Courtesy of the club
Stanford Golf Course
Stanford Golf Course
91 Links Rd
Stanford, CA 94305-8701
United States
Overview
Home to the top-ranked Cardinal men’s and women’s golf teams, the Stanford Course is a par-70 George C. Thomas and Billy Bell Jr. design that dates to the early 1930s. Alums from Tiger Woods, Tom Watson and Michelle Wie to Mickey Wright and Lawson Little developed their games at this sprawling layout that was ranked on our America's 100 Greatest list in the 1970s. Grand oak trees line the fairways and elevated tee boxes provide beautiful views of the surrounding mountain scenery, especially on the 18th tee, where you can see San Francisco in the distance. There is strong layout variety at Stanford, with holes moving in each direction and a mix of wide-open tee shots and others that are quite narrow. Though it's a pleasant walk with few houses on the course, it can be strenuous given the elevation changes and distance between some holes.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked for eight years from 1969-1976.
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 20, 1987-'89, 1999. Ranked inside the top 25, 1995-'97, 2003. Ranked inside the top 30, 2001. Ranked 54th, 2023-'24. Ranked 57th, 2025-'26.
Previous ranking: 54th.
2025-'26 ranking: 57th.
America's Greatest College Courses: 7th (2023).
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
“The Stanford University Golf Course on the edge of the Stanford campus next to Palo Alto, CA is a beautiful, tree lined layout with significant character. Designed in 1930 by George Thomas Jr. and William Bell, it has been updated a number of times by various course designers including Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Beau Welling. The course is located in the foothills between Palo Alto and Woodside and has significant elevation changes throughout the course. In addition, San Francisquito Creek runs through much of the course providing some additional hazards. The Par 70 layout stretches from 6,742 yards from the "tips", the Cardinal tees, to the shortest Blue tees at 5,363 yards, making it playable for all levels of play. It certainly plays a bit more difficult than its yardage due to the elevation changes, hazards and a fair number of bunkers protecting the greens. Interestingly, the golfer will undoubtedly see deer, wild turkey and rabbits on the course and during my play, a couple of coyotes. The plentiful brush and trees undoubtedly give the wildlife some friendly cover. The fairways are generally wide but approaches to the greens can be tricky as they are fairly well protected. Scoring well is dependent on keeping out of the rough and some of the unplayable brush areas and hitting accurate 2nd shots to the well protected greens. The greens are fairly big, true and have natural slopes from the undulating terrain. There are scenic vistas, especially on the back nine which is hillier than the front. From the 18th tee box, the golfer has a panoramic view of the Bay Area as far north as San Francisco. While the conditioning of the course was good but not ideal, the diversity of layout from hole to hole makes the course interesting to play throughout the round. The par 3s in particular are challenging and differentiated. Overall, the Stanford course is a very enjoyable layout while providing a challenge to all levels of golfers. Further, the idyllic setting amongst the foothills, creek and natural beauty of the area, help to insure that the golfer has an enjoyable round unencumbered by houses, roads or development."
Read More2025
Review
“Course works property well with exception of some long distances between holes. Good variety of distances on par 3s. Some good elevation swings coupled with wide open holes and tight holes. Good strategic fairway bunkers. One very odd hole, the claimed signature #12 has three large oaks in the middle of the fairway. Feels off and really affects great tee shots that it shouldn’t as you can’t really go around them without being in the rough."
Read More2025
Review
“Course works property well with exception of some long distances between holes. Good variety of distances on par 3s. Some good elevation swings coupled with wide open holes and tight holes. One very odd hole, the claimed signature #12 has three large oaks in the middle of the fairway. Feels off and really affects great tee shots that it shouldn’t as you can’t really go around them without being in the rough."
Read More2025
Review
“George Thomas and William Bell, 1930 Robert Trent Jones, Sr. did a remodel in 1968 Located on the college campus of Stanford University, this scenic foothills course is lined by oak trees and includes San Francisquito Creek that meanders thru half the course, with a view of San Francisco 30 miles away from the 18th tee. Excellence conditions, challenging and plays longer than the scorecard suggests."
Read More2023
Review
“Very well condition course which on date and time played exhibited firm and fast playing conditions. Course exhibited a strong mix of long and short holes moving equally straight and left to right with varying elevation changes throughout. Holes played right in front of you with wide expansive fairways bordered by oak trees and well placed / designed bunkers. Greens were well bunkered and bordered by runoff areas requiring accurate approach shots to relatively large greens. Moderate sized greens were relatively flat with subtle breaks which for a first-time player challenged putting accuracy."
Read More2022
Review
“One of the most peculiar walking courses I've ever played. Respect to the Stanford Cardinal team for walking this one every day--I'm not so sure it's a "fun" walk! Quite quirky in spots with the opening tee ball playing over a busy street and the tee ball and/or approach to the 12th needing to navigate over/around large trees in the middle of the fairway. Add back-to-back par threes on the front nine and you've got quite a unique experience. The front nine plays mostly on the north side of Juniper Serra Blvd, with the second nine playing on the southern and hillier side of the road. No water on the course, but there are some barranca areas and other spots to get in trouble. The bunkers are well positioned and difficult to play from. Four of the five par threes play over barracas--three of them play roughly to the east with the back-to-back par threes of #3 and #4 playing to the south--some more variety on the par threes would have been nice."
Read More2022
Review
“The best course on the Peninsula; but not as good as it should/could be. The back nine has a fabulous routing and some unique, wonderful holes. The expansion of Sand Hill Road really hurt the front nine when they had to redo holes #3 & #4. Course presentation and maintenance doesn't fit with the architecture as they have narrowed the courses fairways so much that bunkers now "float" aimlessly in the rough on many holes (e.g. #1)."
Read More2018
