Chester, California doesn’t get talked about as a golf destination as often as it should, but that’s starting to change. Bailey Creek Golf Course is quietly one of the best rounds in Northern California: an 18-hole championship layout with Mount Lassen as a backdrop. Pair it with the handful of well-regarded courses clustered an hour or so north around Graeagle, and you’ve got enough golf here to fill a long weekend.
Most visitors are drawn here by Lassen Volcanic National Park, one of the least crowded national parks in the country, with bubbling mud pots, steaming vents, and a summit hike up Lassen Peak that rewards you with views across the entire region. Lake Almanor sits right alongside it, offering boating, fishing, and paddling on water so clear it’s easy to forget you’re at nearly 4,500 feet. Add in horseback riding, natural hot springs, and quiet mountain trails, and it’s clear why golfers who come for a round at Bailey Creek often end up staying several extra days.
Not everyone coming to a national park wants to camp, which is where our Hotel near Lassen National Park comes in. Our European-style Bed and Breakfast is set on ten acres just outside Chester, built around a historic lodge with on-site horse stables. We have our own tavern and restaurant, and personalized hospitality at our owner-run property.
A full breakfast is included with every stay, and dinner or drinks at the on-site tavern are an easy walk from your room, which makes it a comfortable, central spot to stage a few days of golf, hiking, and everything else this part of the Sierra has to offer. Book your stay today!
What Is Bailey Creek Golf Course Known For?
Bailey Creek Golf Course is an 18-hole championship course on Lake Almanor, in the shadow of Mount Lassen, and it plays every bit as good as it looks. Homer Flint designed the layout in 1999, and it stretches to 7,040 yards at par 72, with more than fifty sand bunkers, four lakes, and Kentucky bluegrass fairways that stay green all season.
Golf Digest once named it Best New Public Course in America, and locals still call it one of the best rounds in Northern California. The sixth hole is the one people remember, a single tree planted right in the middle of the fairway, Flint’s little joke on anyone who tries to cut the corner. After your round, grab the tri-tip and the homemade chips at the clubhouse grill, order a cold beer, and take in the view of Lassen from the patio.
Bailey Creek Golf Course is about ten minutes from downtown Chester and just down the road from our Hotel near Lassen National Park, making it the closest lodging near the green. Bailey Creek is a public course open to golfers of all skill levels, with tee times bookable directly through the course. There are a number of PGA Golf Instruction offerings for everyone, from juniors to groups.
Other Golf Near Lassen Volcanic National Park
Once you’ve played a round at Bailey Creek Golf Course, Plumas County has enough golf to fill out a full week, most of it clustered around the little town of Graeagle, about an hour and a half south. Plumas Pines Golf Resort was laid out by Homer Flint in 1980, and it runs right along the Feather River, with sculpted fairways cut through the pine forest. At 6,504 yards and par 72, it’s forgiving enough for a relaxed round, but the slope rating of 132 means the course still has some teeth.
Graeagle Meadows opened even earlier, in 1968, making it the original golf course in the Graeagle area. Designer Ellis Van Gorder built it along the Feather River as well, with elevated tees that open up views of the Mohawk Valley and five surrounding mountain peaks. Golf Digest has listed Graeagle on its Best Places to Play, and the sixth hole, with its long view down into the valley, is the one photographed most often.
Which Golf Course Near Graeagle Is the Toughest?
Whitehawk Ranch Golf Club in Clio, about 10 minutes south of Graeagle, is regularly ranked among the top 20 public courses in California by Golf Digest. Dick Bailey designed it across 550 acres of the Mohawk Valley, with seven streams weaving through pines, cedars, and aspens to create ponds and waterfalls throughout the round. It plays to 6,983 yards at par 71, and the signature hole is a downhill par 3 dropping through a natural bowl of towering pines.
Grizzly Ranch Golf Club, just outside Portola, brings a similar caliber of golf with plenty of climbing hills and a couple of forced carries that will keep your attention, and it’s been ranked the top public access course in the entire Sierra Nevada.
If you’re chasing something a little more dramatic, the Dragon Golf Course at Nakoma Resort is worth the drive. It’s the toughest and most target-focused of the Graeagle area courses, and the setting alone, framed by a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired lodge, makes it a memorable stop even if your scorecard doesn’t love you that day.
Are There Any Low-Key Golf Courses Near Lake Almanor?
Golfers looking for something more low-key can head to Lake Almanor Country Club Golf Course, a relaxed nine-hole option tucked into the pines with breathtaking views that don’t require a long drive, or Mt. Huff Golf Course in nearby Crescent Mills, a quieter nine-hole course in Indian Valley that locals favor for a laid-back afternoon.
Which Golf Course Should You Play First?
Bailey Creek Golf Course should be the anchor of any golf trip to this part of Northern California. It’s the closest full championship course to St. Bernard Lodge; its reputation backs up a special trip, sitting in the center of one of the best small pockets of mountain golf in California. Book your tee times, then reserve your room at our Hotel near Lassen National Park, and you’ve got a golf weekend that doesn’t feel like anywhere else you’ve played.
