Golf Scrapbook Blog (The Next Ones)

California Golf Club

Played Cal Club in 2010 with my buddy Will another friend of his and our host. Cal Club is located south of the city probably about 4 miles (or an hour-and-a-half San Francisco drive time) south of the other great SF courses: Olympic, SF Golf Club, to a lesser degree Lake Merced and Harding Park. Counting Cal Club, this area rivals any with more top quality golf courses within a jogging distance of each other. Compare to the Southampton, NY: Shinnecock, National, Sebonack, Southampton and the Bridge. Lower West Chester county NY: Winged Foot, Quaker Ridge, Wykagyl, and to a lesser degree Bonnie Briar. Main Line Philly: Merion, Rolling Green, Llanerch, and once they restore Cobbs Creek.

Cal Club is a classic course, moving to its current site in the 20’s, MacKenzie did the bunkers. Clubhouse is awesome. Kyle Phillips redid the course in 2005 (originally to eliminate a nematode issue on the greens but he redid the MacKenzie bunkers, added holes and moved the driving range). I played shortly after that. Oh, another thing, this is another of the long pants only clubs though it’s usually so cold in the SF area you’d never wear shorts anyway.

I talk in my Royal Melbourne review about how you’d never know what awaits you on the property by looking at the neighborhood as you drive in and that you would never know the surrounding neighborhood exists from inside the club’s property. Times that by ten for the Cal Club. The area is meh. Actually sub meh – though the homes probably are worth over a half million. So there are no homes to spoil the view on the course, there are a great variety of golf holes, the green complexes are phenomenal, nice elevation changes throughout. This is definitely a Top 100 and most golf magazines agree. I’d be lying if I told you I could recount hole-by-hole for you. I remember one took you out toward the entrance of the property and then the rest brought you back. I can’t remember how I played and couldn’t find the card so I’ll guess it was meh otherwise I’d remember if I was really bad or really good.

Probably have been out to the Bay Area at least a dozen or so times for various work meetings or shenanigans. For this particular work trip we were able to squeeze in a round here and a game at the new ballpark – what’s it called now Pelosi FIeld? She’s certainly skimmed enough for naming rights off the American taxpayers to lend her name to the park. I guess I should say we came out for a game and golf and were able to squeeze in a meeting.

I should also do a ranking of the best ballparks. I’ve been to a major league baseball game in all but three cities (Anaheim, Minneapolis and Miami). Actually had tickets for the Marlins vs. the Phils opening day weekend in Miami in 2020 but you know how that turned out. I’ve been to some of the former classics and not so classics – so probably then have not been to about a half dozen of the current parks (Detroit, Cleveland, the Mets, Atlanta’s newest of new, and Texas’ new, new). The Top Five:

1. Wrigley Field: Classic, great stadium, great neighborhood, while it doesn’t have all of the amenities of the new classics, it is what they are all striving to be.
2. Old Yankee Stadium: See above but add twenty-or-so World Series to the mix. Neighborhood not as great.
3. Oracle Park (SF): It is great – a modern classic with all the amenities you would want.
4. Old Tiger Stadium: Shit neighborhood, but then again, it’s Detroit. Classic old park though.
5. Camden Yards: The first modern classic is still one of the best. Easy walk to the Inner Harbor and Fells Point

I’d give honorable mentions to Fenway, old Comiskey, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and do not sell Citizen’s Bank Park in Philly short. The Bottom Feeders:

1. Cleveland Municipal: The mistake on the lake was an apt name for this shithole.
2. The Vet (Philly): Yeah it was a sucky stadium but it was our sucky stadium. For football it is in the top ten just for the nonsense.
3. Three Rivers: See the Vet – a little nicer but still blah.
4. Shea: Blah and the planes were annoying – as were the Mets fans.
5. Tropicana Field (Tampa): The only newer park on here. Just plain and no juice from the crowd (get it, juice?).

Dishonorable mentions: Oakland Alameda, Baltimore Memorial, and while I was not there for a baseball game I couldn’t have ever imagined a baseball game being played in there, the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

The photos below are from my buddy Will, the front of the clubhouse is Google Maps, and the nice bunkering shots below that are borrowed from where I don’t remember but they’re nice.