The 10 Best Golf Courses Near San Francisco (2026 Guide)

The best golf courses near San Francisco are Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz, TPC Harding Park and Half Moon Bay Golf Links. Pasatiempo is Alister MacKenzie's 1929 design, and city-owned Harding Park hosted the 2020 PGA Championship. For value, play Corica Park's South Course in Alameda, a Rees Jones municipal design.

The list at a glance

| # | Course | Location | Access | Distance | Best for | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Pasatiempo Golf Club | Santa Cruz | Semi-private | about 70 mi | A MacKenzie day trip | | 2 | TPC Harding Park | San Francisco | Municipal | about 15 mi | A tour venue inside the city | | 3 | Half Moon Bay Golf Links | Half Moon Bay | Resort (open to non-guests) | about 35 mi | Ocean-bluff golf, two courses | | 4 | The Course at Wente Vineyards | Livermore | Daily-fee | about 45 mi | An upscale East Bay round | | 5 | Corica Park (South) | Alameda | Municipal | about 15 mi | Value and variety | | 6 | Presidio Golf Course | San Francisco | Public | about 5 mi | History close to downtown | | 7 | Sharp Park Golf Course | Pacifica | Municipal | about 15 mi | MacKenzie at municipal rates | | 8 | Poppy Ridge Golf Course | Livermore | Public | about 50 mi | Wind and 27 holes | | 9 | Lincoln Park Golf Course | San Francisco | Municipal | about 5 mi | A short, quick city round | | 10 | Tilden Park Golf Course | Berkeley | Public | about 15 mi | Hilly, wooded East Bay golf |

How we chose

Every course in the top 10 takes public tee times. We ranked them on design pedigree, Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine rankings, tournament history and the visitor experience. We also mixed in municipal and daily-fee options. Facts were checked against course websites in October 2026; private clubs are listed separately below.

1. Pasatiempo Golf Club

Location: Santa Cruz, CA · Access: Semi-private (public tee times daily) · Holes: 18 (par 70) · Designer: Alister MacKenzie (1929) · From downtown: about 70 miles

Marion Hollins hired MacKenzie, the architect of Augusta National and Cypress Point, and Bobby Jones played in the opening-day group in 1929. Golf Digest ranks Pasatiempo 14th in California for 2025-26. Jim Urbina led a restoration of the course in 2023-24.

Members hold some early weekend and holiday tee times, but the public can book other times up to seven days ahead. The course is known as a good walk.

Around the greens: MacKenzie's greens reward staying below the hole. Warm up in the practice area first, and pick landing spots that leave an uphill putt.

2. TPC Harding Park

Location: San Francisco, CA · Access: Municipal · Holes: 18 (par 72) · Designer: Sam Whiting and Willie Watson (1925) · From downtown: about 15 miles

The City and County of San Francisco owns Harding Park, and it has been part of the PGA Tour's TPC network since 2010. It hosted the 2020 PGA Championship, the 2009 Presidents Cup and the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play.

A 2002-03 renovation stretched the course to nearly 7,200 yards, so it plays as a true championship test. GOLF Magazine ranked it 31st in California for 2024-25 and placed it on its Top 100 Courses You Can Play list. The nine-hole Fleming course on the same property gives you a shorter option.

Around the greens: Many approaches on a course this long come in with long irons. Expect more missed greens, and know your chipping landing zones before you need them.

3. Half Moon Bay Golf Links

Location: Half Moon Bay, CA · Access: Resort (open to non-guests) · Holes: 36 (two 18-hole courses, each par 72) · Designer: Old Course: Francis Duane and Arnold Palmer (1973); Ocean Course: Arthur Hills (1997) · From downtown: about 35 miles

Two courses sit beside the Ritz-Carlton, and non-guests can book either one. Arthur Hills redesigned the Old Course in 1999. The Ocean Course is his links-style design, framed by native grasses.

