The Links at Bodega Harbour is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design draped over coastal headlands above Bodega Bay on the Sonoma Coast. The back nine came first, opening in 1978, and the front nine followed in 1987 to complete the eighteen. A major 2008 restoration stripped all eighteen greens of poa annua and regrassed them with bentgrass while reconstructing more than 96 bunkers, work that still defines the putting surfaces and the course's Scottish links look today.

On the course

Jones built genuine links character into the site: rolling, mounded fairways, pot bunkers, thick native coastal rough, and multi-tiered greens on the front nine, all exposed to ocean wind. The finish is the reason people make the drive. At the 319-yard 16th, everyone parks the cart, since Coastal Commission rules require walking holes 16 and 17, and decides how much of a protected marsh to carry off the tee. The 187-yard 17th plays into the same wetland, and the long par-4 18th threads between houses and marsh before a downhill approach through a chute of trees to a well-bunkered green backdropped by the Pacific.

Who it suits

At par 70 and 6,290 yards with a 71.4 rating and 127 slope, the scorecard rewards accuracy and wind management over raw distance, which makes it a fair fight for mid-handicappers. Ocean views run through all eighteen holes, and reviewers consistently cite the scenery and the wind as the two things to plan a round around. Push carts are staged near the 16th tee for the walking stretch.

There is no driving range; warm-up happens at a multi-station net center, with a full-sized putting green and a chipping area with a practice bunker covering the short game. PGA instruction is available, and the clubhouse includes a pro shop, a snack shack, and the Bluewater Bistro, which is open to the public. Pick Bodega Harbour when you want the most dramatic coastal finishing stretch in the North Bay and will happily trade a range session to get it.

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Jr. · Opened: 1978