Well, after a day to think about my experience at SFGC, I have to say, it did live up to all my expectations. The day was perfect an awesome 65 degrees and a rare offshore wind which made most of the holes play much differently then they normally do with an onshore wind.
To start, the view from the clubhouse and 1st and 10th tees is outstanding. It certainly reminded me of the view from Crystal Downs as you could see as many as 10 holes from the clubhouse lawn. The one thing that makes SFGC so great is the scale. I have NEVER played a course that made you feel so small while walking down the fairway corridors and I have a feeling this is one of the many reasons SFGC leaves an overwhelming impression on its guests. This is especially true on holes 2 and 8, the valley par 4's.
The bunkering is also the finest I have seen. Again, the shear scale of it is tremendous. I am still in awe of the 3rd hole as both the fairway and greenside bunkers are enormous and are absolutely beautiful in appearance. The capes and bays that are present in each flow perfectly with the undulations in and around the bunkers. All of the bunkers here are truely works of art.
I was rather surprised at the conditioning of the course. By no means, and I repeat, by no means was the course in poor or even average condition, but I was expecting a little more consistency and smoothness throughout the greens and fairways. The course seemed very rustic in appearance as there were these white flowers throughout the rough. But again, this just added to the feeling of being in a natural meadow or prairie.
The greens have the potential to be some of the most trecherous any where. Some greens were rather thin as far as the density of the turf, but overall I would not want to see the greens rolling much faster.
#1 - An easy start to your round with a medium length par 5. This hole gives you a good feel of what to expect from the bunkering to the greens.
#2 - The #1 handicap hole on the course. This 450 yd. monster is where the course really starts. A drive into a valley with two fairway bunkers to collect errant tee shots. From the valley floor you cannot see the putting surface and you face a shot of about 200 - 240 yards drastically uphill depending on your position. The further right you are in the fairway the flatter your stance, but this make for a more difficult angle to anything on the right side of the green.
#3 - My favorite hole on the course. This hole favors a fade for the tee shot and a draw to the hole. The bunkers on this hole have to be some of the most artistic in the world. The fairway bunker on the right is huge and is perfectly cut into the hillside. The bunkering really makes this hole one of the best I've played.
#4 - The longest, but not necessarily the toughest par 3 on the course. From the back tees it plays 224 yds. and it looks about 280. Plenty of fairway short.
#5 - Another great par 4. The fairway bunkers aren't really in play but the bunkering around the green is again spectacular. This, like #3, favors a fade of the tee, and a draw to the green. Very reminiscent of some designers today.
#6 - The first hole that really favors a draw off the tee. This will set up an approach to a green that is very fast from front right towards the left side. I missed my second shot short right and had one of the fastest chips in my life. SFGC is certainly a course where you must find yourself below the hole to have a legitimate chance at making the next.
#7 - The Duel Hole! This was the toughest par 3 for our group. It plays severly down hill and was playing into the wind. The pin was in severly right to left pitching back right portion of the green, making anything from above the hole just about impossible. This has to be one of the greatest views in golf. Looking down the 7th and what waits beyond on the uphill 8th. Be sure the checkout the plaque by the middle tee, telling the story of the last duel.
#8 - Fairly straight forward par 4 up the hill. This hole, like #2 is straight up the valley to a green perched above. The right portion of the green is down right trecherous as it is slightly above the rest. The view back down the valley towards seven green is another gerat one.
#9 - A man sized par 5. The finishing hole on the front nine is right at 600 yds if memory serves me correctly. This hole is very well bunkered you are not guaranteed a view of the green until your third shot. Once you reach about 250 yards out, you walk into one of the greatest meadows. It is a feeling like none other. You can see the entire clubhouse complex, and many other holes you've played and several yet to come. A truly inspiring feeling. Again the green is very well bunkered and truly beautiful.
#10 - A good opening par 4 running parallel to the 9th hole. Try and bare right on your drive to avoid the tall grove of trees to the left. The green falls off sharply on the left, which would make for some very tricky pin positions.
#11 - The third par 3 with a green the slopes sharply from left to right. The green is flanked by bunkers on both sides on short. You have to miss on the low side otherwise bogey or worse. One par was made in our group, by the ball which was below the hole.
#12 - Another favorite. A fairly straight forward drive but from 80 yds and in one of the best green settings on the course. Two huge mounds on either side of the green with bunkers running up their slopes, frame this hole and make it one of the most visually disceptive approaches on the course. As you walk between these two mounds you see the green is 30 yards beyond them and that more bunkers remain, hidden by the massive mounds. Today, a hole designed like this may be considered contrived, but here it seems to fit right in, due to the perfectly bunkered surrounds.
#13 - The first of which Doak returned to its former glory. The shortest par 3 on the course has one of the most disceptive greens from the tee. It looks tiny but once one walks onto it they find that it is not as small as it looked. The back right corner as an interesting little rise, which yields interesting pin placements and dilemmas for golfers. The closly mown back fringe will allow balls to roll over the green into a bunker beyond.
#14 - This is a par 4 that is very disceiving in nature. Doak gave you all the room in the world to miss right, however, an approach from that angle is made extremely difficult by a bunker on the right and a green that slopes from right to left. This green is also disceptively fast from front to back as I just about putted my ball of the green towards the back right pin.
#15 - The last of Doak's restoration, this is again a hole that fits right in with the rest as SFGC. A drive favoring the right side of the fairway will yield the best view of this green. Although the Tarantula bunker is waiting to gobble up anything hit to far right.
#16 - A shortish par 4 that is made tough by one of the toughest greens on the course. A fairly straight forward drive leads to an approach that looks fairly easy. However the front two-thirds of this green run away from the golf making anything but a full shot just about impossible to stop.
#17 - Probably the sharpest dogleg on the course. A perfect drive must be struck over the righthand trees to ensure a clear shot at the green. Anything to far right will be gobbled up by trees and your approach will be blocked further by some giant specimens closer to the green. Anything left will lead to an approach of over 200 yds. This is on of the tougher holes at SFGC.
#18 - A great finishing hole and a good chance at birdie. Again, awesome bunkers flank both sides of the fairway and this is the only time OB is remotely in play. This green slopes severely from right to left and anything right is DEAD, and I mean DEAD. The feeling you get walking up 18 is again like that of 9. Entering a great meadow with the great fairway bunker of the 3rd in the distance. The feeling of SFGC is that of none other. It is truly a special place, and one that will continue to get better with time.