The well-groomed links of the Presidio Golf Course at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco.
With 2016 the centennial of the National Park Service (NPS), RV-golfers can celebrate by camping and golfing in a national park or national recreation area. Specifically, in the Golden State that offers three opportunities for golfing in a national park or NPS unit.
You’ll experience some hot golf, literally. In California’s Death Valley National Park, the aptly named Furnace Creek Golf Course is the lowest elevation course in the world at 214 feet below sea level. It measures just 6,236 yards from the tips and the picturesque par 70 course is lined with palm and tamarisk trees. Water comes into play on nine of the 18 holes. Plus, most feature small greens and wide-open fairways.
Furnace Creek Golf Course is a short walk to the Furnace Creek Resort RV Park. Furnace Creek offers 26 full-hookup RV sites (back-in only) up to 50 feet. Sites have water, sewer, and 30/50-amp electrical hookups. The RV park is also located close to the restaurants of Furnace Creek Ranch. There’s the 49er Cafe, Corkscrew Saloon and The Wrangler Steakhouse.
Further, RVers can enjoy the Presidio Golf Course, located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco. This has been a fixture since opening in 1895. The National Park Service assumed management of the Presidio in 1994 after the Army decommissioned the base. The hilly terrain of this par 72, 6,477-yard golf course features tree-lined fairways and stunning views of the city. In fact, this is such a picturesque course that no one has been able to pin point a signature hole yet!
Another course on national park land is Yosemite and the Wawona Golf Course. It was the first regulation course in the Sierra Nevada when it opened in 1918. An Audubon-certified golf course, this nine-hole, par-35 measures 3,050 yards and includes two par-fives. The course has been providing enjoyable, challenging, and scenic golf for nearly 100 years. So, if you love golf and are looking for a scenic landscape unlike any other, then Wawona Golf Course is a “can’t miss” among Yosemite’s natural beauty.
Rick Stedman is an avid golfer, RVer, and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Rick writes a golf column, “The RV Golfer,” which is published every month in rvlife.com. He can be reached at rstedman@gmail.com.
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