Seven of us walk to the first tee at the newly renovated Golden Gate Golf Course, which takes Jay Blasi’s vision and improves on what was already a local Jack Fleming favourite par 3 course just 450 yards from the Pacific Ocean. That sevensome includes Jay Blasi, who walks us through the details on the 40 acres that now includes riveting green complexes, sand scrapes local to the site, and views of the ocean from the high side of the property. We all hit our tee shots on the uphill, 155-ish yard opening hole, but the final swing of the lot seems to be the best. This ball, starting ever-so-slightly right and turning over as it seeks the pin, lands pin high, off the back slope, and heads back towards the hole. We all walk up, but only see six balls on the green, which already seems like an improbability. “My first hole in one in fifty-five years of playing golf, and it comes where I grew up!” he says, pulling the ball out of the cup as a few friends take photos.
In truth, I’ve always felt somewhat awkward at these media days, largely given the age difference between me and most of the other attendees, and the nature of being the “new guy,” especially when it’s across the continent and far from Toronto. I imagine people new to the sport might feel the same way if they step up to Harding Park or Presidio, too—in my estimation, the two best/two most expensive public golf courses near downtown San Francisco—but Golden Gate’s nature was welcoming, so much so that I joined a group of six no issues. Not that I’m unfriendly or nervous in big crowds, but as the new guy, I’ve always taken the stance of “spoke when spoken to,” and I’m more than okay to just listen to older folks share stories about where they’ve played, whom they know, or where they’re going to next. Yet, at Golden Gate, the nature of the golf course, with large, open expansive vistas and minimal separation between holes, feels communal. Much like the group of industry leaders and journalists huddled around the grill watching burger dogs come off ready to eat, the golf course’s routing, courtesy of Jack Fleming, comes back to gathering spots, such as the joint teeing area at the 2nd, 4th, and 7th.
Fleming, who worked under Alister Mackenzie at local mega-hitters like Pasatiempo and Cypress Point, routed the golf course in 1951, and for years, it’s served as a vital piece of the community in West San Francisco. In fact, having a local build a golf course like this, and having Blasi, who resides in the Bay Area, come in and update + improve the layout feels relevant to the character development of the property. After all, locals know what’s best for their community, and having two local architects tap into the site as best as possible is a fitting notch in the belt for a golf course cemented into the San Franciscan landscape. There are homages back to Mackenzie—far from a local, though his architecture is felt far and wide in the Bay Area—such as the expansive blown out bunkers, and Raynor – who ventured out to Monterey for Monterey Peninsula Country Club and Cypress Point before his death – at the 7th, a Lion’s Mouth template, or the Redan-inspired 4th, though it hardly looks like a Redan. Yet the style is authentically Blasi, who seems to be showcasing his talents.
Golden Gate is anticipated to open sometime in early 2024, and the motifs of community, fun, and hole-in-ones will be key pieces to the experience here. As mentioned, the last swing in our sevensome on the opening hole went in, but on the second spin around, a second ace—this time on the 8th—was heard across the property. This time, we saw it go in, firing it off the backslope long and right over the single tree and seeing it fall back into the hole. The open, expansive nature of the property let the roars and cheers echo across the layout, with people turning their heads and cheering from afar. Only the 2nd and 3rd are hidden from the rest of the property while you dive into the canyon opposite of the clubhouse.
The 8th itself is a perfect illustration of the freedom of choice at Golden Gate, which saw an ace with a wedge, and also a group of serious golfers pull putter similarly to Bandon Preserve’s 13th. The duality of a hundred yards, I suppose: depending on the pin, I could see putter being the play, or, if the pin is in the back right, as Jay Blasi instructed, the play is to fire it off the back right slope and hope it goes in. If I were to build a golf course in my backyard, I would want the flexibility that comes on the 8th here, but it’s not just that hole that sees the benefits of choice: it is scattered throughout the entire round of golf.
The laid-back atmosphere and tempting architecture screams “FUN,” which is the highlight across the entire property, corner to corner. The creativity in club selection inherent to the 8th pops up again on numerous holes, with various routes on just about every hole, even if it is just a par 3 course with a maximum distance of ~160 yards. Take the 4th, for example, an uphill par 3 to a massive double green shared with the 1st. The green is wavy, as if it took inspiration from the crystal blue coastline to the west, while the left side kicker slope seems to emulate the waves crashing against the rocky coastline that Northern California is perhaps best-known for. Playing it off the left bank is an option, as is taking it dead aim. There is room right to bail as well, but the tee shot feels very much like a “choose your own adventure.” This negotiation with the slopes in and around the greens occurs throughout the round: at the 2nd with its aggressive ridge running through the green set east-west; at the 5th, with its clever kicker slope short right and the depressed left side sitting below the green; and then at the aforementioned Lion’s Mouth 7th with its kicker slope on the left feeding balls to the left portion and its much more difficult right tongue.
Much like the park it resides in, Golden Gate’s golf course is an adventure, and part of the fun is exploring the slopes, contour, sand, and trees of the property. It feels as some metaphorical homage to the park, and in that, acts as an extension of the ethos of parks and what they are meant to achieve. There’s a sense of place, much like a golf course in a national park or Bandon Dunes even. Sure, it might not be in the city, but it sure isn’t in the heart of the city. In much of the same way Bandon Preserve sits seamlessly into the sandy soils next to the ocean, Golden Gate sits seamlessly, roughly about the same distance to the coast, into the cypress trees and sandy soils. It feels like an extension of the park, rather than a golf course in the park, ignoring the local scenery, terrain, and vibe. It’s the perfect compliment to the park itself, and the area in general, which lacks that truly great, accessible public golf option.
Granted, Harding Park and Presidio are nearby, as are Lincoln Park and Gleneagles, but Harding Park is the big, bruising American golf course (notwithstanding the Fleming 9), and Presidio is a hilly hike, even if it is my favourite public course in proper San Francisco. Lincoln Park and Gleneagles are more welcoming from an outside perspective, but their architecture and facility is, well tired, so we arrive at Golden Gate. For a city known for its big, swanky, expensive private clubs, like San Francisco Golf Club, California Golf Club of San Francisco, Olympic Club, and Lake Merced, to have an accessible, affordable option to serve numerous purposes is a massive compliment to America’s best golfing market (in my opinion, that is: I know New York is the best area for golf, but San Francisco + the Bay Area’s diversity in styles of golf, styles of golf architecture, and the various architects put it over the top for me).
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the golf course is its flexibility in the clientele it might, and could, attract. Naturally, beginners will flock to this facility, as they should, for it is the perfect introduction to the sport, and perhaps equally important, interesting, exciting golf. Yet, I could see a lively skins game a la Winter Park taking place here on Friday nights. $20 buy in and you win your money back with an ace, perhaps a birdie gets it done on a hole or two. Two hours earlier, you have a married couple taking their newborn child out to play golf and hit a putter around. Perhaps even before them, a first date, or even a group of four generations in a single family. Much like San Francisco in general, it’s a bit of a melting pop for numerous different golfers, skill levels, and incomes. For buddies trips coming to Monterey to play Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, why not add an extra day, play here as a warmup, and enjoy a dinner in the city? Or perhaps even better, you have that awkward time gap before a flight, so you play here as your final goodbye to the Bay Area.
There are some concerns from my end about the sand scrapes and how the city of San Francisco will maintain them long term, but as it stands now, the shaping and attention to detail is beautiful. When it opens in the New Year, expect Golden Gate to sit comfortably among the better par 3 courses in North America, and well worth the effort to add to a buddies trip to the area.
