The Olympic Club's Ocean Course is a private championship layout set on the coastal bluffs of southwestern San Francisco, sharing the club's storied property with the more famous Lake Course. Buffeted by winds off the Pacific and framed by towering cypress and eucalyptus, the Ocean Course blends dramatic elevation change with tight, tree-lined corridors. Fully rebuilt in 2012, it offers members and their guests a modern, well-conditioned test steeped in more than a century of golf tradition.

Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Established	1924 (redesigned 2000 and 2012)
Architect	Sam Whiting & Willie Watson; redesigned by Tom Weiskopf (2000) and Bill Love (2012)
Type	Private
Holes / Par	18 / 71
Yardage	6,885 yards
Course Rating / Slope	74.2 / 135
Grass	Bentgrass greens; rye and Poa annua fairways
Location	San Francisco, CA

Course History

The Olympic Club, one of the oldest athletic clubs in the United States, opened its Lake and Ocean courses in 1924, both laid out by Willie Watson and built and later remodeled by superintendent Sam Whiting. After winter storms damaged the coastal ground in the mid-1920s, Whiting rebuilt both courses, and they reopened in 1927. Over the following decades the Ocean Course was altered many times as the club balanced championship golf on the Lake Course with the daily play that the Ocean provided its members.

Severe storm damage in 1996 prompted a complete redesign by Tom Weiskopf, and the reimagined Ocean Course reopened in 2000. It was rebuilt once more in 2012 under architects Bill Love and Brian Kington, giving the course the routing and conditioning it carries today while preserving the character of its dramatic seaside setting.

The Design & Architecture

The Ocean Course threads through rolling, tree-lined terrain marked by significant elevation change, a hallmark of the Olympic Club property. The 2012 reconstruction by Bill Love and Brian Kington reshaped fairways, bunkering and greens while retaining the tight corridors framed by cypress and eucalyptus. Sloping fairways, well-placed hazards and firm bentgrass greens reward precise ball-striking and thoughtful positioning over raw length.

Playing the Course

Measuring roughly 6,885 yards to a par of 71, the Ocean Course plays to a Course Rating of 74.2 and a Slope of 135 from the back tees, making it a stern test even before the coastal weather arrives. Persistent winds off the Pacific, narrow fairways and elevation changes demand accuracy off the tee, while the greens ask for careful approach play and a deft short game. It is a rewarding, demanding round for accomplished players.

Know Before You Go

Private club: access is limited to members and their accompanied guests.
Located at 599 Skyline Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94132, near the Pacific coast and Lake Merced.
Coastal winds and cool, foggy conditions are common; pack layers and expect the course to play longer than the yardage suggests.
For membership and access details, contact the club at (415) 345-5100 or visit olyclub.com.