McInnis Park Golf Center opened in 1993 as the golf anchor of Marin County's McInnis Park on Smith Ranch Road in San Rafael. Fred Bliss, the architect behind several North Bay courses, designed the nine-hole layout, and the county-owned facility is run today by Tayman Park Golf Group, which operates a handful of municipal courses around the region.

On the course

The course is an executive nine, par 31 and 1,843 yards, mixing par 3s with short par 4s across gently rolling ground beside bay wetlands. Well-bunkered greens supply most of the defense, water comes into play along the marsh edges, and the open setting serves up views toward Mount Tamalpais and the wildlife of the surrounding county park. Nothing here overpowers you; the game is wedges, putting and tidy pars.

Who it suits

That makes it one of Marin's best places to actually improve. A loop takes a fraction of the time of a full-size round, green fees stay modest, and the walk is flat and easy, which is why juniors, beginners and after-work regulars dominate the tee sheet. Reviewers treat it less as a championship test than as a genuinely fun, low-stakes nine, and better players still use it as a sharp short-game tune-up between full-length rounds elsewhere in the county.

The practice complex is the headline: a double-decker driving range with 52 hitting bays, every one equipped with Toptracer technology, has earned the facility repeated national Top 50 range honors from the Golf Range Association of America. Two chipping greens with practice bunkers, a large putting green, an academy with strong junior programs, an 18-hole miniature golf course and The Club restaurant round it out. Pick McInnis Park to build a game, sharpen a short game or introduce someone new to golf.

Architect: Fred Bliss · Opened: 1993