The Links at Bodega Harbour Golf

The golf here was really something, and the facilities were alright. All beers were $ 5 from the cart, including Sierra Nevada Torpedos. Green fee was reasonable, and the course was neither too difficult nor too easy for a bad golfer such as myself.

Hands down the most beautiful course I have every played. There were ocean views from every hole with the sound of barking sea lions in the distance. The course was challenging but fair with some very interesting holes. Everybody at the course was very friendly, definitely not a stuck up place. It was a very pleasant 1 hour drive from Napa. Highly recommend for anyone wanting a break from wine tasting.

Such a great course. Bob C,
The pro is the nicest guy you will meet. He has really made us feel welcome here in Bodega Bay. The entire staff at the golf course is fabulous.

This course is one of the true hidden gems in Northern California!!!

Great views, challenging holes. The first few holes are really tough going uphill. Greens are in good shape and very hard to read. A lot of fun and a good value. Worth the trip from anywhere in the Bay Area.

OK. This is a great course, great views, Proshop management is friendly and competent. Blue Bistro makes a good vodka martini! The problem is the price! My foresome play every year in Sept/​Oct and in past years
got us a good rate of $ 59 with cart, around Noon, and a hot dog! This year none offered from any of the online vendors and Links wants $ 90 before 2pm. It cost us $ 8 in gas just to drive out there. I tried call local Proshop to see if they would offer 4 loyal golfers a better rate (they get $ 240 and we get to play so it’s a win/​win), but now you only get some call center in Texas! Attn: If you want a lot more golfers to drive an hour to your course, offer $ 50 to $ 60 and they will come!
We just booked Mare Island, which has views comparable to Bodega, Mare’s greens are outstanding. Our price is $ 25 with online vendor! Cant wait to play Mare Oct 4^th. Played there twice in Sept and course is in fantastic shape. Views on back 9 showcase panoramic shots of the SF Bay. Old WW 2 bunkers everywhere take you back in time. Hope Bodega changes in future and «I’ll be back». Weekend golfer!

I went here with my husband so he could enjoy a morning round of golf during our Napa Valley vacation a couple of months ago. We felt the price was reasonable for the course conditions and the wonderful views of the Pacific. I had to pay a $ 15 spectator fee, which I found to be slightly ridiculous, but whatever. He enjoyed the course, there were a few holes which were pretty challenging. We ordered hot dogs from the concession area. The hot dog itself was good, but the bun was cumbersome and a different type of bun would have suited the hot dog better. All in all, we had an enjoyable morning and would definitely return if we were ever in the area again. It was a nice break from wine tasting!

4* Links at Bodega Bay
1+ hour plus from San Francisco; located on coast
Weather can be fickle; but always windy; bring a windbreaker
Nice restaurant
Friendly and helpful pro shop staff
Course is very hill; the first hole could use an elevator
This course is not for beginners
Numbers 16 and 17 are unique holes; need to carry 150 yards
Beautiful view of Bodega Bay
Environmental rough outside the fairways and houses

I gave them 1 star because the workers there are awesome and very friendly! Other than that, the course is a challenge but in the wrong ways. Try playing golf in a course with million dollar homes with tons of windows and the people in those homes own the course! I’m talking about narrow drives with homes on both sides! Weaving thru neighborhoods, weird 16 + 17^th holes where you have to walk through fields (no carts on those holes). I don’t mind bunkers, I don’t mind trees and water hazards, i do mind annoying home owners who are policing how you play on the course and their homes have giant windows with no protective fencing or netting. Honestly, you’re asking for it if you don’t protect your home. I know they’re probably rich, but still, that’s just dumb.
Other than that, the course is challenging being a links course (very hilly since it was built on sand dunes) and the scenery is gorgeous.

Crazy windy and terrible greens. Friendly staff, challenging course, beautiful scenery.

If you are concerned about your score, this is not for you. If you like something different, beautiful and fun, this is perfect. I absolutely love this course.

Played last Friday morning and had a great time. This course is challenging but fair if you hit from the correct tee box. It is well maintained. The staff was friendly. Pace was excellent until we hit the last three holes. Views were okay to start but improved to excellent as the light fog burned off the bay. A few slower twosomes let my wife and I through (we play fast) and were friendly about it. While we were waiting on the tee box on 18, a player in the group ahead came up to my wife and gave her 4 – 5 women’s golf balls he had found which were like new. Overall a great way to spend a Friday morning. Oh yeah, our tee time was at 10 but there was no traffic and we got there way too early so they let us out at 8:30. Everything worked out quite well.

