Montclair Golf Course opened on January 12, 1961 as a 28-acre practice complex in the green folds of the Oakland Hills, originally advertised as the most complete practice facility in the Bay Area. The 9-hole par-3 pitch-and-putt and adjoining driving range sit on city-owned land roughly ten minutes from downtown Oakland, and the operation has been leased and run by the Lee family since 1980, when patriarch Pillim Lee took it over. It functions as a municipal facility rather than a private club, with the same family overseeing both the golf and the on-site bar and restaurant.

On the course

The course is short and tight: no hole stretches much beyond 80 yards, and the small greens are framed by mature trees that punish anything offline. There are no powered carts — the routing is easily walkable — and the surrounding forest gives the property the feel of a wooded pocket carved out of the East Bay hills. The practice side of the operation is the main draw for many regulars: a double-decker range with 19 stalls on the top deck and 17 below, lit at night so play continues after sunset. A pro shop offers club fitting, regripping and reshafting on site.

Who it suits

Montclair suits beginners learning the short game, juniors, and experienced players sharpening wedge play and putting between rounds at longer Bay Area courses. Green fees are low by regional standards, lessons are available daily, and the family-owned restaurant and bar — complete with a pool table — keeps the atmosphere closer to a neighborhood hangout than a country club. It is not a championship test; it is a compact, lived-in muni in the Oakland Hills built around practice, instruction, and an unhurried short game.

Architect: Unknown · Opened: 1961