William P. Bell, whose early works included Bel-Air Country Club and Riviera Country Club, designed the original eighteen holes in 1946. As they stood at the foot of the great Valley Oak, Billy Bell stated, "This is a great site for a golf course." The sandy soil and gentle rolling terrain allowed Billy Bell to create yet another classic.

Architect Robert Muir Graves whose work includes Sea Ranch and Black Butte designed the River nine. After many years of negotiations with government officials and environmentalists over the plight of the valley elderberry long-horned beetle, this 150 acre combination of riparian habitat and golf course was constructed in 1996.

In 1998 architect John Harbottle, who has overseen reconstruction efforts at Los Angeles Country Club and Stanford Golf Course design and supervised reconstruction of all tees, greens and bunkers on William Bell's 18-hole layout. Harbottle also redesigned the #9 Bluff hole in 2002.