Evan Schiller
Evan Schiller
Evan Schiller
Evan Schiller
Evan Schiller
Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club
Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club
5827 Via de la Cumbre
Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067-0359
United States
Overview
The Southern California-based golf course designer and writer Max Behr, who worked primarily in the 1920s and ‘30s, is a favorite among architecture scholars for his dense philosophical essays about strategy and psychology. He wasn’t as prolific at building courses as regional contemporaries like William Watson and William Bell, but those he did design, like Rancho Santa Fe north of San Diego, were packed with nuance and simple strategic intrigue. Scottish designer David McLay Kidd doesn’t typically take on historical renovations (he prefers to put his own new ideas in the ground), but he was taken by the efficient arrangement of holes that run up and down a narrow valley and the essence of what remained of Behr’s ideas, and committed himself to drawing them out. The result following the work in 2021 is a distillation of classical era angles and options that focused on bunker replacement, select tree removal and recreating large putting surfaces that spill into short-grass surrounds leaving players a multitude of recovery shots.
About
Awards
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 15, 2001. Ranked inside the top 20, 1987, 1991-'93, 2003. Ranked inside the top 25, 1995-'99. Ranked inside the top 30, 2005. Ranked 34th, 2015-'16. Ranked 36th, 2021-'22. Ranked 37th, 2013-'14. Ranked 38th, 2011-'12.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Updated bunkering and green surrounds by David Mclay Kidd in 2021, created strategic angles that were lost in the earlier restoration. The course has a delightful charm to its routing, offering an easy and fun walk in the park. All while still offering a good challange from the back tees. The "tif tuff" bermuda fairways and"gateway" sand in the bunkers offer some fantastic playing surfaces. And over all conditioning, ranks with the best I've played in Southern California. The course has a minimalist elegance with great character and fun to play."
Read More2025
Review
“Rancho Santa Fe is a strategic layout where firm, fast conditions and classic design reward precision and thoughtful play. Max Behr's 1929 course features impressive fairway contours and small, well conditioned greens that require the player to control trajectory and shot shape. The ground game is a large part of the strategy when playing Rancho Santa Fe, especially with the coastal breeze. Elevation changes create additional interest, and keep the golfer on his or her toes. This is a course to visit if given the opportunity."
Read More2025
Review
“A wonderful parkland style course on rollilng terrain. The bunkers and green surrounds and recovery areas, and irrigation were recently remodeled by David McLay Kidd. clever mounds and slopes will challenge you get up and down but there are options on how you play the shot. Built in 1927 bthe course has a very natural, minimalist feeling and the course blends in with the terrain, I'm a big fan. Devilish greens protect par and the sloping fairways require course knowledge and disstance control woith your approaches to score well."
Read More2025
Review
“The Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club is a 7,090 yard par 72 located in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The original 1928 Max Behr design was renovated by David Kidd in 2022 and is a very enjoyable round of golf. The course offers a nice mix of mid to long holes with a few short par 4s thrown in for variety. There are several uphill (4, 8, 10, and 11) and downhill (7, 9, and 12) holes but none of the elevation changes are dramatic. Most holes are either fairly straight or some form of dogleg right so the course definitely favors a fade off the tee. While fairly open, several holes present waste areas or hazards putting a bit of stress on the tee shots, especially with the wrong ball flight. Greens complexes are a good blend of wide open and well protected forcing different approach trajectories depending on pin positions. Rancho Santa Fe presents a good challenge for skilled golfers from the back tees. While not overly long, several holes incorporate devilishly positioned bunkers or forced carries that require well struck and accurate tees shots. The greens are not severely sloped but are large and quick enough to require proper positioning to avoid 3 putts. The course is in fine condition with generally wide and quick fairways, consistent bunkers that seem to drain well, and firm, fast, greens. The Parkland layout of Rancho Santa Fe GC is quite open with trees rarely coming into play. The bucolic grounds do not offer any spectacular scenery but are very pleasant and calming to the eye without any distractions from the golf. The course is a very fair test of golfing skills, especially if your go-to shot is a fade, without any gimmicks or annoying quirks. Overall, a fun round with plenty of challenge and enough variety to merit repeated play."
Read More2024
Review
“Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club is a classic Max Behr design that was renovated by David McKlay Kidd. It’s the original home of the Crosby Clambake which is now the AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm. The conditions are always immaculate at Rancho. It only measures just over 7,000 yards from the tips but it’s still a very challenging but fair golf course. The back 9 holes have amazing views, elevation changes, lakes and streams that make it very beautiful and fun to play. The view from the 11th green is awesome because you can see holes 12, 16, and 17. Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club is definitely the top private course in San Diego County and one of the best courses in the state of California."
Read More2023
