Lake Merced Golf Club pin flag Alister MacKenzie Tiger Woods open amateur pga

Description

In July of 1923, the original course designed by Willie Lock opened for play on what was 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 design achievements.
By the 1960’s, the course and the property had evolved and matured into a tree-lined parkland layout. When the construction of Interstate 280 encroached upon the course, renowned architect Robert Muir Graves re-routed the course beautifully, and the result is the foundation of the current layout. Evidence of the elite caliber of the course can be found in the numerous championships we have proudly hosted. These championships include many NCGA Championships and U.S. Open sectional qualifiers. Lake Merced Golf Club also has the distinction of the 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 as the club concurrently upgraded 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. Its greatness continues to be validated by the championships contested here, as the course was named 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.