Can’t Miss San Francisco
NCGA Golf would like your assistance in producing its next “Can’t Miss” feature on San Francisco. What can you tell us about your favorite places?
The section highlights the variety of destinations within Northern California, their golf courses, culture and cuisine. San Francisco is the next region. We want this to be comprehensive and enlightening, so what can you tell us about San Francisco? We are looking for “off the beaten path” information that people might not know.
Questions to be answered:
Best place for a post round drink
Compelling view from a tee box
Best driving range
Restaurant recommendations
“Keep an eye on” golf courses
E-mail your opinions, or post below.
Thank you. The feature will run in the Bluebook, to be mailed in January.
Thank you for your ideas. As we develop this feature for our January magazine, it is input from members that will make it a success. Look for a special “reader’s choice” selection to designate the most popular entry from the suggestions we receive.
October 31st, 2008 at 10:58 amBest place for a post round drink
SAN FRANCISCO GOLF CLUB
Compelling view from a tee box
18 OLD COURSE HALF MOON BAY
Best driving range
BURLINGAME GOLF CENTER
Restaurant recommendations
G&D GRILL BURLINGAME GOLF CENTER
“Keep an eye on” golf courses
October 31st, 2008 at 1:41 pmSTONEBRAE
Best Margaritas in the Marina (La Barca)
October 31st, 2008 at 3:04 pmBEST DRIVING RANGE
Can Oakland count? If others are listing Half Moon Bay and Burlingame, arguably if you time it right, Oakland, specifically Metropolitan Golf Links, has the best driving range by far. All grass, all the time. And a free chipping and putting area.
“KEEP AN EYE ON” GOLF COURSES
October 31st, 2008 at 4:02 pmI don’t know how anyone can ignore Harding Park, especially given their breaks to SF residents. Furthermore, their 9 hole Flemming course, with its three par 4’s can be completed in an hour and a half on a good day. Extraordinarily well maintained for an executive par 3 and excellent for keeping your game sharp. Not to mention not having to devote 4 to 5 hours to the cause every time you want to play a nice course.
Best drinks: Cypress Grill, Harding Park
October 31st, 2008 at 4:07 pmTee box view: 17 @ Lincoln Park
Best range: Presidio Golf Course
Restaurant: Ironwood BBQ, Golden Gate Park Golf Course; Hot Dog Bills, Olympic Club
“Keep an eye on”: Newly renovated Cal Club
Best place for a post round drink: Clubhouse at Gleneagles
October 31st, 2008 at 7:35 pmCompelling view from a tee box: 17th at Lincoln Park
Best driving range: Olympic Club
Restaurant recommendations: Grill at Harding Park
“Keep an eye on” golf courses: Lincoln, Sharp
The dirt cheap single-malts at Gleneagles for the drinks, the sculpted Cypress trees and Lake Merced from the sixteenth tee at Harding, a vacant lot on Treasure Island with a view of the new Bay Bridge being built for your own personal driving range, the downstairs grill at Olympic Club (Dungeness crab on sourdough) and keep an eye on Gleneagles. They promise to return the greens to Augusta-like quality like they had in the nineties.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:07 amBest Place For A Post-Round Drink – The Links at Bodega Harbour. What a view from The bar at The Blue Water Bistro.
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:10 pmCompelling View From A Tee Box – #18 at Half Moon Bay Golf Links Old Course
Best Driving Range – The TPC at Stonebrae. Hands-down winner!
Restaraunt Reccomendation – The Grill Room at San Francisco Golf Club. Also, The Blue Water Bistro at The Links at Bodega Harbour.
Course To Keep An Eye On – StoneTree Golf Club. Keep your eye on, and your golf game sharp at the hands-down best draining course in the North Bay. The only competition is Mayacama, but it’s a private club.
ALL LOCATIONS WILL BE IN SF (The city limits)
Best place for a post round drink- NO doubt Foley’s where you’ll be able to rub elbows with perhap a few participants during the upcoming Presidents Cup!
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:39 pmCompelling view from a tee box-Within SF there is no view as stunning and soothing to the eye as the 17 tee at Lincoln Park (a close second would be Olympic’s #3 tee box on the Lake with the GG bridge in the background)
Best driving range- Olympics all grass dual ended range
Restaurant recommendations- Sushi- Sushi Groove (Hyde and Green)South of Market Bacar- (best wine list in the world)
“Keep an eye on” golf courses Olympic Lake will re-open in 7-8 months with NEW GREEN without the POANA- And you cannot overlook Cal Club with the great changes to what already was a great track!
