The Links at Bodega Harbour is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design perched above the Sonoma Coast in Bodega Bay. The original nine opened in 1978 and the second nine was added in 1987 to complete the 18-hole, par-70 routing. In 2008 the course underwent an extensive renovation that stripped poa annua from all 18 greens, replaced it with bentgrass, and reconstructed more than 96 bunkers. Jones designed it in the spirit of a traditional Scottish links, with rolling fairways, mounding, pot bunkers, multi-tiered greens, and thick native coastal rough.

On the course

The routing climbs uphill through the opening holes and weaves past the homes of the Bodega Harbour community before turning toward the ocean. The sixth tee shot flies over a canyon with Bodega Harbour as a backdrop, and the seventh is the second of back-to-back par 3s on the front side. The course measures roughly 6,284 yards from the tips, a number that plays longer than it reads because of elevation changes, marine-layer fog, and steady coastal wind.

Who it suits

The finish is the course's signature stretch. On the 319-yard par-4 16th, players tee off over a protected coastal marsh, park their carts, and walk the fairway carrying bags or pushing a complimentary cart. The 187-yard 17th is a forced carry par 3 over the same environmentally sensitive wetlands, and the par-4 18th drops downhill through a narrow chute toward a well-bunkered green with the Pacific behind it.

At par 70 and well under 6,300 yards, the course suits mid-handicap and recreational golfers more than power players, rewarding accuracy, short-game touch, and the ability to manage wind. Walkers should expect significant elevation change, and first-timers benefit from studying the tee signs on the blind shots, particularly the downhill drive on no. 5.

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Jr. · Opened: 1978