One of golf’s beautiful aspects is the idyllic environments to which the game can bring you. That might take the form of traversing across dramatic coastlines, or hiking through the mountains, or venturing through arid desert climes. Wherever those compelling landscapes may be, there’s a good chance an expertly routed golf course exists ready to transport you into a beautiful stretch of the great outdoors.
Although not as popular a setting, the rolling hills and valleys lined with trellised grape vines that define wine countries around the world can be just as breathtaking as those wind-buffeted bluffs that overlook the ocean. With that in mind, we’re highlighting eight golf courses that not only wind their way through wine country landscapes but bring golfers right to the edge of eye-catching vineyards.
The Course at Wente Vineyards (Livermore, Calif.)
When you consider what a vineyard golf course should look like, the Course at Wente Vineyards, a Greg Norman design circa 1998, serves as the poster child for the genre. Located about 20 miles north of San Jose, the 7,181-yard layout lives up to its name, delivering 14 golf holes that are routed amongst the vines. Amongst is the key word, as a dozen of those holes present reasonable odds that a significantly wayward shot could find itself permanently positioned in a plot surrounded by Chardonnay, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes of wrath, indeed!
Chardonnay Golf Club (American Canyon, Calif.)
Given Chardonnay Golf Club’s name and its location less than 10 miles south of downtown Napa, arguments could be made that the club would be guilty of false advertisement if its course didn’t at least offer unobstructed views of the region’s sprawling vineyards. As it turns out, the Algie Pulley-designed layout, opened in 1991, does much more than that. Overall, the 6,948-yard course meanders across 150 acres of Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir vineyards, with 13 holes abutting or playing adjacent to those grape vines. Travelers who are intent on bringing their sticks to California wine country and want an authentic experience there will be hard pressed to find a better example of wine country golf anywhere in California.
SE Golf Club Grand Saint-Emilionnais (Gardegan-et-Tourtirac, France)
From almost any direction, the drive to SE Golf Club Grand Saint Emilionnais just east of Bordeaux will take you past idyllic farms, numerous vineyards, and charming chateaux, to the point that you may feel out of place having your golf bag in tow. Fortunately, Tom Doak was put in charge of this modern, albeit minimalist, golf course. “My goal,” he said when the project was announced more than a decade ago, “is to make the most out of this magnificent site without ever changing its inherent beauty.” Throughout the round, golfers not only catch glimpses of ancient edifices in the nearby town of Saint Emilion, but on at least four holes—Nos. 5, 6, 15, and 17—pastoral views include vineyards lining the hillsides only a flip of a wedge away.
Chateau des Vigiers (Monestier, France)
Around 20 miles southeast of SE Golf Club Grand Saint Emilionnais, on the other side of the Dordogne River, a 16th-century chateau, nicknamed “Little Versailles,” serves as the boutique hotel at Chateau des Vigiers. The 25-room hotel shares a similar appearance to the wine-producing chateaux that are prevalent around Saint Emilion, and in keeping with that trend, the property is surrounded by vineyards of its own. It also boasts 27 golf holes.
Designed by Donald Steel, the resort’s trio of 9-hole layouts—The Lake, The Valley, and The Vines—will challenge golfers in different ways. As you might expect, The Vines course offers unobstructed views of the aforementioned vineyards, especially on the 8th hole, where vine-planted hillsides stretch beyond the right side of the fairway and also in background behind the green. Yet, in a surprising twist, the other two courses offer similar views. Ironically, it’s the 6th hole on The Valley that brings players the closest to those vines, as players will walking alongside trellised rows for the first 170 yards of the hole.
Yocha Dehe Golf Club (Brooks, Calif.)
The American Viticultural Area (AVA) west of Sacramento known as Dunnigan Hills isn’t as popular as nearby Napa Valley, but it’s a proper grape-growing and wine-producing region just the same. Those pursuits are on full display for golfers who play the Brad Bell-designed golf course at Yocha Dehe, especially across the back nine, where a trio of holes bring together fairways, greens, and vineyards in stunning fashion.
That immersion begins on the 12th hole, a straightaway par four measuring 446 yards from the tips. More important than distance off the tee is precision on the approach, as the bunkerless green is seemingly surrounded by vineyards on three sides. The 13th hole, a long par three, best epitomizes wine country golf in California, as it introduces a narrow playing corridor, an expansive fairway bunker punctuated by three grassy islands, and rows of trellised grape vines lining both sides playing area. Finally, the 15th hole plays to a split fairway bisected by a creek, where the farther segment of short grass (and the green) is flanked by vines on the right.
Vineyard National Golf Course at Renault Winery & Resort (Egg Harbor City, N.J.)
Much like Yocha Dehe, Vineyard National at Renault Winery & Resort in southern New Jersey honors its name with a trio of holes that quite literally bring the vineyards into play. The 6th hole is an expansive par five that surpasses 600 yards on the scorecard, with the final 140 yards playing alongside rows of trellised vines to the right. That’s just a warmup, however, as the following hole, a mid-length dogleg to the left, requires golfers who are playing from the back tees to hit their drives over a section of those vineyards. The hole plays to a green framed by another vineyard plot behind it—one that’s positioned just a few yards away from the back edge of the championship tee box for the short par-four 8th hole that comes next. The resort’s Tuscan-styled hotel, which occasionally comes into view across the course’s 18 holes, further ingrains a wine country-like ambiance, but players may be too focused on avoiding the sprawling bunker systems or water hazards to fully appreciate it.
Il Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & Spa (Castiglione di Sicilia CT, Italy)
Golfers who make the trek to Il Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & Spa, set in the northeastern section of the island of Sicily, will be met with a dramatic landscape and, predictably, equally compelling vistas. After all, the snow-capped peak of Mount Etna, an active stratovolcano, dominates views to the south. Set across a contoured landscape, the resort’s par-72 golf course—the oldest on the island—was designed by Luigi Rota Caremoli in 1989. Elevated tee boxes provide stunning views, while the narrow fairways, playing through tree-lined corridors, demand accuracy. That means this 5,881-yard course plays tougher than its distance would suggest. As for the island’s vineyards, which produce bright and vibrant red wines, they make an appearance just off the left side of the course’s final hole, a sweeping, 505-yard dogleg-left par five—the longest hole on the course.
Eagle Vines Golf Club (American Canyon, Calif.)
The handiwork of Johnny Miller, this 7,283-yard public course, tucked away in the Napa Valley hills, is known for being one of the more challenging courses in the area. After a pair of holes defined by expansive water features open the round, the 3rd hole introduces the lateral hazard from which the golf club takes its name. From the back tees, players must take a line with their drives that flies a generous portion of those vines down the right-hand side. The next hole doesn’t get any easier, as the long par four (472 yards from the tips) is flanked by Sauvignon Blanc vineyards on the left and OB on the right. In total, almost half of the holes on the course bring grape vines into play. At the very least, they’re prominently in sight.
