San Francisco Golf Club

Yes, I am straight!

So what if once in a while I get a pedicure!

Girls like clean toe nails!

And so what if I get my pedicures in the Castro!

Two of my favorite restaurants just happen to be in the neighborhood (Starbelly and Poesia). Two very romantic spots you can take your GIRL dates to.

And so what if the place I happen to get my pedicures at is called "Hand Job"!

ummmm

And so what if I get my pedicures by a man!

He's a nice guy from Vietnam. He's cool, interesting and commutes up from San Jose on a daily basis just to work there!

Yes, I am straight but I will tell you what isn't. My tee shots, especially on those lucky occasions when I get to play the San Francisco Golf Club. This course is without question my favorite golf course anywhere. I am not kidding. Pebble? Nice but the ice plant frustrates me. Cypress? Other than that cool par 3, it's just another Pebble. Pinehurst? Maybe, that one is close but I still give the nod to the SFGC.

This course goes without saying is amazing and challenging. It rewards good shots and punishes those bad ones. Tee shots here are a premium and must be straight (for the record, I voted No on 8).

Getting on here is like winning the lottery. But if you ever get the chance, do not turn down your invitation. Even in wet windy and water soaked conditions this course is a treat!

Rude staff and intrusive behavior, as I needed some general information about the place they immediately responded with "you can't come here" hard pass, something I learned as a business owner you never know you are talking to or their connections, First impression matters.. not recommended.

Creme de la creme of golf courses in San Francisco, in California, in the United States, in the world. Lush green fairways, perfect greens, good luck getting on this course, it's private and must be invited unless your blessed with wealth. Impeccable world class service. Once in a lifetime experience.

While there might be a small handful of better rated courses, there is NO harder course to get on. San Francisco hot shots like Charles Schwaub and Peter Magowan belong here. This is where the absolute elite belong.

They keep the club classic and pure. It is the most unique course I've played because of that. You won't find plasma TVs here, or people chatting on cell phones. You can't even wear shorts here! Want me to keep going? There are no carts, or cart paths for that matter. You get a caddie and walk it - the way golf was intended. There are no signs telling you which hole this is and how long it is. There are zero yardage markers anywhere. And you are not allowed to take photos...

The course is gorgeous. It plays difficult because of the ultra thick rough, the slick greens and hundreds of gigantic bunkers. The second hole is one of the most difficult holes in all of golf...downhill into a canyon. If you go left of this very narrow landing spot, it is a very steep hillside. If you go right, there is sand and OB. The second shot doglegs uphill to the left to an elevated green. The green also has a tremendous slope. A double bogey is completely acceptable on #2.

This is one of Tillinghast's best works of art. No wonder it sits at #5 in California and #37 in the US.

Note: PRIVATE CLUB

Well, some people are going to be upset with me when they read this. I'm about to ruin some of the mystique of the club.

I've only played here once. This is a private club. Now, some clubs say they are private, but these guys REALLY mean it. Unless you are playing with a member (and memberships are extremely hard to get) you are not playing here.

We used caddies, which for me always feels a little odd. I will tell you though, when you walk off the first tee and down that beautiful wide green first fairway, you can almost hear angels singing. The course does not see a lot of play (less than most private clubs) and therefore is in excellent condition for the most part. I will admit, there were enough brown patches and bare spots to be noticeable when I was there. There was a number of Ground Under Repair spots, mostly on the Back 9.

The course itself is moderately difficult. I didn't save my scorecard, but I think it was around a 134 slope rating. (By the way, the scorecards were nothing more than black print on white paper with no pictures. They add to the mystique of the place if you ever see one.) There are some elevation changes and beautiful scenery along the way, although a few holes on the Back 9 felt very much like a muni with parallel fairways and tee boxes accompanied by very flat play tee to green. Trees come into play heavily on a number of holes. My tip: don't be a hero. Put the ball back in the fairway rather than trying to make forward progress.

Regardless of anything I say or don't say, you would be absolutely crazy not to take advantage of an opportunity to play here. It's a fun course, and as long as you keep it relatively in the short stuff, it's not horribly difficult. There is an adjoining private driving range, although you can't hit a full driver on it.

The clubhouse is old...very, very old. The men's locker room looks like it hasn't changed one iota since the 1920's. The wooden benches even have thousands of little dimples from the days when people still wore steel spikes. The staff upstairs in the bar was personable yet respectful at the same time. There are a ton of neat old photos on the walls of days gone by. It was a great experience to dream about what it must have been like here when the club opened in 1915 while sipping on some Scotch.

The friend who took me here has since moved away, so I've been relegated to the dreamers once again. I'm glad I've had the opportunity to play here, and I hope I get the chance again someday.

I'll never confirm or deny membership and I will never check in. No doubt that this is a beautiful course and from most reviews some of the best played games occur here. I don't find this course as challenging as it should be and I average 5 under par. Easy money if betting was allowed, but again I can not confirm or deny.

With exclusivity you get the "wow factor" and I think this is transferred to the overall take away from this club. Staff is attentive and always on the spot with any need. If you're a democrat make sure to remove your Obama bumper sticker and don't even think of bringing a camera. This so reminds me of La Costa in the days when it was a haven for certain family groups from New York, Jersey and Chicago.

If you get invited do go for the experience. You will have a fun time.

This course is spectacular. From the lush fairways to the picturesque landscapes, this course is perfect. I played this course once, and that's all I'll ever play here because I am not a member, and I feel honored to play here. The course is very challenging (at least when I played it) with some very nice hole designs. Some interesting trees are scattered around the course, which add to the gorgeous design.

Amazing place! So much history. Beautiful turf, great routing... Must play if you get the chance.

Fantastic golf course. Wide fairway on a lot of the holes and tricky greens. Not a single ad hole is to be found on the course.

One of a kind. Before talking about SF Golf Club, let me start by admitting that I'm a frugal golfer. I'll look for deals on Golf.now to play tracks like Roddy Ranch for $30 (including cart fee!). But sometimes I'll splurge and play Wente. And, I really checked off a few boxes on my bucket list by playing Pebble Beach, Riviera CC and PGA West. Pebble Beach is incredible with 6-7 holes that are just spectacular. What's unique about SF Golf Club? Well, every hole is unique. So your mind is always engaged on how to play each hole. And, this venue gets 40-50 rounds played per week. Yes, it's true. So do the math. At most, this gem has 7 players going out each day. As a guest, I teed off at 2 pm. From Hole #1, I didn't see any other group on Holes #9 or 18 (both greens are near the clubhouse). Our caddy tells us to favor the left side with our drives at #1. Dutifully, we oblige. Walking from the tee box for 280 yards out to our drives (sort of), I couldn't find one divot. Not one divot. I walked around for 5 minutes and finally found a couple of divots. The fairway was huge too. The greens were a bit slow since the club was getting ready to mow for a member tourney. But my gosh - did I mention it only gets 40-50 plays per week? I had just played Harding Park recently. And, you know you've got to keep pace of play on that course, or really on any course. Not at SF Golf Club. Walk, ponder the meaning of life, enjoy and drink in the experience. If you can somehow get a member to invite you to play here, take a day off from work and get to this golf oasis. No pictures allowed here, no cell phones, no shorts, no yardage markers, no electronic yardage devices allowed. You have to rely on a caddie for yardages. Good luck trying to get on this course. But, fortune favors the bold. Be bold!