The hardest golf courses in Oakland, California
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Oakland, California, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 38 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Livermore, Alameda, Pleasanton and Hayward.
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
The Course at Wente Vineyards
Livermore, CA, USASlope rating 142, 75.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,181 yds
Public
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.7Layout
- 2.0Value
- 4.7Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
- Views
- Must play
- Pristine
Oakhurst Country Club
Clayton, CA, USASlope rating 142, 73.4 course rating, Championship tees, 6,746 yds
PrivateRon Fream
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.8Layout
- 4.5Scenery
- 3.4Facilities
Oakhurst has the possibility of being one of the best in the Bay but management just can’t seem to maintain it. While the course is bordered by homes, they are so far out of play that it’s not an issue.
Written by
@Kunapro59
- Views
- Driving range
- Mat range
Lake Merced Golf Club
Daly City, CA, USASlope rating 140, 73.9 course rating, Plates tees, 6,915 yds
PrivateAlister Mackenzie & Rees Jones
- 4.3Conditions
- 4.4Layout
- 4.1Scenery
- NRFacilities
Incredible routing framed nicely by great bunkering and very clever green complexes. Loved the Instagram holes on the NW corner of the property. Such an awesome reveal as you crest the hill on 12. Not a hard course by any means, but incredibly fun.
Written by
@shahbaz-hashmi
- Pristine
- Views
- Must play
Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club
Menlo Park, CA, USASlope rating 140, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,863 yds
PrivateJack Fleming
Beautiful, some really interesting green surrounds but doesn’t rate for me. No cohesive flow to the routing and it plays extremely short with unfair results on many tee shots
Written by
@hammerinhank
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Diablo Country Club
Diablo, CA, USA
Slope rating 139, 78.8 course rating, Macdonald Smith tees, 6,766 yds
TPC at Stonebrae
Hayward, CA, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.8 course rating, Tour tees, 7,188 yds
(Lake) The Olympic Club
San Francisco, CA, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.7 course rating, Black tees, 6,934 yds
Stanford University Golf Club
Stanford, CA, USA
Slope rating 138, 73.6 course rating, Cardinal tees, 6,727 yds
Callippe Preserve Golf Club
Pleasanton, CA, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,748 yds
Green Hills Country Club
Millbrae, CA, USA
Slope rating 136, 71.1 course rating, Blue tees, 6,351 yds
Ruby Hill Golf Club
Pleasanton, CA, USA
Slope rating 135, 76.0 course rating, Nicklaus tees, 7,478 yds
(California of San Francisco) California Golf Club of San Francisco
South San Francisco, CA, USA
Slope rating 135, 74.7 course rating, Venturi tees, 7,216 yds
Presidio Golf Course
San Francisco, CA, USA
Slope rating 135, 72.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,422 yds
Sequoyah Country Club
Oakland, CA, USA
Slope rating 134, 71.3 course rating, Blue tees, 6,100 yds
Boundary Oak Golf Course
Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Slope rating 133, 74.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,100 yds
The Peninsula Golf & Country Club
San Mateo, CA, USA
Slope rating 133, 72.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,538 yds
Orinda Country Club
Orinda, CA, USA
Slope rating 133, 71.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,290 yds
(Ocean) The Olympic Club
San Francisco, CA, USA
Slope rating 132, 72.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,852 yds
Metropolitan Golf Links
Oakland, CA, USA
Slope rating 131, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,959 yds
Menlo Country Club
Woodside, CA, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,802 yds
(Regulation) Las Positas Golf Course
Livermore, CA, USA
Slope rating 130, 71.9 course rating, Professional tees, 6,726 yds
(South) Corica Park Golf Club
Alameda, CA, USA
Slope rating 129, 73.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,874 yds
San Francisco Golf Club
San Francisco, CA, USA
Slope rating 129, 73.0 course rating, Championship tees, 6,828 yds
Tilden Park Golf Course
Berkeley, CA, USA
Slope rating 128, 71.3 course rating, Back tees, 6,294 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. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Oakland, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The Bridges Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Oakland, California at Slope 147 (74.5 course rating · Black tees · 6,861 yds). 38 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. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Oakland, so nearby suburbs can appear. 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.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Oakland, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:00 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
