The California Golf Club of San Francisco: A pictorial!!! (18th hole posted)

[Kyle Henderson]

Clubhouse



1st hole

[Alex Miller]

A Kyle Henderson photo tour and it's of this club: how can one not follow it?

[Kyle Henderson]

Alex, I will ignore my inner pessimist and thank you for the compliment.

Brian, post away! You comments on the course's qualities are also most welcome.

[John Handley]

A great way to get your round going. One of the easier holes on the course unless you find the big bunker left off the tee.  If you don't par or birdie the first hole you certainly feel like you missed an opportunity as there are not many birdie holes at Cal Club. The place to miss the green is short or left.

Great photos.

[Michael Whitaker]

Kyle,

I played there in February of 2011 during a stop over on my way to Australia. It is an outstanding course and I'm looking forward to your presentation.

It would be great if you could post aerials of the each hole so everyone could get a feel of the layout and positioning of the bunkers.

Mike

[K. Krahenbuhl]

My favorite course in SF.  I love Cal Club and can't wait to get back.  So many great shots out there.

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle,

I played there in February of 2011 during a stop over on my way to Australia. It is an outstanding course and I'm looking forward to your presentation.

It would be great if you could post aerials of the each hole so everyone could get a feel of the layout and positioning of the bunkers.

Mike

Mike, I don't have google earth set up on my new lap top. I'll see if Josh would feel comfortable letting me post scanned copies of the yardage guide paintings he produced...

[Colin Macqueen]

Kyle,

A great start to this pictorial. I am guessing that it was an early morning start as well judging by the shadow length and clarity of the air.

The mountains in the distance will be the San Bruno Mountains?

This should be a treat and already has me drooling.

Cheers and thanks,

Colin

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle,

A great start to this pictorial. I am guessing that it was an early morning start as well judging by the shadow length and clarity of the air.

The mountains in the distance will be the San Bruno Mountains?

This should be a treat and already has me drooling.

Cheers and thanks,

Colin

Those are the San Bruno Mountains -- really they're just hoills, by California standards.

These photos were taken just before sunset, though you'll see a few that were obviously taken during my afternoon round earlier in the day.

[Kyle Henderson]

2nd tee


Left fairway bunkers.


Left fairway bunkers carried.


Right fairway bunkers, not likely to be carried. The green is on the line of the central bunker ahead,  just right of the most-distant bunker.


Relatively open approach to 2nd green, viewed from right.


2nd green and clubhouse.

[Carl Nichols]

Kyle,

A great start to this pictorial. I am guessing that it was an early morning start as well judging by the shadow length and clarity of the air.

I think these must have been taken in the late afternoon -- the way the shadows are falling, the sun must have been in the west.

[Matt_Cohn]

The second is, in a good way, one of the most undefined approaches I can recall seeing. It almost has that flag-in-a-field quality, albeit an occasionally bunkered, undulating tightly-mown field. There's just not much visual guidance.

[Howard Riefs]

For those who haven't read it... Ran's "Featured Interview" from this January with former Cal Club president Al Jamieson provides great insight on the $13 million restoration by Kyle Phillips in 2007-08:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/calclub2/

[Kyle Henderson]

Ran's (?) review of the course renovation is also a worthy read.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/california-golf-club-of-san-franciso/

[Patrick Kiser]

Kyle,

Good stuff and glad to see you get a chance to visit Cal Club.  Any favorite moments out there?


John,

I felt the first was one of the better strategic holes out there.  Placement seems pretty important here and one needs to take some risk in skirting the bunkers to gain a better angle into the green.  If one plays it somewhat safe, you risk ... some possible blindness into the green off an uneven lie.  Yet the green is liberal and receptive enough for a blind approach.  A solid challenge right out of the gate, if I ever saw one.  I totally agree about it being a great way to set the tone for what's ahead.

A great way to get your round going. One of the easier holes on the course unless you find the big bunker left off the tee.  If you don't par or birdie the first hole you certainly feel like you missed an opportunity as there are not many birdie holes at Cal Club. The place to miss the green is short or left.

Great photos.

[William_G]

love SF and Cal Club, look forward to seeing all 18 asap

Kyle,

why draw it out?

thanks

[Kyle Henderson]

love SF and Cal Club, look forward to seeing all 18 asap

Kyle,

why draw it out?

thanks

2 reasons:
1- So others can share thoughts and memories, if they desire.
2- I'm studying for 6 exams next week. It' nice to take a short break and throw up a few more shots. Posting them all at once is a bit of a grind.

I ask for your patience, kind sir.

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle,

Good stuff and glad to see you get a chance to visit Cal Club.  Any favorite moments out there?

Having studied the course quite a bit before playing it, my favorite moments were:
1- Seeing the 1st hole gradually reveal itself as I crested the slope
2- Seeing how much more dramatic the new 7th is in person. Pictures do not convey its full scale.

[Kyle Henderson]

3rd tee


Fairway bunkers


Approach

[Matthew Petersen]

What a great-looking hole.

[Tom Birkert]

My personal favourite course in San Francisco.

Not only is the course fantastic, and the topography, design and bunkering wonderful, but the club as a whole is a very warm, welcoming and special place.

[Tom Fagerli]

What a great-looking hole.

My sentiments exactly.

[Patrick Kiser]

The 3rd definitely looks good, but I also like how it plays.  There's a little of the "Line of Charm" going on here vs. the line of instinct.  Hanging the drive out to the left is not a bad move, because one gets a left to right turn from the fairway contours.  It doesn't open the green as much, but you'll get a good boost.  A similar feel happens on the 11th, but from right to left instead.  It's just a cool sight to see you ball turn like that off the contouring.  The green's pretty fun as well with some good movement.

Towards the green, one gets to see the new 4th ahead, 8th green, 9th tee to the left, the range to the left, and a little of the 7th.  Kind of neat to see all this and anticipate for what's to come.

[Kyle Henderson]

4th tee


Flag in the distance…


Fairway contours.


Lay-up zone bunker study


Green approach

[Matt_Cohn]

4th tee

It seems like this picture is taken from slightly right of the actual tee location as I remember it.

This is kind of a hard teeshot from all the way back as the tree blocks a conservative play to the left side of the fairway. You have to either hit it dead straight down the right side or draw it from the bunker over to the middle/left.

The hole generally plays straight into the wind and at around 600 from the tips you don't usually end up with a simple flip wedge to the green.

The green is a bowl but it's really huge. Add all that together and you get a lot of long birdie putts and not nearly as many birdies as you'd expect for a par-5.