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The Best Golf Courses Near SFO
Choose the best golf near SFO by travel window and direction, with September 2026 rates, formats, rentals, practice options, and practical airport-buffer guidance.
Sep 1, 2026
The field desk · San Francisco Bay Area
Stories from the public game.
Reporting, guides, history, routes, and useful field notes for golfers across San Francisco Bay Area.
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30 Best Of stories
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The Best Golf Courses on the Monterey Peninsula, Ranked
The best golf courses in Monterey, ranked: Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Spyglass Hill and more — our public-and-private verdicts on golf's greatest peninsula.
Aug 2, 2026
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Hidden Gem Golf Courses in the Bay Area
Hidden gem golf courses in the Bay Area: a MacKenzie nine in the redwoods, his oceanside Pacifica muni, and seven more underrated designs locals gatekeep.
Aug 2, 2026
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Best Cheap Golf in the Bay Area: Great Rounds on a Budget
Cheap golf in the Bay Area is real: 10 affordable munis and daily-fee courses, from MacKenzie's Sharp Park to WPA-built Tilden Park and a 9-hole gem by the beach.
Aug 2, 2026
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The Best Private Golf Clubs in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley country clubs, ranked: nine private golf clubs from Stanford's 1930 Thomas-Bell classic to Silver Creek's gated Mike Strantz redesign, with access notes for each.
Aug 2, 2026
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The Best Bay Area Golf Courses for Beginners
Beginner friendly golf courses in the Bay Area: nine short, forgiving par-3 and executive layouts — from Golden Gate Park to Pleasanton — where new golfers can learn without pressure.
Aug 2, 2026
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The Best Golf Courses in Marin County
The best golf courses in Marin County, ranked — from Alister MacKenzie's first American design at Meadow Club to StoneTree, Peacock Gap, and Mill Valley's redwood muni nine.
Aug 2, 2026
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The Best Golf Resorts in the Bay Area & Northern California
The best Bay Area golf resorts for a stay-and-play trip — Pebble Beach's bluffs, Half Moon Bay's Ritz-Carlton links, Silverado's PGA Tour host, and Cache Creek's Yocha Dehe.
Aug 2, 2026
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The Best Country Clubs in the East Bay
The best East Bay country clubs, ranked — from Alister MacKenzie's Claremont and Golden Age Diablo to Jack Nicklaus's Ruby Hill and hilltop TPC Stonebrae.
Aug 2, 2026
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The Best Walking Golf Courses in the Bay Area
The best walking golf courses in the Bay Area: nine flat or compact routings — from MacKenzie's Sharp Park to Pacific Grove's seaside links — built to be walked.
Aug 2, 2026
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The Best Golf Courses in San Jose
The best golf courses in San Jose, ranked: seven public tracks led by 27-hole Cinnabar Hills, plus the city's three private clubs — a complete South Bay guide.
Aug 2, 2026
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Best Ocean View Golf Courses in the Bay Area
The best ocean view golf courses in the Bay Area — from Ritz-Carlton bluff golf at Half Moon Bay to MacKenzie's seaside muni and Lincoln Park's Golden Gate views.
Aug 2, 2026
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Best Executive & Short Golf Courses in the Bay Area
The best executive golf courses in the Bay Area: par-60 to 63 eighteens and executive nines that deliver real golf — driver, doglegs and all — in about two hours.
Aug 2, 2026
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The Best Municipal Golf Courses in the Bay Area
The best municipal golf courses in the Bay Area — city-owned, budget-friendly and open to all, from PGA Tour host TPC Harding Park to Tilden Park and San Jose Muni.
Jul 6, 2026
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Robert Trent Jones Courses in Northern California
From Spyglass Hill to Spanish Bay and Silverado, explore the Robert Trent Jones courses — Sr. and Jr. — that shaped championship golf across Northern California.
Jul 6, 2026
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Wine Country Golf: The Best Courses in Napa & Sonoma
A guide to golf in Napa and Sonoma wine country — from the PGA Tour's Silverado Resort to Sonoma Golf Club, Mayacama and the coastal links at Bodega Harbour.
Jul 6, 2026
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The Hardest Golf Courses in the Bay Area
Ranked by slope rating, these are the hardest golf courses in the Bay Area — from a 152-slope wine-country monster to the Pebble Beach gauntlet of Spyglass Hill.
Jul 6, 2026
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The Oldest Golf Courses in the Bay Area
The oldest golf courses in the San Francisco Bay Area — including a course founded in 1893 and the oldest course in continuous operation west of the Mississippi.
Jul 6, 2026
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Recently Renovated Golf Courses in the Bay Area
A wave of major course renovations has reshaped Bay Area golf — from Gil Hanse at Lake Merced to Rees Jones at Corica Park. Here are the courses reborn in the last decade.
Jul 6, 2026
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Best Public Golf Courses in the Bay Area
The best public golf courses in the San Francisco Bay Area, region by region — the top daily-fee and municipal courses in SF, the Peninsula, South Bay, East Bay and North Bay.
Jul 6, 2026
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Best Public Golf Courses in San Francisco
Every public golf course in San Francisco, ranked — from PGA Tour host TPC Harding Park to the MacKenzie muni at Sharp Park and the cliffside par-3s of Lincoln Park.
Jul 6, 2026
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Best Public Golf Courses in the North Bay
The 10 best public golf courses in the North Bay — Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano, from Silverado and StoneTree to the seaside links at Bodega Harbour.
Jul 6, 2026
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Best Public Golf Courses on the Peninsula
The best public golf courses on the SF Peninsula — from the ocean cliffs of Half Moon Bay to Crystal Springs, Poplar Creek and Baylands in Palo Alto.
Jul 6, 2026
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Best Public Golf Courses in the South Bay
The 10 best public golf courses in the South Bay and Silicon Valley — Coyote Creek, Eagle Ridge, Cinnabar Hills and the top San Jose–area layouts you can book today.
Jul 6, 2026
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Best Public Golf Courses in the East Bay
The 10 best public golf courses in the East Bay — from Livermore wine-country layouts to Oakland and Walnut Creek municipals you can book any day of the week.
Jul 6, 2026
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Alister Mackenzie Designed Courses in San Francisco Bay Area
The Alister MacKenzie-designed courses in the San Francisco Bay Area, like Cypress Point, Meadow Club, and Pasatiempo, blend strategic brilliance with stunning landscapes, creating an unforgettable golfing experience.
Sep 16, 2023
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The Best Full 9 Hole Courses in the Bay Area
Discover the Bay Area's most exquisite 9-hole golf courses, where stunning scenery meets challenging fairways, promising an unforgettable golfing experience in San Francisco.
Sep 16, 2023
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Best Par 3's in the Bay Area
Prepare to embark on a golfing journey through the San Francisco Bay Area's finest Par 3 courses, offering a diverse range of experiences for golfers of all levels.
Sep 9, 2023
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Most Exclusive Golf And Country Clubs In San Francisco Bay Area
Discover Exclusive Elegance: The Top 10 Golf & Country Clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sep 6, 2023
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