Sorry to hear that, Any chance its improved over the last 10 years?
If not, any other recommendations? Would love to get down to Pasatiempo but it may be a little far.
have played Harding. As a Bay Area resident it’s a little cheaper at $90 vs $140 for “out of towners”. It’s really not a bad course but I think I wouldn’t love paying $140 for it.
If you are set to play early you could play Presidio. I haven’t played it but most people seem to think it’s more interesting. They have been doing some work on the course over the last few years and they have made some great bunker improvements.
I If you want something close but more quirky there is Gleneagles at McLaren Park. It’s a 9 hole tract with 2 sets of tees for 18 hole play. I haven’t played it but some people love it and some people don’t like it at all. http://www.gleneaglesgolfsf.com/
If you are Dr. Mackenzie fan you could make your way over to Sharp Park in Pacifica. It’s rough around the edges.
Linclon Park is another quirky option in SF.
If you want to see the ocean you could play a round at the Ritz Half Moon Bay Courses. Pro tip, they have a great patio overlooking the ocean and #18 on the old course. The Bag Piper comes out and plays at sunset. Great place to end the day with a cocktail or a pint.
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Wow, thank you so much this is a great breakdown.
$140 did feel a little steep but i guess I wrote it off as Bay Area pricing.
I will check out Presidio, still holding out hope I will sort out Pasatiempo though!
Harding has been through a lot of renovations. I can’t go back in time to say but it’s much better now than it’s been in years. Of course, 15-20 years ago it was dirt cheap so it was also worth it. It’s expensive, but they will play a WGC there next year again, so it’s not a terrible course. I like Presidio too - it’s TIGHT though, so hopefully your driver doesn’t get too squirrelly.
That said, if you’re thinking about Harding and you have a car, I’d do what someone above said and drive down and play Half Moon Bay Ocean Course. It’s … OUTSTANDING. Probably about the same price as Harding but so much nicer and stunning.
I’d volunteer to join you but I’ll be in Florida at Streamsong! (Sorry not sorry)
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The Ocean is definitely a great looking option. A little annoying they are aerating the greens a few days before I am due to play so making me think twice. Is the Old course at half moon bay also worth the trip? Otherwise I may just have to take out a small loan and go to Pasatiempo…
Hope you have a great time at Streamsong!
I haven’t played the Old Course but I’ve heard mixed things. It mostly runs through residences, though I’ve heard the finishing few holes are great. But if they are aerating the greens on the Ocean I’d maybe skip it altogether. I’ve never made it down to Pasa (and I went to college in Santa Cruz! Though I didn’t play golf then, I thought it was stupid - turns out I was the stupid one), but I will get there this summer.
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Thanks so much for all your help on this. After a little more research I found that Pasa have One Golfnow “Hot” tee time a day so I booked for essentially half price at $150. Ill consider that a W. Cant wait to check out the course.
If you ever get over to NY I will repay your help with a round at Bethpage!
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Presidio isn’t exactly cheap either ($110), and is in no way the most pleasant walk if you were planning on doing so.
I’ve said it before, but it confuses me why people choose Presidio over Harding, not only from a course/routing perspective, but also from pace of play and conditioning standpoints. Don’t think I’ve ever gotten around Presidio in less than 5 hours.
IMO $140 for a course that has will be hosting a major championship isn’t that bad of a deal. There is also the Fleming 9 hole, routed in the middle of Harding, which could be another decent option.
Good pick. Case closed.
11AM Friday I assume? Be very mindful of traffic coming south from SF.
Yes the 11am Friday. Traffic bad around then? Thinking of an 8.30am departure. Cutting it too fine?
I would count on 2.5 hours minimum leaving at 8:30, but who knows. My experience is that the 101 & 280 south are total shitshows in commute hours.
Where exactly are you leaving from. The City proper? Getting out of SF is going to be 20-30 just on city streets.
2.5 is a good estimate because 280 will slow down near any interchange and then again through Palo Alto.
Stay away from 101.
I’m pinning this bad boy, would love to get a chance to have Bethpage kick my ass. Enjoy Pasa!
Hey everyone, I might be moving to downtown San Francisco in September. Im leaning towards Dogpatch or Marina neighborhoods. What would be the closest driving range to those areas? And what would you say is the best driving range within ~30 minutes of drive distance to those areas?
Also what courses would I most likely end up playing around there? Any context/advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
If you wind up in the Marina you would be pretty close to Presidio Golf Course. Great track that does get a ton of play. Driving range is almost always packed based on the fact its one of only a few places to hit balls in the city. There are a few muni type courses to play like lincoln park which isn’t great but has an epic view on of the Golden Gate Bridge. Then there’s places like Harding Park. There’s some good golf in the East Bay, been itching to get out to the new south course at Corica Park. The North Bay has some good tracks as well. If you ever make it up there Windsor Golf Course is one of my favorites (and the new Russian River Brewing location is about 5 minutes from the course).
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Presidio is the closet range and course to the Marina. If you move to Dogpatch, your best option is probably taking 280 to Harding Park. Both ranges are mats only, but Harding has a much nicer short game area and putting greens, and is usually less packed than Presidio.
IMO the best range (non-private course) within 30 minutes of SF proper is Mariners Point down in Foster City. Two-tiered range for mats, with a grass area that you can pay ~$5 to use. They also have a huge short game area, and 9-hole pitch and putt. The best part is that the entire place has lights…I think they are usually open until 10pm.
I recently moved, but I played Harding 95% of my rounds in SF when I lived there. Get the city resident card, and it’s $60-$80 bucks for a legit championship course, with a $20 replay rate. The card is ~$100, but essentially pays for itself if you play 2 rounds.
If you want to travel down the peninsula, I always enjoyed Cinnabar: three 9s, and usually in pretty good shape (especially the greens). It’s a bit of a hike from SF, but do-able if you get there early and block off a decent portion of your day.
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Anybody thinking of attending the Ellie Mae Classic at all? First weekend of August, regular grounds tickets are free, seemed like to would be a lot of fun to do a meetup of some sort and watch some Web guys grind it out.
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From the Marina, go across the GG bridge to San Rafael and use the range at Peacock Gap. Grass range and nice setting. That’s within your driving time requirements.
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Quail 100%. CVR is eh.
South Florida refugee here looking for advice. I will be visiting California at the end of July/beginning of August…staying in Oakland. I will be playing Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Pasatiempo, and TPC Harding Park. Here’s what I need advice on:
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I will have at least one more day to play golf…should I play Spanish Bay, Poppy Hills, or Half Moon Bay (Ocean)? I understand that there are other good courses in the area, but this is sort of a bucket list trip, so I’m thinking that those are the three courses I should be choosing from.
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I stupidly made my tee time for Pasatiempo as 10:00 am on a weekday. Google maps says it typically takes 1:50 to 2:30 hrs to travel from Oakland to Pasatiempo on a weekday. Is this accurate? Anything I should keep in mind about the commute? I saw another post above saying it should take about 2.5 hours to get to Pasatiempo from San Francisco. I’m guessing it’s about the same from Oakland.
Finally, this thread has been very helpful to me. Thank you!