Poplar Creek Golf Course
San Mateo, California
About Poplar Creek Golf Course
Poplar Creek opened in 1933 as San Mateo Municipal Golf Course, a roughly $45,000 Depression-era public works project built to put unemployed laborers to work on the bayfront next to Coyote Point. Stephen Halsey designed the original layout, and it served San Mateo under that name for 66 years before closing in April 1999 for a complete renovation. It reopened in July 2000 with its current name, taken from the poplar trees and the creek that cross the property.
On the course
The par-70 card measures 6,042 yards over flat, walkable ground with tree-lined corridors and rye grass from tee to green, and the real defense arrives most afternoons, when the wind comes howling off San Francisco Bay. Water shows up late in the round, most memorably around the eighteenth. The course hosts the San Mateo County Championship and the Robert O'Brien Junior Championship, and past champions of its tournaments include Johnny Miller; the course record fell at the 2008 San Mateo County Championship, when Adam Ichikawa shot a 58, twelve under par.
Who it suits
Around 75,000 rounds a year make this one of Northern California's busiest courses, yet reviewers report rounds regularly finishing under four hours, and the greens draw the most consistent praise, with regulars describing them as among the best-kept municipal putting surfaces in the area. The flat routing is one of the Peninsula's easiest walks, twilight rates are a genuine bargain, and conditions elsewhere vary with the season and the traffic.
Practice facilities include a driving range, a pitching and chipping area, and a putting green, with a golf academy and teaching professionals on site, plus banquet space that keeps the clubhouse busy year-round. Poplar Creek suits Peninsula golfers who want a quick, walkable bayside round and anyone who wants to learn what scoring in the wind actually takes.
Architect: Stephen Halsey · Opened: 1933
Course Details
- 18 Holes
- Par 70
- 6,042 Yards
- Course Rating 69.7
- Slope 115
- Practice Facilities: Driving range · Practice green · Pro shop
- Tee Time Prices: $25 – $64
- Phone: (650) 522-4653
Course Record
58 (-12) by Adam Ichikawa during the 2008 San Mateo County Championship (par-70 layout).
Notable Facts About Poplar Creek Golf Course
- Originally opened in 1933 as San Mateo Municipal Golf Course, built as a Depression-era project to aid unemployed laborers.
- Closed in April 1999 for a complete renovation and redesign, reopening in July 2000 under the new name Poplar Creek, named for the poplar trees and creek that run through the property.
- Hosts the Robert O'Brien Junior Championship and the San Mateo County Championship, whose past winners include former PGA Tour pro Johnny Miller.
Book Tee Times at Poplar Creek Golf Course
Poplar Creek Golf Course is an 18-hole par-70 public golf course in San Mateo, California. Tee times currently range from $25 to $64. Compare live rates and book online through Golf The Bay.
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