Sea Ranch Golf Links takes after the old style of Scottish links-style course design, from the slender fairways and sandy dunes to the swirling saltwater mist that blows over the course with each ocean breeze. The latter may not have much to do with the creative genius of architect Robert Muir Graves, but the site selection alone elevates the experience above most inland courses.

The 18-hole layout flanks Gualala Point, making rocky shorelines and revenge-seeking seagulls as much hazards as the long, amoebic fairway bunkers, grassy dunes, and small, hard-to-read greens. If this all sounds otherworldly, you're not alone: writers from Travel & Leisure and the San Francisco Examiner have also been taken by the balance of rugged oceanside terrain and sleekly-shorn emerald fairways.