Designed by Gary Roger Baird, Rancho Solano celebrated its Opening Day in March 1990. The municipal course is owned by the City of Fairfield and sits midway between San Francisco and Sacramento, built as the centerpiece of a master-planned residential community that began development in the mid-1980s on land that had been part of the Rancho Suisun Land Grant and used for cattle grazing.

On the course

The residential community of 1,200 homes was situated around the public golf course, surrounded by oak-laden hills. The routing climbs and falls through that terrain, with hilly ground that gives the layout elevated tees and dramatically undulating greens . Water is a factor on holes 2, 3, 4, and 5 on the front nine and holes 11, 12 and 14 on the back nine.

Who it suits

Rancho Solano is known for having some of the largest greens on Northern California courses , and pin position often matters more than the approach yardage.

From the back tees the par-72 layout plays 6,705 yards with a course rating of 72.1 and a slope rating of 128 . The signature stretch is the opening of the back nine: two of the most challenging holes are on the back nine, with the par-4 11th requiring careful club selection because a long drive could end up in the lake, and a carefully placed second shot onto the green hugging the water's edge is not as easy as it looks, with sand traps behind the green .

The course suits mid-handicap players who can place tee shots and lag-putt on oversized surfaces. It is a sister facility to Fairfield's Paradise Valley Golf Course and operates as a daily-fee public course with a driving range and full clubhouse.

Architect: Gary Roger Baird · Opened: 1990