Golf Course Review: 5 Bay Area Golf Delights
The original view out over San Francisco Bay from The Presidio, before the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
Nestled into the heart of San Francisco proper, The Presidio Golf Club is now part of a national park and operated as a municipal course.
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First established in 1895, three years after Mare Island, the course was originally crafted by architect Robert Wood Johnstone. It was expanded by Johnstone in collaboration with William McEwan in 1910, and then redesigned and lengthened by the British firm of Fowler & Simpson in 1921. The golf course opened to the public in 1995.
At 6,422 yards, Presidio is short by today’s standards, but because of elevation changes, especially uphill, the holes can play longer than their advertised yardages. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever played a golf course in the Bay Area that didn’t have dramatic elevation changes.
Early morning tee times will generally include some fog, and if you’ve never hit your golf ball into a fog bank let me recommend it to you as a unique experience. You can avoid the fog by playing in the afternoon, but then you’ll contend with the wind!
Like Mare Island, the old trees lining the fairways constitute a special hazard and wild shots are going to be hard to find, so take some extra balls. There’s a goodly amount of nasty fescue beyond the short grass.
The golf course, its old clubhouse and new clubhouse all sit on what used to be a military reservation that dates back to 1776, when it was a Spanish post. It had to be rebuilt after an earthquake in 1812 and became a U.S. Army post in 1846 before it was closed in 1994 and established as a national park and San Francisco treat.
You’ll pay a little more than Mare Island’s bargain basement rate, especially if you’re not a San Francisco resident, but you’ll have a good golf experience and you’ll get a free breakfast. I don’t know any golfers who don’t like free breakfasts!
Next: Meander Up to Marin County: Indian Valley