Poplar Creek Golf Course is an 18-hole municipal course owned by the City of San Mateo, sitting on Coyote Point along San Francisco Bay just off Highway 101. The course originally opened in 1933 as the San Mateo Municipal Golf Course, built as a Depression-era project to provide work for unemployed laborers. Early reporting credits Stephen Halsey as the original designer of the 1933 layout, which was routed through the low-lying ground near Coyote Point.

On the course

The course closed in April 1999 for a complete renovation and redesign, and reopened in July 2000 under a new name — Poplar Creek — taken from the mature poplar trees and the creek that runs through the property. The current layout plays to a par of 70 at roughly 6,042 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 69.0 and a slope of 115 on rye grass fairways and greens. Water comes into play on several holes, most notably approaching the 18th green, and the flat bayside terrain means afternoon wind off San Francisco Bay is a consistent factor in scoring.

Who it suits

Poplar Creek hosts the San Mateo County Championship and the Robert O'Brien Junior Championship, a junior event whose past winners include PGA Tour players Johnny Miller, Keith Clearwater, and Mark Lye. The location — minutes from SFO and downtown San Mateo, with a full-length driving range, putting and chipping greens, and on-site instruction — makes it a practical choice for commuters and beginners, while the tight creek crossings and bay wind give mid-handicap and better players enough trouble to keep the round interesting. It plays as a walkable, affordable Peninsula muni rather than a destination layout.

Architect: Stephen Halsey · Opened: 1933