North of the Golden Gate, golf comes with a view — vineyards, oak savanna, tidal marsh and, at Bodega Harbour, the open Pacific. The North Bay spans Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties, and its public courses punch well above their weight. Here are the ten best public golf courses in the North Bay.
Wine-country resorts like Silverado headline the list, but you'll also find one of California's best public links on the Sonoma coast and a set of terrific value municipals in Napa and Santa Rosa.
Eagle Vines Golf Club — Threading through Napa Valley vineyards near American Canyon, Eagle Vines is the highest-rated public course in the North Bay and a scenic, strategic wine-country round.
Rooster Run Golf Club — A links-style Petaluma layout with wide fairways, water and wind — well-conditioned and consistently a great value.
Hiddenbrooke Golf Club — An Arnold Palmer design tucked into a secluded Vallejo valley, Hiddenbrooke is one of the toughest and most dramatic public tests north of the bay.
Silverado Resort (North Course) — The PGA Tour's Napa host — a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design (revamped by Johnny Miller) that anchors the region's premier golf resort.
StoneTree Golf Club — A Novato course of two halves — open lower holes and a spectacular oak-and-canyon back nine — long rated among Marin's best public golf.
Windsor Golf Club — A former Nike/Web.com Tour host in Sonoma County, Windsor is a tree-lined, well-manicured test that's remarkably affordable.
Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park — Napa's riverside municipal is a mature, tree-lined layout beside the Napa River — arguably the best golf value in wine country.
Bennett Valley Golf Course — Santa Rosa's popular muni is flat, walkable and beautifully treed — the busiest and best-loved public course in Sonoma County.
Peacock Gap Golf Club — A renovated San Rafael parkland course near the bay, Peacock Gap is Marin's most accessible quality public round.
The Links at Bodega Harbour — A Robert Trent Jones Jr. links on the Sonoma Coast with holes tumbling to Bodega Bay — the North Bay's answer to seaside golf.
Planning Your Round
Wine-country golf pairs perfectly with a tasting or an overnight stay; Silverado and Bodega Harbour both offer stay-and-play packages. The coast at Bodega Harbour is cool and windy year-round, while inland Napa and Solano courses get hot in summer.
Silverado's North Course is the marquee resort round — book a stay-and-play for the best access.
Bodega Harbour plays firm and windy; take extra club into the coastal holes.
Napa Golf Course and Bennett Valley are the best value municipals in the region.
Golfing your way through wine country? Don't miss our dedicated guide to golf in Napa and Sonoma.