Hunter Ranch Golf Course, Paso Robles, CA. “Tucked in the rolling hills of Paso Robles”

Located in San Luis Obispo County’s wine country two hours south of Pebble Beach and 25 miles east of Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Hunter ranch is a year old track that harks back to the classic designs of Alister Mackenzie–with a decidedly Aussie twist. Developed by the owner of Sandpiper and La Purisima, two Santa Barbara-area courses ranked among the top public layouts in the state.

Hunter Ranch is a true rarity: An affordable, high-quality, daily fee layout without a brand-name designer label. Co-designers Ken Hunter and Mike McGinnis, assisted by a pair of superintendents, moved very little dirt in creating a strategic layout routed through century-old blue oak trees. Dozens of flash-faced bunkers (the Mackenzie influence) and liberally contoured, hand-shaped bent grass greens, several of them sited well above fairway level, mark the design.

Overlooking the oak-lined fairways, none of which run parallel, are are clubhouse and restaurant buildings designed to resemble Australian outback ranch houses. Somehow, the rough redwood siding, tin roofs, and spacious covered porches fit in here.