Pasatiempo, Pasatiempo, CA

Pasatiempo wraps around a golf course on the hills just north of Santa Cruz, and you reach it by taking Highway 17 up from town. The golf club, the inn and the quiet streets read as one place, and that was the plan from the start, drawn up by the golfer and developer Marion Hollins before the 1920s were over. Streets curve with the land, and many single-family houses have glimpses of fairway or forest. Pasatiempo Drive, the main road, runs under mature trees. The Spanish-Mediterranean clubhouse sets the architectural tone, and the quiet pavement suits cyclists and walkers. The course was designed by Alister MacKenzie and opened in 1929. It offers public tee times each day, and the club has hosted a collegiate championship for decades. MacKenzie's own house still stands beside the sixth fairway. Walking trails and wooded open space thread through the community, and Pogonip Open Space adds more hiking a short drive down the hill. Back Nine Grill & Bar, at the Inn at Pasatiempo on Highway 17, serves lunch and dinner daily with golf views and a covered patio. MacKenzie Bar & Grill is the clubhouse option, and the Hollins House, a 1920s house with views over Monterey Bay, opens for special events and select dinners. The city below and Scotts Valley are both close by on the highway and supply the groceries and errands. The Tannery Arts Center, with studios and galleries, is a short drive down the hill, and the beaches lie a little farther. There are no shops inside the community, so everything beyond the golf club starts with a car, and Highway 17 can back up at commute hours. Pasatiempo is a place that rewards slowing down. On a good day the fairways and trees seem to hold the whole neighborhood together.