POPPY RIDGE GOLF COURSE
🇺🇸 Livermore, CA, USA
Designed by Rees Jones, Steve Weisser
Poppy Ridge, carved into the rolling hills of Livermore wine country, offers a challenging yet accessible golfing experience amidst a picturesque landscape. Designed in the modern era, the 27 hole facility offers three distinct 9 hole tracks, but the routing known as Merlot/Zinfandel offers the traditional 18 hole experience. The terrain, while not overly dramatic, features subtle elevation changes and strategically placed bunkers that demand thoughtful club selection and course management.
Originally designed by Rees Jones, Poppy Ridge presents generous fairways that initially lull golfers into a false sense of security. However, approaches to the greens require precision, as undulating surfaces and deceptive breaks can quickly turn a birdie opportunity into a frustrating three-putt. Favoring players who can work the ball both ways, the course features a mix of doglegs and risk-reward par-5s.
While Poppy Ridge hasn't hosted major professional championships, it remains a popular destination for local tournaments and amateur events. The club fosters a welcoming atmosphere, drawing a diverse group of golfers from the surrounding Bay Area communities, though is not particularly known for a prominent membership. After a round, players often gather at the clubhouse to enjoy the local wine available in the region of California renowned for it's wine production.
Reviews
Amazing courses except for a few head scratching holes like 7. Always seems to be a traffic jam on 14 and you end up waiting 20 minutes which can throw off your rhythm. Other than that great course for $100 with NCGA.
Firm & fast. Nice views over the rolling East Bay hills. Definitely a new age/“woke” course with bounding hills to refocus shots hut wide of target (on the proper side). Borderline unwalkable (I know they attempted to improve this when it was redone, still some steep elevation changes to navigate even within holes). Pace was super slow à la Presidio, waited on a number of tee boxes. It’s a recommend for me based on the scenery, some nice shot values, but with plenty of luck-dependent bounces.
Huge fan of this course - probably my second favorite public course in the Bay Area after Pasatiempo. Rolling piece of property that Blasio was able to carve some extremely unique holes into with green sites that truly looked found va built. Its collection of short par 4’s were especially fun (6, 11, 16).
Awesome venue for a Course Vaults meetup! Very impressed by Jay Blasi’s overhaul of this place. It used to suck. Really cool adaptation of Raynor/Macdonald templates and smart use of the land to create a firm and fast routing. Doesn’t feel like NorCal golf at all - feels more like Erin Hills or the courses in the Nebraska/Colorado chop hills. Should be a great tournament host for future NCGA events. Lots of opportunity for scoring, but lots of opportunity for carnage as well - all weather/wind dependent
Really fun day out there meeting Zico IRL for the first time. Wind was BLOWING (50mph gusts). Up and down round for me. Course had a strong start, meh middle, and excellent finish. Definitely needs some time to grow in. Great deal at $100 for NCGA members
great course less than an hour drive out of SF. They have a 9 holer + championship 18 and a wonderful practice facility. One or two holes that felt unfair, but not complaining, and a few holes that make you say WOW, cool design... go.
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FAQ
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
18 holes at Poppy Ridge Golf Course has a Course Vaults score of 8 out of 10 based on 27 explicit golfer ratings.
18 holes was designed by Rees Jones and Steve Weisser.
Yes. 18 holes at Poppy Ridge Golf Course is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at 18 holes is 70.
18 holes plays 7,010 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at 18 holes is 131.
