This fall, we’re heading north of Napa Valley to visit one of Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw’s latest U.S. creations, Brambles. Located on a scenic valley floor with mountains all around, Brambles is certain to be one of the most highly sought after rounds in the coming years.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, October 17, 2024

Location: Brambles – Middletown, California

Cost: $750/person

Included in registration: 36 holes of golf (18 holes best ball, 18 holes alternate shot), breakfast, lunch, post-golf hors d’oeuvres, all beverages throughout the day, tee gift, prizes, and more.

Registration Status: OPEN – Register in the Fried Egg Golf Pro Shop

*Please note that this is a walking only event*

Why you should see Brambles

Just north of Napa Valley, Brambles is set in a valley floor and offers wonderful scenery and strategic golf design. The topography ramps up as the course plays along the foothills of the surrounding mountains. These holes feature plenty of camber wonderfully paired with an excellent collection of Coore & Crenshaw greens.

Beyond the course, Brambles is one of the most enthralling places in the game thanks to their modern commitment to the old world style of golf. James Duncan is both a longtime Coore & Crenshaw associate and a partner in the project, and he vowed to bring the ideals of the UK to an American club. Brambles is a relaxing, unfussy club that puts the golf first. The grow-in was patient and featured new, drought-resistant zoysia strains, while the off-fairway areas will be maintained by Brambles’ flock of sheep.

Brambles will be one of the most unique places to play golf, and hopefully a trendsetter for what clubs and courses consider going forward in terms of club culture and environmental impact.

Fried Egg Golf Content on Brambles

Podcast: Brambles Superintendent Tyler Marcotte – In 2022, Brambles Superintendent Tyler Marcotte joined Andy to discuss the grow-in process at Brambles. The course took a very patient, unique approach to their grow-in, including the use of sheep, and Tyler oversaw the whole thing.

Podcast: James Duncan on Working with Coore & Crenshaw & Building Brambles – James Duncan has worked in golf course architecture for over 30 years. A lot of that time has been spent as an associate with Coore & Crenshaw. He joined Andy to discuss his career in golf and, towards the back half of the episode, they discuss how Brambles came about and what it was like to work on the project.

In the area

This event is the perfect reason to head to California for a trip to wine country. Located in Middletown, California, Brambles is within a short driving distance to the entire Napa Valley or over to Sonoma. Calistoga (30 mins), St. Helena (45 mins), Yountville (1 hour), and Napa and Sonoma (both 1 hour 20 mins) are all options. Set up shop, play a little golf with us on Thursday, and relax for the weekend. There are way too many options to choose from, so we’d suggest starting at visitnapavalley.com to get your bearings and decide what options work best for you.

Traveling to Brambles

You have quite a few choices if you are flying in for the event. Sacramento International Airport is the closest but you can also fly into San Francisco International Airport or Oakland International Airport.

If you live in the Bay Area, you can almost certainly get up to Brambles for a day trip. The course is just over 2 hours from San Francisco and those in the East Bay or north of the Golden Gate Bridge can get there even faster.

As far as hotels go, you have no shortage of options. Middletown is located north of Napa Valley and there are numerous hotels, bed & breakfasts, and Airbnb options in the region. We would recommend staying in Calistoga as it is about a 30 minute drive to the course and still puts you right in the heart of wine country.

Tentative Schedule

7:30 a.m. – Registration and breakfast, practice facilities available

8:30 a.m. – Morning shotgun, best ball with partner

1:00 p.m. – Lunch

2:00 p.m. – Afternoon shotgun, alternate shot with partner

6:00 p.m. – Post golf hors d’oeuvres and awards. Playoff if necessary

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Questions? Email us at events@thefriedegg.com