Northwood Golf Club opened in 1928 on seventy wooded acres along the Russian River, directly across from the Bohemian Club Grove. The course was conceived by Jack Neville—five-time California Amateur champion, 1923 Walker Cup player, and co-designer of Pebble Beach—who persuaded Dr. Alister MacKenzie and his design partner Robert Hunter to route a nine-hole layout through the redwood forest. It is widely cited as MacKenzie's only nine-hole design in America, built the same year as his nearby Cypress Point Club and five years before Augusta National.

On the course

The course plays to a par of 36 over roughly 2,888 yards, with each hole essentially carved into its own room between 150-foot redwoods. The trees themselves function as the primary hazards: fairways are narrow, several holes dogleg sharply, and wayward shots tend to ricochet off the trunks. Bunkering is sparse, but the small, naturally contoured greens carry the undulation MacKenzie is known for. Two par 5s and three par 4s under 295 yards give the routing variety despite the short overall yardage. The club identifies the ninth as its signature hole.

Who it suits

Following a difficult mid-century stretch of ownership changes and a 1970 foreclosure, the course was rescued by a group of local property owners who incorporated as Northwood Recreation, Inc. and restored playing conditions. It has since been ranked among the top nine-hole courses in the United States by Golf Magazine and Golf World. Northwood suits golfers drawn to classic architecture, walkable short courses, and shotmaking over distance—particularly anyone who can shape the ball around tight, tree-framed corridors. It is one of the more accessible MacKenzie designs in the country, open to the public year-round.

Architect: Alister MacKenzie · Opened: 1928