Langtry Farms

Middletown sits in the heart of Lake County, one of California's least-heralded wine regions, where the Clear Lake basin and the Mayacamas Mountains shape a landscape of volcanic ridges, oak savanna, and warm, dry summers. It's genuine NorCal wine country without the Napa crowds or prices, and the pace of life here is a few notches slower — which is exactly the spirit you'd want from a round of golf.

Langtry Farms takes its name from the historic Guenoc Ranch estate that once belonged to the actress and socialite Lillie Langtry, who acquired the property in the 1880s hoping to establish a California wine dynasty. That ranching and agricultural heritage runs deep in this part of Lake County, and the course occupies land shaped by generations of farming before golf arrived.

Without more detailed records on hand, the specific routing and design character of the 18-hole layout are hard to pin down — but a course carrying this name and sitting on this land carries a story worth arriving early enough to absorb before your first tee shot.