Few short courses carry a name with more Bay Area pedigree. Jack Fleming worked under Alister MacKenzie as construction foreman on courses including Cypress Point and Sharp Park, then spent three decades from 1932 as superintendent of San Francisco's municipal courses. In 1961 the city added this nine to the interior of Harding Park's championship course and named it in his honor, and when Harding underwent its acclaimed early-2000s restoration, the Fleming's greens and bunkers were rebuilt as part of the work.

On the course

The card reads par 30 across 2,165 yards from the member tees and 1,865 from the forward markers, split into six par 3s and three par 4s. The opener is a legitimate 405-yard two-shotter that dispels any pitch-and-putt expectations, and every hole runs through tight, tree-lined corridors ringed by the championship course that hosted the 2020 PGA Championship. Cool, heavy air off Lake Merced takes distance off everything, so correct club selection counts for more than power.

Who it suits

The practical case is simple. Nine compact holes make a quick, easily walked round at a fraction of the championship course's green fee, with reduced rates for San Francisco and Bay Area residents. Long a grooming ground for juniors and beginners, it also works as serious practice for better players sharpening irons and wedges. Reviewers rate it around 4 stars on GolfPass and note well-kept fairways and fair greens, though the steady walk-up trade can slow peak weekend pace.

The Fleming shares TPC Harding Park's practice complex, renovated after the 2020 PGA Championship with 20 Toptracer-equipped hitting stalls, a grass putting green and a short-game area. The nine itself did tournament duty that week, absorbing the broadcast compound and player range before a 60-day regrow returned it to play. It is also the home course of First Tee San Francisco. Choose the Fleming when you want Harding Park turf and atmosphere without the hours or expense the championship 18 demands.

Architect: Jack Fleming · Opened: 1961