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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.

History desk

From the field desk

The newest published History entry in this desk.

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21 History stories

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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).
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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

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