Golf in Dublin

Golfland debuted its first putt-putt green in 1953 and has since expanded to seven locations across California and Arizona. Each location features one to three 18-hole courses, replete with colorful castles, windmills, and fountains. After navigating the obstacle-filled fairways, guests can try their hands at an array of arcade games, whether felling foes in fighting games, stocking up on tickets to win prizes, or following the spellbinding plotline of a pinball game. At the San Jose location, visitors can cool off in the warmer months with a trip down parallel outdoor waterslides.

Within his teaching domain at Fremont Park Golf Center, PGA professional Ren Chang smoothes rusty swing mechanics and hones mental strategy, with an emphasis on shoring up the fundamentals. Ren brings more than 20 years of golf experience—including more than 10 years as a teacher—when he teaches his personally tailored lessons. He employs video analysis to ascertain problem areas such as assuming a weak stance or mistaking a tire iron for a pitching wedge, and then both student and teacher collaborate to craft a swing that feels comfortable and leads to lower scores. Throughout instruction, Ren aims to make students as comfortable as possible, keeping an extra set of clubs on hand to loan to those who need them. He is also fluent in Chinese, ideal for native Chinese speakers and those seeking to curse at their clubs in more than one language.

Mark S. Macy has been helping golfers improve their games for more than 25 years with a methodical, easygoing style and skills that have earned him top 10 finishes in Northern California Golf Association state-level amateur matches. His lessons comfortably conform to beginners' needs, as well as the demands of more advanced golfers. His grab bag of performance-enhancing tools includes video recording to capture and analyze swings, an indoor golf simulator, and a portable radar unit that tracks the speed of balls in flight and detects miniature subs lurking in water hazards.

Emerald Hills Golf Course strings together nine par 3 holes that test short-game proficiency as players use shorter irons to propel their golf balls through course's frequent elevation changes. The sixth hole presents opportunities for holes-in-one with a downhill tee shot of just 120 yards into a bowl-shaped green, easily replicated from a backyard deck into an inflatable swimming pool.

Golfers hoping to shave strokes off their scores can work under the tutelage of the course's certified teaching professional, Chris Raddie. Players can then practice Chris's corrective advice after a lesson or before a round on the two practice greens or midsize practice cage, which can double as a penalty box for prevaricating scorekeepers.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 27 course
• Total length of 1,156 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 54.2 from the back tees
• Course slope of 88 from the back tees
• Two sets of tees per hole

Fore Kicks Golf Course & Sports Complex orchestrates year-round golf practice with a nine-hole, par 3 course and an outdoor putting green. At night, light fixtures bathe the outdoor course in ample light for golfers to test their short-game skills at holes ranging from 80 to 160 yards. With a total length of 150 feet, the high-ceilinged range provides enough space for players to gauge the trajectory of each wedge, iron, and wood. The driving range uses new Top-Flite practice balls that provide club heads with a spherical target and occasionally hatch edible divot tools. An onsite pro shop and concession booth can give sought-after 9-irons an owner and replenish weary golfers after their practice session. The sports complex engineers active fun with programs for indoor laser tag, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and other sports.

A self-described "cattleman," Jack Roddy made the shrewd business decision to turn his 2,000-acre cattle ranch into Roddy Ranch, which opened its pristine greens in 2000. The outcome was a resounding success, as the club's 18-hole, 7,024-yard course garnered praise from its early guests, including a San Francisco Chronicle writer who lauded the "home-free surroundings" as "the finest golf course that's opened in the greater Bay Area in years." With mounded terrain, relatively scarce tree lines, a multitude of bunkers, and ball washers that speak Gaelic, the course brings the links-style characteristics of golf's Emerald Isle forebears into the rustic hills of northern California. As golfers traverse the grassy labyrinth, elevated greens and tee boxes give way to scenic views of the brown- and green-toned landscape as rising foothills graze the distant clouds.

The expansive club also encompasses a 400-yard, three-tiered driving range, as well as a pro shop featuring golf apparel and accessories from Titleist, FootJoy, Antigua, and other top industry brands. After trolling the fairways or burying disloyal 9 irons in the deepest bunker, players can retreat to The Corral, where a full repertoire of sandwiches, salads, soups, soft drinks, beer, and liquor foster post-round rejuvenation and revelry.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course

• Length of 7,024 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 74.5 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 142 from the farthest tees

• Five tee options

• See the scorecard