Lake Merced Golf Club

Our golf course is defined by its natural beauty. Enhanced by dramatic elevation changes and carved into tree-lined, manicured fairways, the course is nationally recognized as a tough but fair test of golf. The course, like our club itself, has undergone many changes in its lifetime. In July of 1923, the original course designed by Willie Lock opened for play on what were once coastal sand dunes to the west of San Francisco. In 1929, Dr. Alister MacKenzie, architect of Augusta National, was retained to improve the bunkers and areas around the greens. Dr. MacKenzie’s work improved upon what was already considered one of Northern California’s greatest golf course designs.

By the 1960s, the course had evolved into a tree-lined parkland. When the construction of Interstate 280 encroached upon the course, renowned architect Robert Muir Graves re-routed the course beautifully, resulting in the foundation of the current layout. We have proudly hosted numerous championships, including many NCGA Championships and U.S. Open sectional qualifiers. Lake Merced Golf Club also has the distinction of being the site of Tiger Woods’ USGA championship debut, when he competed in the 1990 U.S. Junior Amateur.

In 1996, the latest architectural revision of our golf course was completed when Rees Jones was brought in to update the course while the club updated the course’s drainage. Rees Jones is the acclaimed “U.S. Open Doctor,” a moniker he earned by preparing championship golf courses for U.S. Open competition. An honorary member and devoted custodian of the course, Mr. Jones returned to Lake Merced in 2014 to add a new set of forward tees and enhance the playability of the course for membership.

Today, Lake Merced Golf Club stretches out to a Par 72 that covers 6,960 yards, featuring six sets of tees for members and guests of all abilities to enjoy. The course was added to the California State Amateur Championship rotation and hosted the 2009 NCAA West Regional Championship, 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, and the LPGA Mediheal Championship from 2018-2020.

Lake Merced Golf Club thrives today because of the passion and pride the members have for the quality of the golf course. We welcome all guests and prospective members!