Opened in 1895, the golf course on the Presidio is the oldest west of the Mississippi. The original nine-hole layout was built for the San Francisco Golf and Country Club after permission from the Presidio's military command, with landscape architect John Lawson credited as the first designer. After the original members departed for Lake Merced, the remaining civilian golfers formed the Presidio Golf Club and renovated the course in 1910, when Robert Wood Johnstone collaborated with William McEwan to install a second nine.

On the course

In 1921, the club hired British firm Fowler & Simpson to substantially expand the course and install a modern irrigation system, giving the layout much of its current character.

Who it suits

The 18-hole, par-72 routing sits on hilly terrain inside the Presidio of San Francisco, a former Army base that is now a national park site. The course winds through Eucalyptus and Monterey Pine groves , with tight, tree-lined fairways, multi-level greens, and elevation changes throughout. Holes are constructed over a base of adobe clay, rock, sand, or a combination of all three , and ocean wind and afternoon fog frequently shape how the course plays.

Notable holes include an elevated-tee par-5 second, a short downhill par-3 fourth at roughly 130 yards, and a demanding 219-yard par-3 seventh fronted by a large bunker. The par-5 ninth finishes beneath the historic clubhouse, and the round closes with a reachable risk-reward par 5. For many years the course was restricted to Army officers and members of the private Presidio Golf Club ; it opened to the public after the Presidio became a national park site in the 1990s. The layout rewards accuracy and shotmaking over raw distance, making it a fit for players who enjoy a walkable, traditional course with weather and terrain as much in play as the bunkering.

Architect: John Lawson · Opened: 1895