Est Read Time: 12 min
Golf has taken me to some pretty incredible places over the years. I started playing at 8 years old and became obsessed. I worked at a golf course for my first job. I played high school golf quite seriously, and it even got me into college. So golf is near and dear to me and something that I love especially about golf is that every course you play, tells you a different story. Some courses try to intimidate you from the first tee while others quietly lure you into thinking you’re about to have an fun and relaxing day before it not-so-politely takes six golf balls off of you…and your dignity at the same time. But all kidding aside, I’ve been fortunate enough to play a lot of golf around Northern California over the 35+ or so years i’ve lived in this Placer/El Dorado/Sacramento area, and people often ask me the same question, “If we only have time for one round, where should we play?”, I never answer that question with a ranking…golf doesn’t really work that way for me…here is how I see it.
Sometimes I want to stand on a mountain tee box and watch my ball disappear against a backdrop of pine trees (think Apple Mountain or that famous tee box at Yocha Dehe). Sometimes I want a course where every green requires thought instead of brute force (have you even played The Ridge?). Sometimes I just want a place where the starter smiles, the pace is good, the hot dog at the turn is worth eating, and I leave already planning my next tee time (I sometimes look at Empire Ranch like this), but hey those are just my own thoughts right…you have some i’m sure. In the meantime, here are five courses that are in this region or general area that have earned a permanent place on my list.
The Ridge Golf Course, Auburn
Every time I drive through the entrance at The Ridge, my blood pressure drops about ten points. The road runs along the 18th fairway and then into the parkinglot and even before you’ve parked, it feels like you’ve left the Sacramento area far behind. The clubhouse isn’t overly flashy, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s no slouch either though…plenty of high end apparel and swag in the pro shop and the resturant/bar is good sized so golf tournaments feel right at home here for sure. The staff has always been friendly, and there’s something about grabbing a bucket on the practice range while looking out across the foothills that tells you you’re in for a good day on the coures.
Then the golf starts. The Ridge doesn’t beat you up with length. It beats you up with decisions and lack of precision. There are several tee shots where the driver stays in the bag because the smarter play is a fairway wood or long iron. I love courses that reward restraint every bit as much as power.
One hole I always look forward to is the par-5 18th. It’s one of those finishing holes that tempts you into taking on more than you probably should. If you’ve had a good round, it whispers, “Go for it.” If you’ve had a bad round, it somehow convinces you that eagle will fix everything. Golf does however has a funny sense of humor and I’ve walked off that green with birdies and doubles, but I don’t think I’ve ever walked off without a smile. The Ridge will give you a spanking if you aren’t playing well. It will give you risk/reward in spades, but you have to be playing well and don’t forget that you’d better have a putter situation you can trust, cuz puts are earned at The Ridge. This course is not easy…hell they used to play some professional tour stops here for a while, so be ready with your top game when you play here!
Turkey Creek Golf Club, Lincoln
Now this place is beautiful and another course that will not treat you with sympathy if you are playing poorly. Turkey Creek might just be the most underrated public course in our area. I’ve brought friends there who had never played it before, and almost every one of them has said some version of, “Why haven’t I been coming here all these years?”. Turkey Creeek (just off if 193 in Lincoln), meanders through very mature tree lined fairways and a beautiful massive nature preserve. The course’s natural obstructions are frequent and many (let me tell you). Thick rough and trees line all the tight fairways and branches often seem to be perfectly perched to dissuade that perfect angle to the green, but man does this place deliver in beauty. Its hard to be mad at a golf course being so challenging when the settings is so nice.
The practice facilities are solid, the staff always seems genuinely happy you’re there, and the course conditions consistently punch above what you’d expect for the green fees. The greens are what stick with me. Fast enough to keep you honest, while being smooth enough that when you miss a four-footer, you can’t blame the course (but you can roll right past and off a false front back into the fairway if you’re not smart).
There are several approach shots that force you to commit to a number. You can’t fake your way around Turkey Creek. If you’re between clubs and don’t make a decision, the course usually decides for you. I respect that of golf courses and this one helps you there whether you like it or not.
DarkHorse Golf Club, Auburn
DarkHorse feels bigger than golf. Everything about playing there feels expansive. The fairways. The granite boulders. The pine trees. The views that seem to stretch forever. Standing on some of those elevated tee boxes, it’s hard not to pause for a second before pulling the club. What isn’t overly expansive is the pro shop at the moment. Right now they are based in what is a very small kiosk type building. They once had a fairly sizable temporary-type building that housed a bar and the proshop, but today that is no longer and a simple kiosk takes it place. The thing is, they don’t need a big pro shop to have one of the best courses in the area.
