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The field desk · San Francisco Bay Area

Stories from the public game.

Reporting, guides, history, routes, and useful field notes for golfers across San Francisco Bay Area.

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73 stories

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An aerial view of San Francisco International Airport's terminals and runways beside San Francisco Bay. Photo by Russss, 2015, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (File:San_Francisco_International_Airport_-_aerial_photo.jpg).
RANKED

The Best Golf Courses Near SFO

Choose the best golf near SFO by travel window and direction, with September 2026 rates, formats, rentals, practice options, and practical airport-buffer guidance.

Sep 1, 2026
The Fried Egg
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Hidden Gem Golf Courses in the Bay Area

Hidden gem golf courses in the Bay Area: a MacKenzie nine in the redwoods, his oceanside Pacifica muni, and seven more underrated designs locals gatekeep.

Aug 2, 2026
dronestagr
RANKED

The Best Private Golf Clubs in Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley country clubs, ranked: nine private golf clubs from Stanford's 1930 Thomas-Bell classic to Silver Creek's gated Mike Strantz redesign, with access notes for each.

Aug 2, 2026
RANKED

The Best Bay Area Golf Courses for Beginners

Beginner friendly golf courses in the Bay Area: nine short, forgiving par-3 and executive layouts — from Golden Gate Park to Pleasanton — where new golfers can learn without pressure.

Aug 2, 2026
RANKED

The Best Golf Courses in Marin County

The best golf courses in Marin County, ranked — from Alister MacKenzie's first American design at Meadow Club to StoneTree, Peacock Gap, and Mill Valley's redwood muni nine.

Aug 2, 2026
allsquaregolf
RANKED

The Best Country Clubs in the East Bay

The best East Bay country clubs, ranked — from Alister MacKenzie's Claremont and Golden Age Diablo to Jack Nicklaus's Ruby Hill and hilltop TPC Stonebrae.

Aug 2, 2026
Pacific Grove Golf Links, Pacific Grove, CA. Photo courtesy of Pacific Grove Golf Links official course website (playpacificgrove.com).
RANKED

The Best Walking Golf Courses in the Bay Area

The best walking golf courses in the Bay Area: nine flat or compact routings — from MacKenzie's Sharp Park to Pacific Grove's seaside links — built to be walked.

Aug 2, 2026
bizbash
RANKED

The Best Golf Courses in San Jose

The best golf courses in San Jose, ranked: seven public tracks led by 27-hole Cinnabar Hills, plus the city's three private clubs — a complete South Bay guide.

Aug 2, 2026
pjkoenig
RANKED

Best Ocean View Golf Courses in the Bay Area

The best ocean view golf courses in the Bay Area — from Ritz-Carlton bluff golf at Half Moon Bay to MacKenzie's seaside muni and Lincoln Park's Golden Gate views.

Aug 2, 2026
The R&A Clubhouse and Swilcan Burn bridge on the Old Course at St Andrews, where Tony Lema won the 1964 Open Championship. Photo by Optograph, CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R%26A_Clubhouse,_Old_Course,_Swilcan_Burn_bridge.jpg).
ARCHIVE

Champagne Tony Lema

How Tony Lema went from caddying at Oakland's Lake Chabot to winning the 1964 Open at St Andrews — the story of Champagne Tony, the Bay Area's brightest comet.

Aug 2, 2026
Juli Inkster during the Pro-Am before the 2009 LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock. Photo by Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons (originally Flickr), licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.
ARCHIVE

Juli Inkster: The Bay Area's Hall of Famer

From a childhood home on Pasatiempo's 14th fairway to 31 LPGA wins and seven majors — how Santa Cruz's Juli Inkster became the Bay Area's Hall of Famer.

Aug 2, 2026
George Archer lining up a shot at the 1972 Tucson Open. Associated Press wire photo, 1972; public domain in the US (published 1931-1977 without a copyright notice). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Archer_1972.jpg
ARCHIVE

George Archer: The Masters Champion

George Archer, 1969 Masters champion, was born in San Francisco, learned golf caddying in San Mateo, and won his first PGA Tour title at Harding Park.

Aug 2, 2026
Johnny Miller follows through on a tee shot in 1975. Photo by Chuck Scardina, The Desert Sun, Feb. 6, 1975. Public domain in the US (published 1931-1977 without a copyright notice). Source: Wikimedia Commons, File:Johnny_Miller_1975.jpeg.
ARCHIVE

Johnny Miller: San Francisco's Own

Johnny Miller's San Francisco story: first swings at Lincoln Park, an Olympic Club junior badge, the 1966 U.S. Open at home, and the 63 that changed golf.

Aug 2, 2026
The 18th green at TPC Harding Park beside Lake Merced, San Francisco. Photo by Tinou Bao, CC BY 2.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TPC_Harding_Park_-_18th_Green_(15332936118).jpg
ARCHIVE

Sandy Tatum: The Man Who Saved Harding Park

How Sandy Tatum — Stanford NCAA champion, Rhodes Scholar and USGA president — rescued Harding Park from parking-lot indignity and returned San Francisco's muni to major championship golf.

