MARE ISLAND GC

The windswept fairways here battle against San Pablo Bay's relentless gusts, where former Navy housing dots the landscape and adds an industrial charm that's oddly compelling. This Alister MacKenzie design from 1892 rewards strategic thinking over brute force, with greens that slope dramatically toward the water and require local knowledge to master. The back nine's coastal holes showcase why military golf courses often produce the game's grittiest competitors—there's nowhere to hide when the afternoon breeze kicks up.