California Golf Courses
California has over 820 golf courses spread across Pacific coastline, high desert, mountain forests, and agricultural valleys. The Monterey Peninsula is the marquee destination, home to Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Spanish Bay, with Carmel and Salinas adding more options nearby. The Palm Springs and Coachella Valley area has more than 100 courses concentrated across Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, and Cathedral City. Peak season there runs November through April, when the desert climate is ideal for golf.
San Diego’s North County corridor through Carlsbad, Escondido, and Oceanside offers both coastal and inland options. The Los Angeles basin is packed with public courses at every price point, from executive par-3 layouts in Glendale to longer championship courses in Long Beach and Pasadena. Orange County adds Irvine, Newport Beach, and Mission Viejo. The San Francisco Bay Area has ocean-view layouts and courses winding through oak hills in Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, and San Ramon. Sacramento and the Central Valley provide flat, affordable rounds year-round, while the Napa and Santa Rosa wine country region mixes golf with touring.
Mountain golf is available in Truckee near Lake Tahoe, where courses open late May and play at 5,500 to 6,000 feet through pine forest. Santa Barbara, Ventura, and the Thousand Oaks area on the Central Coast enjoy moderate temperatures most of the year. Green fees range from $25 at Central Valley municipal courses to $575 at Pebble Beach, reflecting the state’s scale and variety. The majority of courses are 18-hole layouts, though nine-hole courses are common in urban areas where land is expensive. California’s size means there is always a course in season somewhere in the state.
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At a Glance
793 coursesCourse Type
Price Range
Driving Range
California has 793 golf courses listed in the FairwayDB directory. 585 are 18-hole courses and 196 are 9-hole courses. 660 courses have a driving range on site. Cost tiers range from Economy (144) to Standard (104), Premium (148), Luxury (104), and Elite (249), spread across 71 cities with three or more courses.