The Olympic Club's Lake Course, set in the coastal hills of San Francisco, is one of American golf's great championship venues. Winding through a dense forest of cypress, pine, and eucalyptus, its tree-lined fairways, sloping lies, and firm greens have tested the world's best players across five U.S. Opens. A private club with a storied competitive history, the Lake Course pairs a demanding, strategic layout with a cool, often foggy microclimate that adds to its reputation as a stern and memorable examination.

Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Established	1924
Architect	Wilfrid Reid; redesigned by Sam Whiting (reopened 1927)
Type	Private
Holes / Par	18 / 71
Yardage	6,934 yards
Course Rating / Slope	74.9 / 141
Grass	Bent grass greens
Location	San Francisco, CA

Course History

The Olympic Club's golf roots trace to the Lakeside Golf Club, whose original course was designed by Wilfrid Reid. After the club took over the property, it developed two new 18-hole layouts, the Lake and Ocean Courses, which opened in May 1924. When winter storms in 1925 and 1926 damaged the young course, Sam Whiting reworked the design, and the reconfigured Lake Course reopened in 1927.

The Lake Course has since become one of the sport's premier championship stages, hosting five U.S. Opens. Jack Fleck stunned Ben Hogan in a playoff in 1955, Billy Casper overtook Arnold Palmer in 1966, Scott Simpson edged Tom Watson in 1987, Lee Janzen prevailed in 1998, and Webb Simpson claimed the title in 2012. Ahead of these championships the layout was refined by architects including Robert Trent Jones before the 1955 Open and Bill Love before the 2012 Open.

The Design & Architecture

The Lake Course is defined by its tight, tree-framed corridors, pronounced sidehill lies, and small, firm greens rolling on bent grass. Rather than relying on water hazards, its defense comes from the natural terrain: sloping fairways that feed shots away from the ideal line, thick rough, and towering trees that demand precise shaping off the tee. The par-71 routing measures roughly 6,934 yards and carries a stout 74.9 rating and 141 slope, a reflection of how relentlessly it rewards accuracy and positioning over raw power.

Playing the Course

Golfers should expect a demanding, strategic round where finding the fairway is everything. The canted lies mean level stances are rare, and the cool, frequently foggy coastal air can keep the ball from carrying, so club selection and shot control are at a premium. Patience pays off: playing to the fat parts of the greens and managing position leaves the best chance to score, while wayward drives are quickly punished by the trees and rough that have frustrated even major champions.

Know Before You Go

Private club: access is generally limited to members and their guests.
Located at 599 Skyline Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94132; phone (415) 404-4300.
Prepare for a cool, often foggy coastal microclimate and pack extra layers.
This is a demanding championship layout; accuracy off the tee matters far more than distance.