California Golf Club of San Francisco Top 100 Review

California Golf Club of San Francisco, founded in 1918, is a private 18-hole course located on the Peninsula south of San Francisco. Originally designed by Willie Locke and A. Vernon Macan, the course opened in 1926 on approximately 425 acres of the former Baden Farm. The layout features rolling hills, timbered land, and bay views that create a distinctive Northern California setting.

Alister MacKenzie redesigned the bunkering and at least two greens shortly before his work at Cypress Point Club. In 2007-2008, Kyle Phillips restored the course to its "golden age" design, implementing fine fescue grass that produces the fast, firm playing conditions the course is known for—unique in the region.

The course is designed primarily as a walking layout with caddies available upon request. It features scenic hole-by-hole routing across the property's natural terrain. The club maintains a traditional, formal atmosphere with strict dress codes and an expected pace of play of 3 hours 45 minutes for a four-ball.