One of my favorite holes (that i’m failing to recall which one) is a dramatic downhill par 3. The key here is, it isn’t just about hitting the green here, it’s about trusting your yardage while your eyes tell you something completely different. The elevation, the mountain breezes and even some elevation effects on flight. The scenery can distract you just enough to make a good swing feel surprisingly difficult and honestly, that’s kinda part of the charm here.
The course has enough room off the tee to let you swing away, but once you get near the greens, things tighten up. Miss on the wrong side, and recovery becomes an adventure that you may need your hiking boots and rope to recover from. DarkHorse doesn’t just ask you to hit golf shots, it tells you that you’d better think about your shots before you hit them. 😉
Whitney Oaks, Rocklin
Sometimes a whoopin is just what the doctor ordered. If that’s what you need, Whitney Oaks is there to help. Whitney Oaks was actually originally so difficult, they had to move some greens and shorten some holes so the general public would stop complaining (that doesn’t happen often). Designed by Johnny Miller and Santa Rosa (again my hometown) golf course designer Fred Bliss decided to ensure you and I feel terrible about our games when we go home after a round. They always said Johnny Miller was a tough guy but just give me 10 min alone in a room with this guy…i’m gonna remind him about Whitney Oaks. I mean, this guy’s given me more nightmares than that Pinhead horror character from the Hellraiser movies back in the 80’s…I think he deserves a piece of my mind…but I digress.
As soon as you are off the first tee at Whitney you know you’re going to be challenged. You need to hit your drives with precision at this place because your approach shot is always defined by where you need to land your drives. Make sure you have a look at the hole overhead schematic so you can see where the troubles are or how far that giant bolder is in the middle of the fairway…pay attention to those distances.
The greens at Whitney frequently cause the knee shakes. I’ve missed more 3 footers than I care to discuss there and its because the greens will roll true and fast and those smaller ones actually will break on you…so don’t be sleeping on putt reading. Watch the topography of the surroundings on the greens, those will help you see where those breaks happen, and watch those blind drives where the groups ahead could still be there with you knowing.
Be sure to enjoy your day when you play there. Leave a full 4.5-5 hrs for your time out there…there is no rush when getting beaten down by a course is truly this enjoyable.
Apple Mountain Golf Resort, Camino
Okay, come’on now…Apple is truly hard to beat in the beauty department. If you ask me which course offers one of the best combinations of value, scenery, and pure enjoyment, Apple Mountain is always near the top of my list. The drive alone starts putting you in the right frame of mind. As the road climbs into Apple Hill, the pace of life changes. You trade traffic for vineyards, orchards, and rolling foothills. Fresh crip air greats you as you open your car door and you’re relaxed and ready for a great day as you’re walking from the car to the pro shop.
So here is the thing, Apple Mountain isn’t overly long, but don’t mistake that for easy. The elevation changes are constant, and club selection becomes part of the challenge. A shot that looks like a comfortable 150-yard 8-iron can suddenly become something completely different once you factor in the slope and the wind.
The back nine has several holes that stay in your memory long after you’ve finished the round, and the views alone are worth the drive up there. The ninth and 18th holes are both started from the side of a mountain tee box and the views are unreal. Uphill greens, large dog legs, traps on side hills…Apple has it all, so when I’m introducing someone to foothill golf, this is often where I take them.
More Than the Scorecard
As I’ve gotten older, something has changed. When I was younger, I’d drive home replaying every missed putt. Now I find myself remembering completely different things. The conversation with the starter. The smell of pine trees walking down the fifth fairway. The hawk circling above the canyon. The guy in our group who somehow holed out from the bunker after topping three drives. The hotdog at the turn that had no business being that good. Those are the moments that stick.
Golf has always been about more than numbers. It’s four or five hours where your phone stays in the cart, the pace of life slows down, and the only thing you’re really thinking about is the next shot. In a world that seems determined to move faster every year, that’s becoming pretty valuable.
Portfolio Perspective
One of the reasons I love living in Northern California is that incredible golf isn’t something you have to plan a vacation around. Within a couple of hours, you can tee it up in the foothills, play through towering pine forests, or enjoy rolling fairways with views that remind you why you live here in the first place. The score you shoot will eventually fade. The places, the people, and the rounds you shared rarely do.