Tough course, tons of elevation changes, extremely challenging shot situations. Some might call this course «tricked up». This is not a golf course the average golfer wants to play multiple times a month. Sometimes golf courses are overdesigned and it’s just no fun for the average golfer.
But if you’re in the area, have your clubs, and have the itch, the views are fantastic. Such a great course to take in in a real nice area, never very crowded. Prices are fair as well. Just go out and enjoy the views and the day.
Word of warning… anyone from this area will tell you, the winds in NorCal can be fierce. There are days where the fog rolls in, and/​or the winds pick up, and the pin flags will be practically bent over. If you plan for a group outing well in advance and you cannot back out of your date, you may experience this… it’s a risk.

Like a movie trailer where all the best bits are in the trailer, all of the best bits of the Links at Bodega Harbour are in the adverts you see on the web: 16, 17 and the 18^th green. Right on the beach, waves crashing, blue sky… yes it’s all there, too bad it takes the previous 15 holes to get there.
Like Kurt F. says, this course is way overdesigned and is something you would create on a computer for Mario Golf, as opposed to anything connected with a traditional seaside course. This is Robert Trent Jones II showing us what a clever fella he is and how good his crew is at moving earth.
This tagline from their website: «Experience the beauty and challenge of a true Scottish style links course», is utter nonsense and quite frankly a lie. I’ve played one bonkers links course (Cashen course at Ballybunion, not coincidently designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr.) otherwise no true links course should be anything like Bodega.
There are some good holes here, before you get to 16 & 17, but they are few and far between.
If you want a special round of golf on the Pacific Ocean for under $ 100, skip this place, and play Half Moon Bay Ocean Course or Pacific Grove. For me this course is Shadow Lakes on Sea, not Turnberry Jr.

I’ve had a $ 50 gift certificate for the LINKS AT BODEGA HARBOUR for over a year now, and my wife and I finally made it up that way to put it to good use. The pamphlets are no lie, all 18 holes have a view of the bay. So as far as views go — Bodega Bay doesn’t disappoint. What was disappointing, was that mother nature screwed me that morning, providing THICK fog that made my views a little less scenic.
The first six holes or so, I literally could see nothing. I teed off at 6:50am as a single player, with no experience on the course. So I didn’t know any of the tricks of the trade. I just looked at the yardage book, and swung nice and easy — hoping to just hit it down the middle and kept my fingers crossed that it wouldn’t land in a bunker. But as I started to make my way down the hill, my visibility started to clear up and I could actually see my targets!
The course was way more challenging than the scorecard says. I played the blue tees and it is a 69.1 CR and a 122 SL. That is comparable to muni course ratings, and LBH is much better and tougher than that. The threat of hitting the huge windows of the homes lining each fairway is a challenge all on its own. Plus the fog and the wind? Come on USGA…
If this course was closer to home, I’d play there all the time. Holes 16, 17 and 18 were absolutely awesome! You have to ditch your golf cart and pack it on 16 and 17 as you will cross the tall reed marshes while having to walk over a wooden bridge to the next «cut out» of the fairways. 18 finishes with the beach right behind the 18^th green.
4.25 stars

This course is extremely beautiful, extremely well managed. But it is psychotic and overdesigned.
Actually, it is not a golf course… it’s a golf amusement park. Just too much of a good thing. Case in point: there is a bizarre double-​dog-​leg par 5 on the front that demands you hit a tee shot of 160 yards max, then the fairway drops off a cliff and cuts right. From your 160 point, you have essentially one option to hit a long iron down to the second dog leg, and if you miss by much your approach will be blind… if you can find your ball.
I played yesterday in significant winds — the Bodega weather station said SSW 16 mph but it appeared to much more. I have never seen the golf ball be so affected in flight… it became comical several times.
Regardless of wind, there are so many mickey mouse situations I encountered that the course just made me mad. I’m a single digit handicap and can hit targets, but this was insane.
Just like Peacock Gap and other courses that start out a little too «design happy,» Bodega needs a redesign to make this course more fair for players. Nobody I know in the Bay Area likes to play this course often, and that should say something.

