Baylands Golf Links is the 2018 rebirth of the old Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course, a William F. Bell design that had operated beside San Francisco Bay since 1956. Decades of naturally salty soil made good turf a losing battle, and in 2011 the City of Palo Alto began planning a full rebuild, hiring architect Forrest Richardson to reimagine the property. Construction started in July 2016, and the transformed course opened on May 26, 2018 after a roughly $12 million project that doubled as flood-protection and habitat work along San Francisquito Creek.

On the course

Richardson replaced Bell's flat, parallel fairways with a true links landscape of dune-like landforms, humps, and hollows, planted with seashore paspalum, a salt-tolerant grass suited to recycled irrigation water. The routing is unusual, with five par 3s and five par 5s on the par-72, 6,680-yard card, rated 72.4 with a 129 slope. Wind off the bay is the defining hazard, and the design answers it with ground-game options, large greens, and touches like the par-4 14th, which alternates between two separate green sites.

Who it suits

As a walk it is flat, open, and easy on the legs, exactly what a modern municipal course should be. The environmental credentials are real: managed turf shrank about 40 percent, and 55 acres of native Baylands vegetation and new wetlands now line the holes. Reviewers advise bringing your wind game and a willingness to play low, running shots. City-owned and Troon-managed, it suits golfers who want links-style variety at municipal prices and players tired of tree-lined target golf.

Practice needs are covered by a driving range with artificial-turf tees and tall netting across from the Baylands Athletic Center. Baylands is the pick for golfers curious what a links round feels like without leaving the Peninsula, for walkers, and for anyone who appreciates a muni that takes sustainability seriously; players who want lush, soft, tree-framed golf should choose differently.

Architect: Forrest Richardson · Opened: 2018