I Can’t Believe I Turned Down Golf At Olympic Club
I was invited to play the Cliffs at Olympic Club today. It was probably the one day I couldn’t play this week. Terrible timing and luck on my part.
The Cliffs is a par 3 9 hole course in San Francisco. It is on the west side of Highway 35 on land that was once part of the Olympic Club Ocean course. A major storm a few years ago did some damage to the Ocean course. They made 8 par 3 holes out of the remaining land. (The 9th is on the east side of 35 adjacent to the 1st of Lake Course.)
The Cliffs is perhaps the best 9 hole par 3 course ever. It’s location can yield postcard perfect days and at other times with the fog rolling another monster comes out to play.
The 3rd hole is a ~135 down hill which for me has played anywhere from a sand wedge to a 6 iron. The wind the day I hit the 6 iron should have kept us off the course. Sometimes you can’t tell a golfer no!
Unfortunately yesterday was not one of them.
Too Much Golf?
I working on this blog July 17. I then played golf on the 18th (Crystal Springs), 19th (Presideo), and 20th (Gleneagles).
I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but after 3 straight days I was tired of golf… Sort of. Well perhaps simply tired is a better characterization.
I watched the British Open at Carnoustie on Saturday and Sunday. What a course. How hard is that 18th? I think I would have to play it as a par 5. Which would be fairly straight forward, but that hole as a par 4 is impossible.
Never fear fearless reader I will be back on the golf course soon.
Gleneagles Golf Course
Today I played Gleneagles Golf Course in McLaren Park San Francisco (map).
This course is a hidden gem. We played on a Friday morning at 7am and no tee time was required. Unbelievaable!
Jack Fleming was the architect. Founded in 1962.
9 holes (but 2 different sets of tees to make 18 distinct holes). All 18 holes plays to a par 71. 5860 yards. Rating 69.8. Slope 138.
As you can see from the slope this is a hard course. It feels short on many holes but several holes are very long. The course is very hilly and at times very narrow with small greens.
Tough topography, slick greens, tall large mature trees, and afternoon winds make this links-style layout not for the faint hearted.
The price is right… $15-$18.50 for 9 holes, $23-$30.50 for 18.
If there is a knock on this course it is the condition. In places it was rather poor, but given the price one wouldn’t expect Pebble Beach. However, the greens in great shape — they putted true and fast.
I was able to par the final 2 holes which saved what up to that point had been a pretty poor round. If you can’t find the fairway from the tee this is golf course it nearly impossible. Of course, that can be said of many many courses.
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