Tilden Park Golf Course is a working piece of New Deal history in the Berkeley hills. The East Bay Regional Park District built it in 1936 and 1937 with Works Progress Administration labor, and crews uprooted roughly 20,000 eucalyptus trees from old plantations to clear the site. William P. Bell, the prolific California architect of the state's Golden Age courses, handled the design with on-site help from Richard Walpole, who later managed the park district. Of the $173,000 total cost, about $139,000 came from WPA funds, and the course opened to the public on November 11, 1937.

On the course

The scorecard is par 70 at just under 6,300 yards, rated 70.2 with a 125 slope, and the first hole announces the test immediately: a 420-yard par 4 climbing straight uphill to an elevated green, widely cited as one of the toughest opening holes in the Bay Area. From there the hillside dictates strategy, with tree-framed corridors, sidehill lies, and undulating greens that reviewers say run slower than most in the region. The course record is a 62, shot by Luke Wasson in November 2021.

Who it suits

The case for playing it is character and setting more than polish. Recent reviewers praise the views and the parkland feel while cautioning that pace can drag on crowded weekends and that green speeds and conditioning vary through the season. Walking is allowed, but the elevation changes make it a genuine workout, so plenty of regulars take a cart. As a public course inside Tilden Regional Park, it suits golfers who value history and scenery over tournament-fast putting surfaces.

Off the course, the driving range is equipped with TopTracer ball tracking, and PGA professionals run a full lesson calendar, from adult and junior group programs to private instruction. The Overlook at Tilden restaurant covers food and drinks after the round, and a monthly Players Club bundles range balls with discounted play for frequent visitors. Pick Tilden if you want Golden Age architecture and Berkeley hills views in a round that doubles as a history lesson.

Architect: William P. Bell · Opened: 1937