North at Rancho Murieta Country Club

The North Course at Rancho Murieta Country Club opened in 1970 as part of a master-planned community development roughly twenty-five miles southeast of Sacramento. Arnold Palmer collaborated with Bert Stamps on the design, creating a layout that takes advantage of the rolling terrain and mature oak groves characteristic of the Sierra foothills transition zone. The course sits within a residential setting but maintains a sense of separation through strategic tree corridors and natural elevation changes.

The routing moves through varied topography, with several holes playing uphill or downhill across slopes that add dimension to club selection and approach angles. Water features come into play on multiple holes, and the design incorporates both strategic and penal elements typical of Palmer's work from this period. The greens tend toward moderate size with enough contour to reward precise iron play, while fairway bunkers are positioned to challenge tee shots from the championship tees.

Rancho Murieta operates as a private club serving the residential community and maintains both the North Course and a companion South Course designed by Ted Robinson. The North Course has historically been regarded as the more challenging of the two layouts, with a traditional parkland character shaped by the native oaks and the property's natural drainage patterns. The club emphasizes a family-oriented atmosphere consistent with its planned-community origins, offering year-round golf in the region's Mediterranean climate.