Wawona Golf Course

Yosemite National Park is home to the Wawona Golf Course, the first course built in the Sierras. Wawona Golf Course was built in 1918, as part of a summer resort—and it is one of only two courses within the boundaries of a national park (the other is in Death Valley).

This nine-hole golf course was designed by famed architect Walter Favarque and offers a Par 35 course surrounded by evergreen meadows. Favarque designed the Wawona Golf Course to blend seamlessly into the spectacular surroundings of Yosemite National Park. This nine-hole, par-35 national park golf course measures 3,050 yards and includes two par-five holes and three par-three holes. The Wawona golf course is open seasonally and offers an enjoyable round of golf at very reasonable prices.

Yosemite's Wawona golf course was the first regulation course in the Sierra Nevada when it opened in 1918, and has provided golfers challenging but rewarding rounds ever since. Some don’t think golf belongs in a national park, but because the course existed before the Wawona Valley was added to Yosemite Park in 1932 the golf course was given historic-landmark designation and was allowed to remain.

Golfers of every level enjoy the rolling terrain, variety of challenging holes and tranquil setting of this historic course. Imagine golfing in some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Wawona Golf Course tests one's ability to focus as you stand amidst breathtaking beauty.

Wawona resort bears a peculiar resemblance to Augusta National, with many green-trimmed white cabins and cottages standing on a vast lawn with a beautiful golf course, spread out below. It's a bit surreal to drive up to Wawona and see a well-maintained golf course among the Ponderosa pine and incense cedar trees that line the fairways in a national park at an elevation of 4,000 feet.

Along with its beautiful scenery and reasonable greens fees and cart rentals, Wawona Golf Course also has a golf professional available for lessons, a putting green, and a fully stocked pro shop.

Wawona Golf Course is not only enjoyable to Yosemite Park visitors but the locals as well. The sixth hole of the Wawona Golf Course is affectionately called the 'Nursery Hole,' because all sorts of animals, even bears, seem to come out of the woods their with their young and watch the golfers play.

In 2003, Wawona was recognized for its environmental excellence and certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, the 28th golf course in California and the 457'th in the world to receive this honor.

A round of golf on Wawona's historic nine-hole course is an experience that you will certainly never forget. The challenging layout of this course and the breathtaking views of Yosemite keep golfers coming back again and again.