Meadow Club

Tucked into the Bon Tempe meadow near the base of Mount Tamalpais in Fairfax, California, Meadow Club holds a special place in American golf as the first course in North America designed by the legendary Alister MacKenzie. Working in partnership with Robert Hunter, MacKenzie created a course he affectionately called "The Old Course in America," drawing inspiration from St. Andrews. Roughly 30 minutes north of San Francisco, this private club offers members a timeless, links-inspired layout defined by bold bunkering, wide connected fairways, and beautifully contoured greens set against a backdrop of rolling Marin County terrain.

Quick Facts

Course History

The Meadow Club of Tamalpais engaged Alister MacKenzie and Robert Hunter in August 1926, marking MacKenzie's first design commission in North America and the beginning of his celebrated American career that would later include Cypress Point and Augusta National. The front nine opened for play on September 16, 1927, with the clubhouse and back nine following in the spring of 1928. The project brought together a remarkable roster of talent, including landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and Arts & Crafts architect John White.

Over the decades the club's original treeless, links-style character was gradually obscured as trees were planted and greens shrank from their intended size. Beginning in 1999, a multi-year restoration led by architect Mike DeVries recaptured much of MacKenzie's original vision, expanding the greens back to their historic dimensions and rebuilding the bunkers in MacKenzie's bold, natural style.

The Design & Architecture

MacKenzie drew directly on the Old Course at St. Andrews, envisioning Meadow Club as a largely treeless expanse of wide, connected fairways where strategy trumped brute force. His hallmark is on full display in the dramatic, irregular bunkering and the boldly contoured greens that reward thoughtful angles of approach. DeVries's restoration returned these features to their intended scale, so today the course reads much as MacKenzie and Hunter first imagined it, a rare and faithful window into the architect's earliest American work.

Playing the Course

Playing to a par of 71 over roughly 6,734 yards with a course rating of 72.8 and a slope of 136, Meadow Club presents a genuine test that rewards precision and short-game creativity rather than sheer length. The restored greens demand careful reading and well-judged approach angles, while the strategic bunkering asks players to think their way around the layout. Framed by rolling Marin County terrain near Mount Tamalpais, the setting is as memorable as the golf.

Know Before You Go

• Meadow Club is a private club; access is generally limited to members and their guests.

• Located at 1001 Bolinas Rd, Fairfax, CA 94930, about 30 minutes north of San Francisco.

• For membership, tee times, or event inquiries, contact the club at (415) 462-0980 or visit meadowclub.com.

• As the first MacKenzie course in North America, restored by Mike DeVries, it is a bucket-list stop for fans of classic golf architecture.