I've already counted, you just guess ...

[Kevin_Reilly]

Analysis of the Top 50 Golf Courses in the World
(GOLF Magazine, 2001)

28 of the top 50 are built on sand;
Several more are built on sandy loam;
But several are built on clay, including Augusta National, Oakmont, Olympic, and Riviera.

Olympic is not built on clay.

[Tom_Doak]

Kevin:  Is Olympic as sandy as SFGC?  I've never put a shovel in the ground there.

Andrew:  I would be unlikely to suggest a par-69 routing unless I thought the client would be receptive.  We are starting to look at a piece of property now which would probably be better as a par-68 or 69, so we didn't have to go either across a road or up a steep hill for a couple of holes -- but I don't think the client is interested in trying to sell expensive memberships to a par-68.  And, if we keep working at the routing, I'm sure we'll find something equally good which is a little more conventional.  

[Kevin_Reilly]

Kevin:  Is Olympic as sandy as SFGC?  I've never put a shovel in the ground there.

When I saw the note above about the clay content I thought it sounded incorrect, but I wanted to ask Pat Finlen at the club about it.  Here is what he told me:

"We are 95% plus sand based. The small % is clay. Most of the property is similar to the beach sand you find along the Great Highway. This is a very fine round sand. There is some sandstone which is a yellow sand that packs very hard. The sand path on #5 just before the green is made out of that. There is a little blue gumbo clay (don't know if that is the correct term) that is in pockets, but not much. There is also some Colma sand, which is more angular, again in pockets. I wouldn't consider any of Lakeside as a property consisting of clay though."