Tilden Park Golf Course opened in November 1937 as a New Deal public works project, constructed by the East Bay Regional Park District with Works Progress Administration relief labor between 1936 and 1937. The 18-hole layout was designed by William P. Bell, the prolific California architect also known as "Billy" Bell, with on-site assistance from Richard Walpole, who later became EBRPD manager. Before any fairways could be cut, WPA crews uprooted roughly 20,000 eucalyptus trees from former plantations in the Berkeley Hills to clear the site.

On the course

The course sits inside Tilden Regional Park above the UC-Berkeley campus, routed across rolling, tree-lined terrain at elevation. It plays 6,294 yards from the back tees to a par of 70, with tight corridors framed by mature trees, contoured greens, and the natural slope of the hillside dictating most of the strategy. The drive up Grizzly Peak to the clubhouse reveals views of San Francisco Bay and the Oakland skyline that continue throughout the round. Robert Muir Graves handled later renovation work on the original Bell design.

Who it suits

The signature opening hole is a 420-yard par 4 that climbs straight uphill to an elevated green and is widely cited as one of the toughest starting holes in the Bay Area. Practice facilities include a three-tiered driving range with more than 60 stalls and multiple putting greens. From the back tees the course rates 70.8 with a slope of 124, stepping down to 68.8/119 from the middle tees.

Tilden suits public-access golfers who value historic, walkable municipal layouts over manicured resort conditions, and players who enjoy hilly lies, elevation changes, and a parkland setting only minutes from downtown Berkeley. Beginners and high-handicap regulars are common, so expect deliberate pace of play on weekends.

Architect: William P. Bell · Opened: 1937