The best golf courses in Oakland, California
Course Vaults is a golf course logging app where members have logged 16,956 rounds in California and rate what they played. These are the 25 highest-rated public and private courses within about 25 miles of Oakland, California, ranked by those community scores.

California of San Francisco
California Golf Club of San Francisco
South San Francisco, CA, USAPrivateAlister Mackenzie & Robert Hunter
- 4.9Conditions
- 4.9Layout
- 4.4Scenery
- 4.4Facilities
- Must play
- Pristine
- Challenging

San Francisco Golf Club
San Francisco, CA, USAPrivateA .W. Tillinghast & Jack Neville
- 4.8Conditions
- 4.6Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.2Facilities
Loved the use of short grass throughout the course while still keeping it fairly tight off the tee. Tons of elevation change, and even though there aren't many trees and you can see groups playing on other holes, the trees around the perimeter make you feel surprisingly secluded.
Written by
@jensencastle
- Must play
- Pristine
- Walkable

Lake
The Olympic Club
San Francisco, CA, USAPrivateWilfrid Reid & Sam Whiting
- 4.6Conditions
- 4.6Layout
- 4.4Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
The Lake Course at Olympic Club is one of the best and most challenging layouts I’ve played. The course is known for its narrow, sloping fairways lined with towering cypress trees and small, fast greens that demand precision on every shot.
Written by
@Flopfather
- Challenging
- Pristine
- Must play

Lake Merced Golf Club
Daly City, CA, USAPrivateAlister 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

Claremont Country Club
Oakland, CA, USAPrivateJim Smith
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Must play

Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club
Menlo Park, CA, USAPrivateJack 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, USAPrivateWillie Watson
- 4.3Conditions
- 4.6Layout
- 4.4Scenery
- 3.9Facilities
Very linksy with subtle elevation changes, fast undulating greens. Despite the elevation changes this course can be easily walked. The 18th hole is a bit disappointing but given the lack of land they probably did what they could.
Written by
@Kunapro59
- Hidden gem
- Restaurant
- Driving range

Ocean
The Olympic Club
San Francisco, CA, USAPrivateSam Whiting & Willie Watson
- 4.7Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.6Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
Olympic Club… respectfully, this one just isn’t my favorite. I think it’s a pretty overrated golf course, and the rough always seems to be incredibly thick, which makes an already difficult course even more challenging. The setting is undeniably cool.
Written by
@jensencastle
- Driving range
- Putting area
- Challenging

TPC at Stonebrae
Hayward, CA, USAPrivateDavid McLay Kidd
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 4.5Scenery
- NRFacilities
- Driving range
- Must play
- Hidden gem

Menlo Country Club
Woodside, CA, USAPrivateTom Nicoll & Kyle Phillips
- 5.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRScenery
- 4.0Facilities
- Driving range
- Pristine
- Restaurant

Orinda Country Club
Orinda, CA, USAPrivateWillie Watson
- 4.0Conditions
- 5.0Layout
- 5.0Scenery
- 4.3Facilities
Feels like high end backyard golf; serene setting, tight holes sculpted into severe land. Some flaws - noticably short and protected only by tight treelines in spots - but a few interesting short par 3 or 3.5 holes will really stick with me, notably 3,8,13,14.
Written by
@hammerinhank
- Driving range
- Must play
- Fast greens

Falls at Blackhawk Country Club
Danville, CA, USAPrivateTed Robinson Sr.
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 5.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
Right from the first hole, a downhill par 4 where you are 100 ft in the air you are wowed. The beauty especially in the early morning is overwhelming ! Great holes, you need to drive and putt it well. And always in excellent shape….
Written by
@Kunapro59
- Driving range
- Must play
- Mat range

Stanford University Golf Club
Stanford, CA, USAPrivateWilliam Francis Bell & William Park Bell Sr.
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.3Scenery
- 4.3Facilities
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Mat range

Presidio Golf Course
San Francisco, CA, USAPublicRobert Johnstone & Tom Simpson
- 3.3Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 4.4Value
- 4.2Scenery
- 3.7Facilities
#TLDR: Presidio is a world-class municipal course, but our overall experience left a lot to be desired. Scenery (4.5/5) The towering cypress trees, San Francisco Hills, and glimpses of the Golden Gate Bridge remind you you’re in a special city.
Written by
@moodiebanks
- Views
- Hidden gem
- Great value

