The Big Finish

 

TPC Harding Park:

A San Francisco Municipal That Hosts the World’s Best.

Posted by: Rick Parnham

 

Many people assume the PGA only visits the most exclusive golfing enclaves; those that the privileged few get to call home.  However, that's far from the truth. The PGA has also toured many wonderful municipal facilities - places with their own mystique that golfers are blessed to have in the public realm but that get lost in the cloud of private courses.  With public access courses the likes of Bethpage Black and Torrey Pines now household names in the rotation of majors, San Francisco's TPC Harding Park must also be included in the conversation.


Harding Park was built in 1925 by Willie Watson and Sam Whiting, the same pair who also designed the highly acclaimed Olympic Club just a couple of miles down the highway. Despite its municipal status, the course has a long and distinguished history of hosting professional tournaments as far back as the 1940’s and boasts champions the likes of Byron Nelson, Gary Player, Ken Venturi and Tiger Woods. The historic layout underwent a significant renovation and somewhat of a rebirth in 2002, bringing the course up to current tour standards. Since 2005, the PGA has returned its presence to Harding Park, and this now TPC branded facility's stature continues to climb. Harding Park hosted the 2009 President's Cup Matches, is current host to the WGC-Cadillac Match Play event, will again welcome the golfing world spotlight in 2020 as host to the PGA Championship, and will see the President's Cup return in 2025.

 

Located on a peninsula in Lake Merced in the western section of San Francisco, the course is surrounded by water on three sides providing a serene and charming setting for your round. The heavily treed property gently rolls with some subtle elevation changes, but plays as a straight-forward, no-nonsense golf experience. There are no tricks at Harding Park, just nasty thick rough and small challenging greens to defend par. To be successful here you must put the ball in the fairway off the tee. The trees overhang making the fairways look super-model slender and getting good contact out of the rough is a thing left to the guys on TV. Playing to smaller-than-average sized greens puts a premium on accuracy over length.

 

Access: Public Play

 

Course Stats:

Par 72
Yardage
Rating/Slope-M
Rating/Slope-F
Championship
7169
74.3 / 129
-
Blue
6845
72.9 / 126
-
White
6405
70.5 / 121
-
Red
5875
68.1 / 116
73.4 / 126

 

Location:

San Francisco, California

 

Editor's Shot Maker's Picks: TPC Harding Park

Featured Holes
Hole 4
Hole 8
Hole 16
Hole 18
Par
Par 5
Par 3
Par 4
Par 4
Championship
606
230
336
468
Blue
580
200
330
440
White
540
190
310
420
Red
500
170
280
400
HCP-Men
1
7
4
2
HCP-Women
1
5
6
4


Feature Holes Descriptions:

After a fairly easy beginning, the course shows its teeth with the number 1 handicap hole par 5 fourth hole. Stretching to over 600 yards from the tips, this brute of a dogleg left is a true three-shotter. Favoring the right side with the tee shot gives you the best line of attack to hit your approach. A gently sloping and pinched fairway in the landing area must be considered for your lay-up yardage. A beastly par 3 awaits at the 8th tee deck. Considerable slope on the green greets your 3 wood or hybrid strike. A missed green here can bring in a world of hurt.

 

Hole 17

 

The scenic 16th hole is a terrifically strategic short par 4. Routed along the shores of the lake, the hole plays as a gentle dogleg right. The small green is well protected by two fronting bunkers and trees on the right. The lengthy final hole is an ample challenge with the tee shot on this dogleg left hole needing to cross a cove and avoid the fairway bunkers long and right. The green is tucked behind a deep fronting bunker and the overhanging trees on the left will force you to attack the flag from right to left to get to any back pins.

 

Having a chance to sample a course that hosts the world’s best is a special experience. Walking the fairways that challenge the pros inspires and fascinates with how good they really are. Harding Park is a definite must when in San Francisco. The huge trees and park-like feel present a gentle serene experience, but don’t let that lull you into thinking this layout is a pushover. Hitting fairways is a must to have any chance at a score near par.

 

Contact:

TPC Harding Park
99 Harding Road
San Francisco, CA

94132

415-664-4690

[website]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hole 15