Best Post Round Drink = Beach Chalet (incredible sunsets over the Pacific)
November 3rd, 2008 at 9:36 amCompelling View from a tee box = Hard to beat 17 at Lincoln but 16 at Harding is certainly one of my favorites in the late afternoon light and I’ll never get tired of 18 at Presidio, looking down the corridor of Eucalyptus and back to the skyline of Spanish architecture and beautiful Twin Peaks.
Restaurant Recommendations = Liverpool Lils after Presidio, Tommy’s Mexican after Lincoln Park or Cypress Grill after Harding.
Keep an eye on Lincoln because the it may only be 9 holes soon.
Best Post-Round Drink: If you are coming from the North Bay or just got done playing Lincoln Park or Presidio, try the Gin Rum Fiz at Liverpool Lil’s.
November 6th, 2008 at 6:52 pmCompelling view from a tee box: The 14th at Harding Park. A look to your left across Lake Merced and you can see The Olympic Club, and you’re about to play the most underrated hard par 4 in the Bay Area.
Best Driving Range: Peacock Gap, San Rafael. It’s a large, flat, sand-based teeing ground with a flat landing area. Open to the public.
Restaurant Recommendations: A16 for Southern Italian, The Old Ship Saloon for a great burger, and Pesce for cicchetti (AKA:Italian ‘tapas’)
Keep an eye on Peacock Gap. It’s got country club-quality course conditions, you can always get a tee time when other courses are booked (Harding Park!), pace of play is a true 4.5 hrs, and the green complexes are unique to boot!
I hope that this article is San Francisco spots only, not the “9 Bay Area Counties.” There are plenty in SF alone.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:31 pm1) Best place for a post round drink:
Harding Park’s bar and restaurant is a great place to have a drink after the round, mostly because you can watch players finish playing #18 and you have a nice view of Lake Merced.
2) Compelling view from a tee box:
#17 at Lincoln Park is hands down the best view from a tee box in the City, maybe in all off golf. It’s hard to do better than a full view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin, and the Bay.
3) Best driving range:
Presidio Golf Course probably has the best driving range in the City. It is right next to the first tee (which is nice) and has a good number of stalls.
4) Restaurant recommendations:
For lunch, the snack shacks at the Olympic Club have the best hamburgers of any golf course around. Have one and you will be a true believer.
The restaurant at Sharp Park Golf Course (in Pacifica but owned & operated by the City of San Francisco) is a great place for dinner after golf. Great specials every night.
Some great bargain spots (good food and good prices) include Park Chow in the inner Sunset district, Bill’s Hamburgers in the outer Richmond district, Tia Margarita’s in the inner Richmond district, and Tommy’s Joint on Van Ness Ave.
5) “Keep an eye on” golf courses:
November 7th, 2008 at 11:15 amGleneagles Golf Course is one of the best kept secrets in the City. Just ask the locals who have regular tee times there every week.
For a post round drink, stop at the Nagshead at 18th and Geary. A pint of Guinness will loosen your tongue, and your tales of woe on the links, will mean absolutely nothing to the regulars.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:26 pmSince the 17th at Lincoln is generally considered the finest, I’ll submit the wondrous view, on a clear day, from the hill on the 7th fairway at Lincoln. Looking east you can see Mt. Diablo, and in the foreground the onion spires of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Panning south, you can see U.C. med center tucked in the shadow of Sutro tower, and the waves breaking on Ocean Beach.
The best driving range is easy, the Presidio. Simply because I can walk or take the bus, if I’m saving gas.
Great food can be had at P.J.’s Oyster Bar on Irving and 9th, in the inner Sunset. If your round finishes near dinner, Aziza’s middle eastern cuisine, at 22nd and Geary, will have your mouth watering. When the lovely belly dancers star, there’s no need for dessert.
Everyone keep an eye on Lincoln Park. We need the NCGA’s support to keep this historic venue open for generations to come.
If finishing play during daylight, the cliffhouse is good for drinks and dinner. Otherwise, any number of the hundreds of dinner houses in town, depending on your’e taste. If you can get into Olympic club, the range is great…natural grass, good putting green, bunker practice; otherwise Harding Park is much improved pretty good. Also, Harding park has some great views from the course and tee boxes. Lincoln Parks’ 17th hole has a great, popular view of the Golden Gate bridge.ewen
November 12th, 2008 at 8:43 pmGleneagles is the course to watch!!
A must play course, many improvements by the greens keepers over the last couple of years like clearing trees, and treating the greens have helped bring this course back to it’s former glory, tree lined fairways make for accurate driving off the tee. Great value with green fee starting at $16, with a classic 19th hole.
January 6th, 2009 at 7:30 pm