
list venues such as Pebble Beach Golf Links
and Spyglass Hill Golf Course on the Mon-
terey Peninsula, Torrey Pines Golf Course
on the Pacific coastal bluffs in San Diego or
PGA West in the Palm Springs desert, there
is a staggering list of distinct golf courses
open year-round that fly under the golfer’s
radar but are as golden as the nuggets dis-
covered during the Gold Rush!
There are far too many golf courses to
highlight—currently, more than 600 are
public accessible—but here are some
standouts that will help unlock a golf expe-
rience of a lifetime.
Northwood Golf Course
Renowned golf course architect Alister
MacKenzie (Cypress Point, Augusta
ROBERT KAUFMAN
50 2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A