In the same vein as Burlingame CC (where I caddied as a snot-nosed kid), Menlo is an extremely low-profile club, hidden behind a nondescript gate along Woodside road in Redwood City. The two are socially and architecturally similar with low-key, wealthy memberships that eschew any nouveau riche showboating; you'll not hear any Turbo 911's thundering up the drive. Everyone tip-toes in and tip-toes out, making nary a ripple, even in the clubhouse bar.
The golf course is a bit short and cramped, but elegant and a relaxing round for every skill level. Aside from a handful of true gunners, the membership seems to view the golf course as a form of recreation not to be taken too seriously. My impression was that - like BCC - Menlo acts as a sort of annex to a number of the members, who also belong at SFGC and perhaps Cypress or MPCC. It has been a few years and things change of course.
Some of the redesign work over the years - the par-4 #11th comes to mind - are hopeless architectural non-sequiteurs. It looked a bit like Ron Freem's work at Peninsula CC and Richmond - which was not his fault. Memberships who play a game of musical architects inevitably spend money recklessly and are eventually forced to finally erase all the new work. In these cases, the remodel went to Ron Forse at Peninsula and Neal at Richmond, although at Richmond they still have no vision of what they are trying to achieve. Maybe the members at Menlo learn from such cautionary tales.
Burlingame CC and Menlo are also very similar golfing experiences: With par-4s routed with short turns on the doglegs that give a choice of a 3-wood layup or driver with some movement on the ball. I recall several holes presenting little more than an alley of trees, with branches hanging over fairway bunkers like waiting vultures.
After the transformation of Cal Club, it is difficult to argue with handing Kyle the chainsaw and pencil, but several years ago, I had several G&T's with Bobby Jones in the bar. He has been a member for quite some time and we talked over some improvements he had in mind for his home track. I cannot understand why the club would choose Kyle - who I believe worked for Jones II - instead of the head man, who likely would have done the work for cheap or free.
I've never been a big fan of Jones Sr.'s work - even Spyglass could have been better by building the clubhouse at the bottom of the hill - but Bobby's stuff (whether his or the staff) is generally terrific. This statement might put me in the penalty box or land me a seat in the Argument Clinic (Monty Python), but with one exception, I go out of my way to play courses from his stable.
No doubt Kyle will work his magic though and I'm inclined to agree that the golf course is a "4" now; however, the bones of the property do not strike me as particularly promising, so if it reaches a "6" on the Doak scale I'll consider it an astounding transformation.