Ruby Hill Golf Club
Pleasanton, CA, USAPrivateJack Nicklaus
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar

The Course at Wente Vineyards
Livermore, CA, USAPublic
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.7Layout
- 2.0Value
- 4.7Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
- Views
- Must play
- Pristine

Sequoyah Country Club
Oakland, CA, USAPrivate
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 2.5Scenery
- 1.0Facilities
Old school hidden gem with lots of charm and quirk - originally laid out by Seth Raynor, and my understanding is that Jay Blasi is going to do a restoration next year. Maybe 4-5 drivers all day, insanely small and undulated greens, and funky routing that crosses lines of play.
Written by
@shahbaz-hashmi
- Challenging
- Hidden gem
- Views
TPC Harding Park
San Francisco, CA, USAPublicChris Gray & Sam Whiting
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.7Layout
- 4.0Value
- 4.1Scenery
- 3.7Facilities
Playing the course in a tournament with tournament tees and tournament pins really lets TPC Harding Park shine. Nothing overly special about the architecture, just very solid overall. Great atmosphere and lots of great views. Good variety of holes and shots required.
Written by
@Colinarmi
- Walkable
- Views
- Friendly

Contra Costa Country Club
Pleasant Hill, CA, USAPrivateA. Vernon Macan & Vernon Macan
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 3.5Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
A true golfers club! A recent redesign made Contra Costa one of the jewels of the East Bay. It’s a rolling hooked links course where the ball can be played in the air and on the ground. This place reaks golf! The practice facility is second to none spacious and full of targets.
Written by
@Kunapro59
- Driving range
- Must play
- Grass range

Green Hills Country Club
Millbrae, CA, USAPrivateAlister Mackenzie
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar

South
Corica Park Golf Club
Alameda, CA, USAPublicRees Jones
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 5.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 5.0Facilities
- Hidden gem
- Great value
- Walkable

Cliffs
The Olympic Club
San Francisco, CA, USAPrivateJay Morrish & Tom Weiskopf
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.5Layout
- 5.0Scenery
- NRFacilities
- Driving range
- Must play
- Restaurant

North
Corica Park Golf Club
Alameda, CA, USAPublicMarc Logan
- 3.7Conditions
- 2.9Layout
- 3.2Value
- 3.1Scenery
- 3.3Facilities
- Walkable
- Driving range
- Fast greens

Callippe Preserve Golf Club
Pleasanton, CA, USAPublicBrian Costello
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.5Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.5Scenery
- 3.4Facilities
- Driving range
- Fast greens
- Hidden gem

Boundary Oak Golf Course
Walnut Creek, CA, USAPublicRobert Muir Graves
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.5Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.5Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
- Driving range
- Parkland
- Putting area
Explore more Oakland rankings
How we rank
Course Vaults ranks golf courses by Course Vaults Score (CV score), a community rating from golfers who have played and rated each course. Only open courses with at least 5 explicit ratings qualify, and this list is limited to public and private courses. City pages include golf courses within about 25 miles of Oakland, so nearby suburbs can appear on the same list. Rankings refresh about hourly as new ratings come in; each page shows when it was last generated.
FAQ
Common questions about course rankings in Oakland, California.
The top golf courses in Oakland, California on Course Vaults are led by California Golf Club of San Francisco with a Course Vaults score of 9.1. This page ranks 25 courses, including California Golf Club of San Francisco, San Francisco Golf Club, The Olympic Club.
Course Vaults ranks golf courses by Course Vaults Score (CV score), a community rating from golfers who have played and rated each course. Only open courses with at least 5 explicit ratings qualify, and this list is limited to public and private courses. City pages include golf courses within about 25 miles of Oakland, so nearby suburbs can appear on the same list. Rankings refresh about hourly as new ratings come in; each page shows when it was last generated.
Yes. The Oakland, California list includes golf courses within about 25 miles of Oakland, not only courses whose city field is an exact match. Nearby suburbs can appear when they fall inside that metro radius.
California Golf Club of San Francisco is currently #1 among courses in and around Oakland, California on Course Vaults at 9.1 out of 10.
This ranking was last refreshed Nov 12, 2026, 3:39 AM EST. The page revalidates about every hour as golfers add new explicit ratings that meet the 5-rating minimum.
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