Poppy Ridge Golf Course opened in 1996 as the second course owned and operated by the Northern California Golf Association, ten years after the NCGA opened Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach. The NCGA commissioned Rees Jones, Golf Digest's 1995 Architect of the Year, to route 27 holes through the rugged ridges of Livermore Valley wine country. Jones laid out three distinct nines named Chardonnay, Merlot, and Zinfandel, with an open, inland-links character shaped by strong prevailing winds. The course played roughly 85,000 rounds in its first year and became the NCGA's East Bay home for the majority of its members.

On the course

By the early 2020s, the original layout's severe elevation changes and long walks between holes prompted the NCGA to commission architect Jay Blasi, known for his work as a design associate at Chambers Bay and his restoration of Golden Gate Park Golf Course. Construction began in May 2024, with crews moving roughly 250,000 cubic yards of dirt to create an entirely new routing. The redesigned course reopened in May 2025 as a single 18-hole layout paired with a par-34 short course called The Ridge 9, built largely from the retained holes of the old Merlot nine plus three new holes.

Who it suits

The new 18-hole course plays 7,010 yards from the back tees with a tournament configuration stretching to 7,345 yards. Blasi positioned tees near the previous greens to shorten the walk by roughly 2,000 yards and cut about 400 feet of elevation change from the original. Fairways are wide and contoured, surfaced in Santa Ana Bermuda for firm, bounce-and-run conditions, and holes run in opposing directions to engage the Livermore wind. The layout suits both NCGA championship play and recreational golfers, with six sets of tees and a setting of open ridges, oak-dotted hillsides, and surrounding vineyards.

Architect: Jay Blasi · Opened: 1996