Aug 2, 2026
TPC Harding Park golf course in San Francisco, fairway lined by cypress trees. Photo by Tinou Bao from San Francisco, USA, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TPC_Harding_Park_(15519586065).jpg
ARCHIVE

San Francisco: The Voice of American Golf

Golf broadcasters from San Francisco — Ken Venturi, Johnny Miller and Bob Rosburg — plus writer Art Spander narrated American golf for 50 years. Here's why.

Aug 2, 2026
The Golden Gate Bridge seen from Lincoln Park Golf Course in San Francisco.
ARCHIVE

The History of Golf in San Francisco

From the Presidio's 1890s links to the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park: the history of golf in San Francisco — the munis, the majors, and the voices it produced.

Aug 2, 2026
Scenic view of Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California. Photo by Gregory Ford Henderson, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
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The Hardest Golf Courses in the Bay Area

Ranked by slope rating, these are the hardest golf courses in the Bay Area — from a 152-slope wine-country monster to the Pebble Beach gauntlet of Spyglass Hill.

Jul 6, 2026
golfdigest
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The Oldest Golf Courses in the Bay Area

The oldest golf courses in the San Francisco Bay Area — including a course founded in 1893 and the oldest course in continuous operation west of the Mississippi.

Jul 6, 2026
pjkoenig
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Recently Renovated Golf Courses in the Bay Area

A wave of major course renovations has reshaped Bay Area golf — from Gil Hanse at Lake Merced to Rees Jones at Corica Park. Here are the courses reborn in the last decade.

Jul 6, 2026
pjkoenig
RANKED

Best Public Golf Courses in the Bay Area

The best public golf courses in the San Francisco Bay Area, region by region — the top daily-fee and municipal courses in SF, the Peninsula, South Bay, East Bay and North Bay.

Jul 6, 2026
Golf.com
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Best Public Golf Courses in San Francisco

Every public golf course in San Francisco, ranked — from PGA Tour host TPC Harding Park to the MacKenzie muni at Sharp Park and the cliffside par-3s of Lincoln Park.

Jul 6, 2026
silveradoresort
RANKED

Best Public Golf Courses in the North Bay

The 10 best public golf courses in the North Bay — Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano, from Silverado and StoneTree to the seaside links at Bodega Harbour.

Jul 6, 2026
pjkoenig
RANKED

Best Public Golf Courses on the Peninsula

The best public golf courses on the SF Peninsula — from the ocean cliffs of Half Moon Bay to Crystal Springs, Poplar Creek and Baylands in Palo Alto.

Jul 6, 2026
logos.bluegolf
RANKED

Best Public Golf Courses in the South Bay

The 10 best public golf courses in the South Bay and Silicon Valley — Coyote Creek, Eagle Ridge, Cinnabar Hills and the top San Jose–area layouts you can book today.

Jul 6, 2026
golfdigest
RANKED

Best Public Golf Courses in the East Bay

The 10 best public golf courses in the East Bay — from Livermore wine-country layouts to Oakland and Walnut Creek municipals you can book any day of the week.

Jul 6, 2026
simpleviewinc
STORY

Top Golf Instructors and Coaches in the East Bay

The best golf instructors and coaches in the East Bay — Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Walnut Creek, and the Tri-Valley, from former tour players to Golf Digest Best-in-State teachers.

Jul 4, 2026
bizbash
STORY

Top Golf Instructors and Coaches in the South Bay

The best golf instructors and coaches in the South Bay — San Jose, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Cupertino, and Morgan Hill, from PGA and LPGA award winners to junior-development specialists.

Jul 4, 2026
Indoor golf simulator setup — cover image for the Golf Simulators in SF post
STORY

Golf Simulators in SF

From Full Swing bays downtown to Golfzon in Oakland and Toptracer in San Jose, the Bay Area's ten best indoor golf simulators keep your game sharp year-round — rain, fog, or shine.

Sep 16, 2023
The clubhouse and course at Spyglass Hill Golf Course on the Monterey Peninsula, California.
ROUTE

Traveling to Monterey for Golf

The Monterey Peninsula packs more bucket-list golf into a few coastal miles than anywhere else. Here is how to plan a trip around Pebble Beach and beyond.

Sep 16, 2023
PJ Koenig
RANKED

The Best Full 9 Hole Courses in the Bay Area

Discover the Bay Area's most exquisite 9-hole golf courses, where stunning scenery meets challenging fairways, promising an unforgettable golfing experience in San Francisco.

Sep 16, 2023
Evan Schiller
ROUTE

72 Hours of Public Golf in San Francisco

A three-day public-golf itinerary for San Francisco: TPC Harding Park, Lincoln Park, the Presidio, and Golden Gate Park — what to play, in what order, and how to plan around the fog.

Sep 11, 2023
RANKED

Best Par 3's in the Bay Area

Prepare to embark on a golfing journey through the San Francisco Bay Area's finest Par 3 courses, offering a diverse range of experiences for golfers of all levels.

Sep 9, 2023

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