Tee times can be booked up to 120 days ahead. The Ocean Course closes for maintenance October 27-29, 2026, and the Old Course is aerated November 2-4, 2026.

Around the greens: The Ocean Course looks like a links but plays less bouncy than true fescue courses. Plan for less rollout than the look suggests.

4. The Course at Wente Vineyards

Location: Livermore, CA · Access: Daily-fee · Holes: 18 (par 72) · Designer: Greg Norman (1998) · From downtown: about 45 miles

Greg Norman's design opened in July 1998 at Wente Vineyards and stretches to 7,181 yards from the back tees. Golf Digest includes it on its 2025 list of the best courses you can play in California. It runs as an upscale daily-fee course, with memberships also offered.

Club Wente members can reserve 45 days out, so book weekend times early.

Around the greens: Roll a handful of chips on the practice green before you tee off. That first read sets every landing zone you pick later.

5. Corica Park (South Course)

Location: Alameda, CA · Access: Municipal · Holes: 18 · Designer: Rees Jones · From downtown: about 15 miles

Rees Jones rebuilt the South Course in the style of Australia's Sandbelt courses, and it plays up to 6,874 yards from the back tees. GOLF Magazine named it the 12th best municipal course in America in 2021.

The complex adds a North Course, reimagined by Robert Trent Jones II Architects and reopened in March 2025.

Around the greens: Sandbelt-style courses reward the ground game. Carry a dependable bump-and-run, and land it short of the green when the hole location allows.

6. Presidio Golf Course

Location: San Francisco, CA · Access: Public · Holes: 18 (par 72) · Designer: Robert Wood Johnstone (1895); redesigned by Fowler & Simpson (1921) · From downtown: about 5 miles

Founded in 1895, Presidio sits inside the Presidio, a National Historic Landmark. It opened to public play in 1995.

It plays 6,481 yards from the back tees. Check the course site for Fleet Week alerts in October.

Around the greens: When a chip is uphill or downhill, adjust your landing spot for the slope. Our guide to uphill and downhill chipping covers how.

7. Sharp Park Golf Course

Location: Pacifica, CA · Access: Municipal · Holes: 18 (par 72) · Designer: Alister MacKenzie (opened 1932) · From downtown: about 15 miles

San Francisco Recreation & Parks owns and runs this MacKenzie course on the Pacifica coast. Storms damaged part of the original routing, and Jack Fleming added replacement holes. Seawalls now protect the holes closest to the shore.

It is the municipal way to play MacKenzie golf near the city, with discounted rates for San Francisco residents.

Around the greens: Wind off the Pacific makes a low, running chip easier to control than a high pitch on the seaside holes.

8. Poppy Ridge Golf Course

Location: Livermore, CA · Access: Public · Holes: 27 · Designer: Rees Jones with Steve Weisser (1996) · From downtown: about 50 miles

The Northern California Golf Association owns Poppy Ridge, which Rees Jones laid out on an open, rugged site. His firm describes it as an inland links in the spirit of Scottish heathland golf. The facility has 27 holes: an 18-hole course plus a separate nine.

Strong wind is part of the experience, so it suits golfers who like to flight the ball.

Around the greens: On an open, windy site, a low bump-and-run is easier to control than a lofted pitch whenever the lie allows.

9. Lincoln Park Golf Course

Location: San Francisco, CA · Access: Municipal · Holes: 18 (par 68) · Designer: Tom Bendelow (1902) · From downtown: about 5 miles

Lincoln Park dates to 1902 and grew to 18 holes by 1917.

At 5,146 yards and par 68, it rewards a sharp wedge game more than length.

Around the greens: A par-68 card leaves lots of short approaches and pitches. A reliable landing zone for partial wedges saves the most strokes here.

