Sea Ranch Links
Walkable Scottish-style coastal links — ocean views on nearly every hole, muni-priced fees, community-revived.
- Mon 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Tue 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Wed 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Today
- Thu 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Fri 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sat 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sun 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Along Highway 1
Leg times are driving estimates along Highway 1.
South to north along Highway 1: Stewarts Point Store, then ~5 min to Sea Ranch Lodge, then ~15 min to Gualala Downtown, then ~25 min to Point Arena Downtown. Sea Ranch Links is the venue on this page.
Nearby
A short drive
- River Bend Kayaks 0.5 mi NW
- Gualala Point Regional Park 0.8 mi NW
- Gualala Arts Center 0.9 mi N
- Vue Kitchen 1.2 mi NW
Golf Course
Sea Ranch Golf Links is a walkable, Scottish-style links on the rugged Sonoma coast — the first course to bring links design to the West Coast. Robert Muir Graves laid out all 18 holes with a light touch (front nine 1974, back nine 1995), following the land of a former sheep ranch inside Lawrence Halprin's pioneering 1960s Sea Ranch community. The draw is the setting: ocean glimpses from nearly every hole and a laid-back, come-as-you-are feel closer to a small-town Scottish course than a resort. After closing in January 2025, it was revived by the surrounding community and reopened under new stewardship.
The round itself: 18 holes, par 72, 6,649 yards — the front nine runs the bluffs with panoramic Pacific views before the back nine turns inland through creeks and pine corridors, and the par-3 8th, played over a gulley to a bluff-top green, is the repeatedly named standout. Conditions stay rustic and natural — historically patchy fairways and slow greens are being upgraded under KemperSports — and the course is famously quiet: one writer saw only two other groups over a whole weekend. Green fees top out in the low $80s on weekends with twilight rates under $40 (as of 2025) — muni-level pricing for "million-dollar views."
Before You Go
- Dress for coastal wind and mist — layers and a windproof shell; fog and sea breeze define the exposed front nine even on clear days
- Expect a walk on rolling terrain — the routing climbs and falls, and cart paths are rough and 4x4-ish in spots
- It's a tight course — errant hitters lose balls in native sea-grass rough; club down and play position
- On-site pro shop and restaurant — the shop is fully stocked; food and drink are available at the course
- Book a tee time first — reservations were historically rarely needed, but confirm ahead as the reopened operation ramps up
- Reserve online at searanchgolf.com or call (707) 785-2468 — semi-private with public tee times
- Book ahead during the reopening ramp-up — the course is back after its 2025 closure and demand may be uneven under new management
- Now community-owned: the nonprofit North Coast Preservation Society leases the course for $1/year, for-profit North Coast Links runs operations, and KemperSports (Bandon Dunes, Sand Valley) manages play
- Weather-dependent — coastal fog and wind can affect play; check conditions before a long drive up Highway 1
What visitors say
- The views carry it — "priceless Pacific views on a minimalist layout for well under $100 a round" (GOLF.com)
- A quiet, undiscovered feel — reviewers compare it to stumbling on an Irish or Scottish links; one GolfPass writer called it a "West Coast Diamond In The Rough"
- Rustic conditioning — greens described as "more shag carpet than linoleum floor," with lift-clean-place fairways; conditions were a common complaint pre-closure and are a work in progress
- Tight and demanding — enjoyable but unforgiving of wayward shots; not a bomber's course