599 Skyline Drive,
Daly City, California 94015
The Course:
45 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Some slopes to climb
Surroundings:
Woodland, seaside and residential.
Designer:
Lake course: originally designed by William "Willie" Watson and built by Sam Whiting (1924); subsequently redesigned by Sam Whiting in 1925/6 after severe winter storm damage. Later modifications by Robert Trent Jones (1953) and Bill Love (2016).
Ocean course: originally designed by Willie Watson (1924); substantially remodelled by Sam Whiting (1927); completely redesigned by Tom Weiskopf (2000), and renovated by Bill Love (2012).
Cliffs course: 9-hole par-3 course designed by Tom Weiskopf & Jay Morrish (1994).
Above distances are for the Lake course. Also at The Olympic Club is the 18-hole Ocean course (par-71; 6926 yards from back tees), and the 9-hole Cliffs course (par-27; 1800 yards).
37.709191
-122.494892
7 miles SW of San Francisco centre
From I-280 / Hwy 1, just north of Daly City, take exit 49A and head west on John Daly Blvd. After 2 miles turn right onto route 35 (Skyline Blvd North) direction San Francisco Bay. After o.9 miles, Olympic Club's entrance is on your right.
Olympic Club (Lake)
The Olympic Club: This illustrious private golf club (exclusive to its members and their invited guests) is home to the world renowned Lake and Ocean courses, as well as the nine-hole par-3 Cliffs course.
The Lake course, one of the most famous layouts on the US Open Championship roster, is laid out on the lake side of a sandy ridge, which lies between the Pacific Ocean and Lake Merced. This mainly tree-lined, parkland layout, occupies sloping terrain that offers little in the way of flat lies.
As the layout sweeps down towards (but never quite reaches) Lake Merced, the many gently dog-legging holes are full of golfing challenges, not least a plethora of bunkering and clinging rough around the lightning fast and very testing greens. If you do ever get the chance to play the Lake course, you will perhaps be surprised to discover the layout is devoid of water hazards, while totalling up the number of fairway bunkers is also a rather quick task - there is but one!
Complementing the majestic Lake course, and occupying the ocean side of the sandy ridge, is the aptly named Ocean course (which was originally known as the Pacific Links). More open and less tree-lined than the Lake, it is another fine layout guaranteed to fully test your game.
Private club; guests may only play if hosted by a member.
Excellent
Historical notes: In 1918, the Olympic Club took over the Lakeside Golf Club, which had opened in 1917 but was struggling financially. Lakeside's 18-hole course was designed by Wilfred Reid, but following additional land purchase the Olympic Club decided to replace it with two courses. These were designed by Willie Watson, a well-known Scottish architect, and opened as the Lake and Ocean courses in 1924.
Not long after its 1924 opening, the Ocean course was damaged by landslides. Sam Whiting, who had managed the construction of the Lake and Ocean courses, was asked to remodel and rebuild both courses in 1927. He remained the Olympic Club's golf course superintendent until 1954.
The Lake course was modified by Robert Trent Jones in preparation for the 1955 US Open. Altered several times over the years, the Ocean course sustained heavy storm damage in 1996, and was completely redesigned by Tom Weiskopf, reopening for play in 2000.
The Olympic Club's Lake course has hosted numerous top level golf tournaments, including several US Opens and US Amateur Championships (see our Tournaments section >by Venue >Olympic Club).
Lake course:
World: 79th best course in the world (GOLF magazine, 2020/21).
USA: 33rd best course in the USA (Golf Digest, 2019/20).
State: 5th best course in California (Golf Digest, 2019/20).
Tournament of Champions: the PGA Tour’s calendar-year starts, as it has done since 1999, with this iconic event in Hawaii. The field is drawn from players who won a PGA Tour event in 2022, or were amongst the top 30 in last year’s FedEx Cup final standings (Jan 6-9).
Desert Swing: the European (DP World) Tour launches into 2023 with three events in its UAE “Desert Swing”. Up first is the Abu Dhabi Championship (Jan 19-22), followed by the Dubai Desert Classic (Jan 26-29) and the Ras Al Kaimah Championship (Feb 2-5).
Kathy Whitworth: the end of 2022 saw the passing of LPGA Tour legend Kathy Whitworth. Her 88 LPGA Tour victories is more than achieved by any other golfer on either the LPGA or PGA Tours. Amongst her victories were six major championship titles.
Barry Lane: the golfing world was also saddened by the passing of Barry Lane, one of the European Tour and European Senior Tours most popular players. Enjoying success on both Tours, Lane was know for his excellent ball-striking and amiable personality.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.
Costa’s "Cruise & Golf" allows golfers and their families to combine a unique golfing experience with the relaxation and fun of a cruise on board Costa Smeralda. Golf enthusiasts are offered a choice from 23 top-quality golf clubs; their chosen courses are played during the ship’s port calls in Italy, France and Spain. While the golfers are driving the fairways, accompanying non-golfers are able to enjoy the amenities and activities on-board, or explore wonderful places on day excursions organised by Costa. Read more ...
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