Harding Park opened in 1925 beside Lake Merced, designed by Willie Watson and Sam Whiting, the team behind the Olympic Club's Lake Course across the road. It hosted the PGA Tour's Lucky International in the 1960s, then declined so badly it served as a parking lot for the 1998 U.S. Open at Olympic. A Sandy Tatum-led restoration reopened it in 2003, and the big events returned: the 2005 WGC-American Express, the 2009 Presidents Cup, and the 2020 PGA Championship, won by Collin Morikawa.

On the course

The championship card runs 7,169 yards at par 72, rated 75.2 with a 139 slope, and the cool marine air makes every number play longer. Corridors of mature Monterey cypress pinch the fairways, rewarding accuracy over raw distance, and the closing stretch from 14 through 18 runs along Lake Merced. The 18th tee shot carries a corner of the lake to a fairway bending left along the water; the short 16th is where Morikawa drove the green in 2020. The course record is 59, by Ken Venturi, who grew up playing Harding before winning the 1964 U.S. Open.

Who it suits

For all that history it remains a San Francisco municipal course, open to the public daily, with demand-based green fees and the lowest rates reserved for SF resident cardholders. The ground is flat enough to walk comfortably and push carts are an option. Reviewers praise the setting and the back nine while noting conditioning and pace can be uneven, with rounds often around four and a half hours. It suits golfers who want a true championship test without a member invitation.

The practice facility includes a Toptracer-equipped range, and the property adds golf instruction, a golf shop, and a clubhouse with the Cypress Grill restaurant. Next door is the nine-hole Fleming course, a shorter and cheaper loop through the same cypress. Pick Harding Park when you want to walk fairways that have decided a major; pick Fleming when you have two hours instead of five.

Architect: Willie Watson & Sam Whiting · Opened: 1925