The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch traces its origins to 1925, when a nine-hole sand-green course was laid out on the old Smith farm north of Salinas. Irish-born architect Jack Fleming, a Golden Age designer best known for his work around the San Francisco Bay Area, drew up the routing, and the property was expanded into a full 18-hole course in 1957. For most of its existence it operated as the private Salinas Golf & Country Club before rebranding as The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch and opening tee times to public play.

On the course

The par-72 course measures roughly 6,100 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 70.1 and a slope of 123 on rye fairways and greens. The two nines play with distinctly different personalities. The front side is hillier and tighter, highlighted by the par-3 5th, which features a steep drop from tee to green. The back nine settles into a more parkland character, with tree-lined fairways winding through the rolling Salinas Valley countryside, though very little of the property plays truly flat. The round closes from an elevated 18th tee with a long view down the valley, the fairway tumbling toward a green flanked by trees on the left and bunkers on the right.

Who it suits

Small, quick greens are the defining defense here rather than length, and accuracy off the tee matters more than power. That makes Crazy Horse Ranch a good fit for shotmakers, mid-handicappers who don't need 7,000-yard layouts, and Monterey-area golfers looking for an inland alternative to the coastal courses about thirty minutes south. Practice facilities include a driving range with three practice tees, and the clubhouse retains the dining and event amenities from its country-club era.

Architect: Jack Fleming · Opened: 1925