10. Tilden Park Golf Course

Location: Berkeley, CA · Access: Public · Holes: 18 (par 70) · Designer: William Park Bell Jr. (1937) · From downtown: about 15 miles

The East Bay Regional Park District built Tilden in 1936-37 with WPA and Civilian Conservation Corps crews. It sits on a wooded hillside in Tilden Regional Park, plays 6,294 yards from the back tees and is a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

Expect real elevation change: the par-3 16th plays from an elevated tee to an elevated green guarded by two bunkers. The park district has wildfire fuels-reduction work planned in 2026, so check access before you drive up.

Around the greens: Elevated targets such as the 16th green call for more loft and a landing spot on the putting surface. See what club to chip with for picking the right one.

Private clubs worth knowing

• The Olympic Club (San Francisco): the Lake Course has hosted five U.S. Opens and is set to host the 2028 PGA Championship. Member invitation required.
• San Francisco Golf Club (San Francisco): an A.W. Tillinghast design whose seventh hole overlooks the site of California's last legal duel. Member invitation required.
• California Golf Club of San Francisco (South San Francisco): ranked eighth in California by Golf Digest for 2025-26. Member invitation required.
• Meadow Club (Fairfax): ranked 22nd in California by Golf Digest for 2025-26. Member invitation required.
• Lake Merced Golf Club (Daly City): ranked 28th in California by Golf Digest for 2025-26. Member invitation required.

Tips for playing golf near San Francisco

• Dress in layers. Sharp Park and Half Moon Bay sit on the Pacific, and Harding Park is near the coast. Wind and fog can change conditions within a round.
• Use the resident card if you live in the city. City-run courses such as Lincoln Park and Sharp Park offer discounted rates to San Francisco residents.
• Plan Pasatiempo ahead. Public tee times open seven days out, and members hold some early weekend and holiday times.
• Warm up with purpose. On a course you've never seen, a short pre-round routine for a new course helps you read green pace before the first hole.
• Planning a bigger trip? Our guide to the best golf courses in California covers Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines and the desert. The Sacramento guide covers the valley.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best public golf course near San Francisco?

Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz, about 70 miles away, is the highest-ranked course near the city that takes public tee times. Inside the city, TPC Harding Park is the top choice. San Francisco owns it, and it hosted the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2009 Presidents Cup.

What is the best value golf course near San Francisco?

Corica Park in Alameda is the strongest municipal option. Its South Course, a Rees Jones design, was named the 12th best municipal course in America by GOLF Magazine in 2021. Sharp Park in Pacifica is the other municipal pick, a city-run Alister MacKenzie layout with discounts for San Francisco residents.

Can the public play Pasatiempo?

Yes. Pasatiempo is a semi-private club that sets aside tee times for public play every day. You can book up to seven days ahead. Members hold some early weekend and holiday morning times, so weekday or later slots are easier to get.

When is golf season in San Francisco?

Bay Area golf is played year-round. Winter brings most of the rain, while coastal courses often see fog and wind in summer. Fall tends to bring the most settled weather on the coast. Inland valleys such as Livermore are often warmer than the city.

How do I handle unfamiliar green speeds on a new course?

Ask the pro shop how fast the greens are running, ideally as a Stimpmeter reading. Then roll a few chips on the practice green to confirm the pace before you tee off. Our green speed guide explains what the numbers mean for where your chips should land.

Find your landing zone on every green

From windy coastal courses in Pacifica and Half Moon Bay to restored MacKenzie greens in Santa Cruz, these courses roll at very different speeds. Green speed changes where every chip should land, and it changes from course to course. ELZS (Essential Landing Zone Systems) turns three inputs, your distance to the hole, your club and the green speed, into the number of paces to land the ball so it rolls out to the hole. It was built by former teaching pro Chaz H. Smith and comes as an app for iOS and Android and as a waterproof pocket chartbook. Before your next round, ask the pro shop how fast the greens are running, then look up your landing zone and chip with a plan.

Download ELZS for iPhone · Get ELZS on Android · Learn how landing zones work