Played on a Thursday at 7:15 am. No fog, no wind, not many people on the course with beautiful sunny skies. Got done in just 3:45 and didn’t have to wait on a single tee. Overall a great round of golf. Great views of Bodega Bay, quiet and serene throughout.
The course was in perfect condition. Manicured fairways, «real» sand in traps, and the greens were in top shape. While there is no GPS on the carts, there are plenty of yardage markers in the fairway and they are accurate. The only minor gripe, and the reason for ⁴⁄₅ stars, is that about 30% of the tee boxes weren’t level (at least where the markers were set that day). While not a huge issue, it can be disconcerting to have a side-​hill lie teeing off on a par 3.
While only a par 70 this is a challenging course — so don’t let the low slope rating fool you. If the wind and fog are prevalent, many of the holes play much longer than the yardage suggests. Wet course conditions can also shift the balance from «challenging» to «what did I get myself into?» Additionally, the houses which line many of the holes can be intimidating for golfers who tend to miss badly right or left. As with most ocean-​side layouts, putts will always move toward the water. Playing enough break — especially for beginners — will be paramount. There are plenty of elevation changes throughout the course, so grab a cart for a relaxing ride or prepare for a good workout if you decide to walk it.
I’ll definitely play here again.

Beautiful course with great views! It was a challenging course, so make sure you have more than your normal golf ball or two b/​c you will definitely lose a few in the rough (likely 2 sleeves!). We got a deal on Travelzoo, so we had a golf cart, which I’m glad we did b/​c the course is definitely hilly enough that I would have been wiped out. Fun place to play, but definitely not for beginners. I do wish that the golf carts were electric, b/​c the carts were noisy so it felt like we were on a Disneyland ride.

very pretty, challenging golf course for a newbie. Apparently it is often foggy here, but we came on an amazing day. I’ve never lost so many balls before though, and there were no water hazards! (too dry in the season by now; I’m sure some of those grass/​marsh areas would be very wet in the winter.) Also, the houses all around the golf course can be disconcerting for someone as green as me. I had at least 3 balls end up bouncing off someone’s paneling or into a yard — oops. –_​-​; Still, better than smashing any windows! Keep in mind that the hot dog stand closes up around 3, although the guy was nice enough to keep it open after we phoned in our order, despite taking way longer than normal to finish the 9^th hole.
Oh yeah, all the regulars around here are seem super friendly and laid back. They were all cool with waiting for us to play as we lagged behind, or even skipping holes if they were occupied by a bunch of poorly playing younger peeps (ahem). The primary point is to have fun, as they reminded us! :)

I really enjoyed my round today at Bodega Bay. The weather was beautiful and the wind didn’t totally rule the round.
At first glance there is some construction going on at the club house, parking lot and the course itself. It was a bit confusing finding the clubhouse and the starting tee, but it worked out. The starter was very skeptical about singles going out, so I had to wait to play with a couple of dudes who showed up shortly. In other words, not a single — friendly course.
Anyway we marched on and the course presented itself. I had déjà vu all day, as if i were at Half Moon Bay. Very similar… but the overall conditions weren’t as nice. Most holes had open fairways that were easty to find, if you could dodge the fairway bunkers. The most interesting part of the course revealed itself through approach shots.
Many greens are nestled amongst moguls, hills and multiple bunkers so the angle of approach is very important. The greens are fast and everything breaks towards the ocean… despite what it might look like!
A few of the holes had blind tee shots. I believe it was the monster #5 that you just hit over a hill into where the ocean meets the sky. Did I mention the views are amazing?! The cartpath/​road winds down the hill (you can’t see) and actually cuts in front of the green. Keep it right or you’re OB.
There are a handful of mundane par 3’s and 4’s, but the memorable holes will peak your interest. The last 3 holes form an interesting final trinity. 16 has you hitting 150 — 200 yards over a marsh to the fairway. The fairway is almost perpendicular to the tee box across the marsh. So it is really tempting to wanna push your drive left… towards the hole. The problem is this is a narrow strip of fairway and guessing the yardage is dicey. There is also the option to use the teebox in the fairway, and call it a par 3. The short par 3 17^th uses the same marsh almost surrounding the raised green. anything off the green to the left will splash into the ick. The 18^th is a remarkable par 4 that has 2 parts. The fairway ends 200 — 250 out and there is a 30 — 40 ft drop to the green below. A drive too long will be in the woods in between. A neat finishing hole.
Beautiful course and friendly staff. There is no range… only a net to hit into. This is why it only gets 4 stars… and the anti-​single sentiment
*see my golf course pictures on Panoramio and Google Earth*