Golf Courses Near Sacramento for Groups

How Sacramento golf is organized

Sacramento's public courses fall into two families, and knowing which is which makes booking easier.

The city courses are run by Morton Golf: Haggin Oaks (with the Alister MacKenzie course and Arcade Creek), Bing Maloney, Bartley Cavanaugh and William Land. They share a booking style and a lot of the same programs.

The county courses belong to Sacramento County Regional Parks: Ancil Hoffman, Cherry Island and Mather, plus the 9-hole Campus Commons. The county lists Ancil Hoffman and Cherry Island as operated by Empire Golf Management and Mather by Course Co Inc., and each course has its own website for rates and tee times.

None of these are private clubs, so a visiting group can book them like anyone else. That matters for a reunion, a bachelor party or a team trip, where you want a round on the calendar without needing a member to sign you in.

The courses at a glance

This table covers what each course's official page told us. Prices are left out on purpose: check the current rate on each course's site, because rates change by day, time and season.

Haggin Oaks: the easiest base for a mixed group

Haggin Oaks is the best single stop for most groups because it has two courses, a big practice area and food on one site. The complex describes its two courses as championship courses, and the Alister MacKenzie course carries the name of the architect behind Augusta National.

Arcade Creek is two 9-hole courses that can be played on their own or together for 18. Morton Golf describes it as a relatively flat layout designed to be friendly for every skill level, which makes it the natural choice for the half of the group that plays once a year.

The range is lighted and has over 100 stalls, five practice greens and two bunkers, with bays you can reserve. That gives non-golfers or beginners something to do while the others play, and it works for an evening session after a day of sightseeing.

For a bigger group with a meal, Haggin Oaks has a tournaments and outings team and a pavilion it lists with capacity for 250 people inside and 150 for outside seating. Its catering packages include a planning meeting two to three months before the event, setup and cleanup, staff, tables, linens and a podium. Request through the tournament form on its site.

Bing Maloney, Bartley Cavanaugh and William Land

These three city courses give a group more choice south of downtown and in Land Park.

Bing Maloney has two courses: the Championship 18 and the Express 9. Morton Golf describes the 18 as a traditional championship course with tree-lined fairways and big oaks, and the complex cites more than 50 years of local golf history. The range runs on Toptracer, which tracks each shot on a screen and turns range time into a game. That is a good fit for a bachelor party or a team outing where not everyone wants four hours on the course. Maloney's Grille is on site.

Bartley Cavanaugh is the youngest course in the city's group, and Morton Golf says it most closely models a links-style course. If your group has played the tree-lined courses before, it is the change of pace.

William Land is a 9-hole course built in 1924, next to the Sacramento Zoo, Fairytale Town and Funderland. It suits a family group: one parent plays nine holes while the other takes the kids to the zoo, and everyone meets for lunch in Land Park.

The county courses: Ancil Hoffman, Cherry Island, Mather and Campus Commons

The county courses spread a group's options east, north and southeast of the city.

Ancil Hoffman sits in Ancil Hoffman Park next to the American River in Carmichael. Sacramento County describes it as nationally ranked among Golf Digest's top 75 public courses, with par 72 for men and par 73 for women. For groups it is the strongest option on paper: its tournament page says it can accommodate any size of golf outing up to 144 players, and lists add-ons such as custom scorecards, food and drink, power cart and hole assignments, a registration area and tee sponsor signs. The Main Event Bar & Grill is on site.

Cherry Island is in Elverta, just north of Sacramento, an 18-hole par-72 course with the Cherry Island Grill. It sits closer to Roseville and the northern suburbs, which can make it the shorter drive if your group stays there.

Mather is in Mather Regional Park, southeast of the city. The county notes it was built by the U.S. Air Force for the exclusive use of the military. It is now a public par-72 course with the Navigator Cafe and a tournament request form.

Campus Commons is a 9-hole par-3 course of 1,187 yards along the American River, with holes from 55 to 185 yards. The course says it opened in 1971 and was renovated in 2024. It is the friendliest course in this list for true beginners and teenagers.

How to book tee times for a group

The simplest way to get a group of 8 to 16 onto a course is to book consecutive tee times, one per foursome, as soon as your dates are set.

Steps that work:

1. Count golfers early. Ask everyone in the group chat who is playing, their rough handicap or skill, and whether they need rental clubs.
2. Pick the course for the weakest player, not the strongest. A slow round frustrates everyone. Arcade Creek, the Express 9 or a twilight round keeps things moving.
3. Book back-to-back times for each foursome online or by phone. Every course in this guide has an online "book a tee time" link and a pro shop number on its site.
4. Use the tournament or outing form for bigger groups. If you have more than four foursomes, want a shotgun start, or want food and contests, the request form is the right route. Ancil Hoffman's form asks for your name, contact details, number of players, requested date and any remarks.
5. Ask about rates. Ask the pro shop about group, twilight and cart rates, and check the current price on their site before you split costs.
6. Confirm carts and rental clubs. Visiting golfers who fly in often need rental sets. Ask before the day.

For splitting green fees, carts and the house, see our guide to splitting costs on a group vacation rental.

Planning around the weather and the rest of the trip

Sacramento golf is possible most of the year, but plan around the heat in summer and the rain in winter.

A golf trip works best with one round a day and something else for the afternoon. Our guide to things to do in Sacramento with a large group covers the railroad museum, the river trail and game nights, and day trips from Sacramento for groups covers Gold Country, wine country and Lake Tahoe. For a full celebration weekend built around a round of golf, see bachelor party weekend planning. If you are weighing a winter golf trip somewhere warmer, our Kissimmee golf trip for groups guide covers central Florida.

Where a golf group should stay

A golf group needs beds for everyone, room for a dozen sets of clubs and parking for several cars, which hotel rooms rarely give you.

A large home also gives the group a place to eat breakfast before an early tee time and to gather after the round. See our homes in Sacramento, including the seven-bedroom Sacramento home, and nearby Roseville, which sits closer to the courses north of the city. For team golf outings, our team retreats page covers the rest of the trip.

The bottom line

For a group golf trip near Sacramento, start with Haggin Oaks for a mixed-ability group, Ancil Hoffman for the best-known round and larger outings, and Bing Maloney for a Toptracer range night. Add Cherry Island or Mather depending on where you stay, and Campus Commons or William Land for beginners. Book consecutive tee times early, use the tournament form for big groups, and check each course's own site for current prices.