Porterville, CA is a pleasant, welcoming town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Basking in sunshine for much of the year, the area’s many fine golf courses offer breathtaking views of the nearby peaks under clear blue skies. If you’re looking for a satisfying round or two on fun, challenging tracks, Porterville is the place for you.
River Island Country Club
This excellent 18-hole championship course has been voted the toughest course in San Joaquin Valley. Giant sycamore and oak trees and a pretty river island add to the difficulty of its scenic, humped and sloping 6910 yards of top-notch green. It’s a full-service club with outstanding amenities, so you can be certain of a seamless experience. For less experienced golfers, there are P.G.A. professional staff members on hand to assist in planning your route around the fairways.
Valley Oaks Golf Course
You can choose a different 18-hole rotation each time you visit this wonderful combination of tracks by altering your route around their three separate 9-hole layouts. The Valleys Course and the Oaks Course offer classic treelined layouts and broader fairways respectively, all meandering through gorgeous scenery. The Lakes Course offers more challenging, characterful greens, with a lake to watch out for, as well as the traps and bunkers.
Porterville Municipal Golf Course
For a quick game right beside town, pay a visit to this charming 9-hole course, which has 2,894 yards of gently sloping Bermuda grass. Open since 1920, it has an impressive century-long history, making it the area’s oldest course. The staff are helpful and friendly. A few other features include a good billiards table and glow-in-the-dark golf balls.
Visalia Country Club
With 6,668 yards of play, this par 72 course to the north of town provides a nice challenge for any golfer, with spacious greens, professional-quality traps, and plenty of trees and water features. It comes complete with a driving range, greens for putting and chipping, and a superb restaurant. The club’s Director of Golf, Scott Stubbs, once won the Southern California PGA Professional of the Year Award, so you know you’re in good hands.
Delano Golf Course
In the neighboring town of Delano, you’ll find this well-equipped and maintained 9-hole course in Memorial Park. A suitable track for a relaxed afternoon spent honing your skills at a nice slow walking pace. The driving range, putting and chipping greens, and practice bunker are all great quality. You can build up an appetite before your game with some classic American food at the Hole in One Restaurant.
Tulare Golf Course
For some of the region’s most challenging greens, head west of town to the Tulare Golf Course. With elevated fairways lined tightly with pretty Chinese pistachio and eucalyptus trees, this 6,762-yard, 18-hole course provides a satisfying track for golfers of even the highest proficiency levels. Whether you win or lose, the stunning mountainous views and hearty fare of their charming American diner make the visit worthwhile.
Whichever of the above courses you choose, follow up your game with a visit to Merle Stone Chevrolet, a trusted dealership that’s been serving the local community with new and used vehicles since 1957.
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