The hardest golf courses in California
The hardest 18-hole golf courses in California, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 247 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Mayacama Golf Club
Santa Rosa, CA, USASlope rating 150, 73.8 course rating, Back tees, 6,785 yds
PrivateJack Nicklaus
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.7Layout
- 4.7Scenery
- 5.0Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Must play
Golf Club at Grays Crossing
Truckee, CA, USASlope rating 149, 75.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,466 yds
PublicPeter Jacobsen & Jim Hardy
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 1.7Value
- 3.7Scenery
- 2.9Facilities
- Challenging
- Mountain
- Views
Pebble Beach Resorts
Pebble Beach, CA, USASlope rating 148, 75.9 course rating, U.S. Open tees, 7,075 yds
PublicJack Neville & Douglas Grant
- 4.6Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 3.0Value
- 4.8Scenery
- 3.9Facilities
Stunning views, top-notch history and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With that said, the course needs renovated. Green complexes need rejuvenated and serious love. I know they are slowly redoing greens, but they need a full scale effort.
Written by
@notaburner105
- Must play
- Views
- Pristine
Stadium
PGA West
La Quinta, CA, USASlope rating 148, 75.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,300 yds
Public
- 3.9Conditions
- 4.4Layout
- 3.7Value
- 4.2Scenery
- 3.9Facilities
after playing it several times, the novelty has worn off. its in nice condition, but not worth the price they charge. its ok if uou get it for the replay rate of 100.00, but the nicklaus course is nicer with more challenging holes.
Written by
@ESP
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Putting area
The Bridges Golf Club
San Ramon, CA, USASlope rating 147, 74.5 course rating, Black tees, 6,861 yds
PublicRobert Muir Graves & Damian Pascuzzo
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 2.5Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.9Facilities
Very rolling property - tons of hazards that are almost always on the right of the hole. Some gimmicky holes with a few split fairways. Handful of short par 4’s. Greens were well maintained and pretty consistent.
Written by
@mikeybenzinger
- Putting area
- Restaurant
- Friendly
(Tom Fazio) Martis Camp Club
Truckee, CA, USA
Slope rating 146, 75.9 course rating, Medal tees, 7,775 yds
(Trump National Los Angeles) Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA
Slope rating 146, 75.0 course rating, Black tees, 7,240 yds
(Jack Nicklaus Private) PGA West
La Quinta, CA, USA
Slope rating 146, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,951 yds
Del Paso Country Club
Sacramento, CA, USA
Slope rating 145, 74.8 course rating, Thoroughbred tees, 7,121 yds
(South) Torrey Pines Golf Course
La Jolla, CA, USA
Slope rating 144, 78.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,707 yds
Classic Club
Palm Desert, CA, USA
Slope rating 144, 75.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,322 yds
Sherwood Country Club
Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
Slope rating 144, 75.4 course rating, Bear tees, 7,088 yds
Maderas Golf Club
Poway, CA, USA
Slope rating 144, 75.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,167 yds
Aviara Golf Club
Carlsbad, CA, USA
Slope rating 144, 75.0 course rating, Silver tees, 7,007 yds
(Tournament) Coyote Creek Golf Club
Morgan Hill, CA, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,027 yds
Shady Canyon Golf Club
Irvine, CA, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,012 yds
Poppy Hills Golf Course
Pebble Beach, CA, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.4 course rating, Jones tees, 7,002 yds
La Purisima Golf Course
Lompoc, CA, USA
Slope rating 143, 75.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,105 yds
(Nicklaus Tournament) PGA West
La Quinta, CA, USA
Slope rating 143, 75.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,204 yds
Angeles National Golf Club
Sunland, CA, USA
Slope rating 143, 74.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,141 yds
(Arnold Palmer Private) PGA West
La Quinta, CA, USA
Slope rating 143, 74.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,950 yds
Hiddenbrooke Golf Club
Vallejo, CA, USA
Slope rating 143, 74.0 course rating, Palmer tees, 6,782 yds
Golf Club of California
Fallbrook, CA, USA
Slope rating 143, 73.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,828 yds
Pasatiempo Golf Club
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Slope rating 143, 72.4 course rating, Championship tees, 6,500 yds
Del Mar Country Club
Rancho Santa Fe, CA, USA
Slope rating 142, 75.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,226 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across California. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Mayacama Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in California at Slope 150 (73.8 course rating · Back tees · 6,785 yds). 247 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across California. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:38 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
