Chardonnay Golf Club opened in 1991 on a 150-acre property at the southern gateway to Napa Valley, in Jameson Canyon just outside American Canyon. The course was designed by architect Algie Pulley and originally operated as a 27-hole facility with three nines known as the Lakes, Meadows and Vineyards courses. In 2009, ownership consolidated 17 of those holes with one newly built hole into a single 18-hole layout that now plays as the Vineyards Course.

On the course

The routing weaves through working blocks of Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir vines, with lakes, creek crossings and rolling terrain dictating shot selection. Unlike most modern Bay Area courses, the property has no homes lining the fairways, and several parcels are set aside as wildlife habitat for hawks, foxes, bobcats and the occasional golden eagle. From the back tees the course stretches to 6,948 yards, par 72, with five sets of tees beginning around 5,200 yards. The hole mix is unusual: six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s, with the 582-yard 7th rated the No. 1 handicap hole.

Who it suits

The signature hole is the par-3 8th, named by Golf Digest architecture editor Ron Whitten to his January 2011 list of the 18 Most Fun Holes You Can Play in America. Played from an elevated tee with views across the valley, it features a green roughly 125 yards wide with six distinct pin sections and a dogleg in the putting surface itself, so club selection can swing as much as four clubs depending on the day's pin. A closing stretch of the par-3 16th, long par-4 17th and a reachable par 5 gives shorter hitters scoring chances late. The course suits players who enjoy variety, position golf and a quieter, vineyard setting rather than a resort atmosphere.

Architect: Algie Pulley · Opened: 1991