The Sea Ranch Golf Links

About The Sea Ranch Golf Links

This is links golf on the Sonoma Coast, on the rolling ground of an old sheep ranch. Robert Muir Graves designed it to sit lightly on the land: he left more than half the site untouched, kept the cypress windbreaks, and let sea sage, sea oats and native grasses serve as the rough. Graves said it was the closest he came to a true links and that it reminded him of Scotland, and the club says it was the first course to bring links-style design to the West Coast.

Wind is the story of a round. The course's own notes call the opener a three-shot hole into the prevailing northwest wind, and on the 8th they warn that the wind will knock the ball down, so don't underclub. The 8th, a par 3 over the canyon, is the hole the course calls its most scenic. The map survey shows water in play on 8 holes and tree lines along 16. Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data.

Graves built the first nine in 1974, and the second nine opened in 1995 to make a par 72 of 6,649 yards. Keep an eye out on early tee times: the club says deer, bobcats and more than 30 species of birds share the course, and whales and harbor seals show up offshore. There's a full grass range, a short-game area, a snack bar and a well-stocked shop.

It's one of 12 courses Yoink watches in the Wine Country & North Coast area, and the closest alternative is Healdsburg Golf Club, about 11 miles away — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

What it's like to play The Sea Ranch Golf Links

There's real elevation change: some holes rise or fall about 104 feet from tee to green. You'll carry water off the tee or into the green on 4 holes. 11 of the 18 holes bend, so position off the tee matters more than length.

Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data (ODbL).

Booking a tee time at The Sea Ranch Golf Links

Tee times are booked online or by phone at (707) 785-2468. On the posted rates (no year on the page), 18 holes are $65 Monday to Thursday, $75 on Friday and $85 on weekends and holidays; Sonoma and Mendocino residents pay the lower Mendonoma rate. Carts are $22 per person, pull carts are free, and twilight starts at 1 p.m. from October to May and 3 p.m. in summer.

How to get a tee time at The Sea Ranch Golf Links