Golden Gate Park Golf Course

Have always wanted to pop by for this little par 3 course inside Golden Gate Park. I finally did on the second leg of a little golf filled Monday in the Bay Area.

If you want to drop a few bucks and kill an hour with a buddy or a significant other this place is perfect. A fun little Jack Fleming design, the course isn't challenging but designed for the beginner golfer.

If you love golf, stop on by and play.

Despite living in San Francisco for almost 3 years, I've never taken time to play the golf course located in the northwest corner of Golden Gate Park until today.

For the record, I never rush to judge a course until I actually play it, but I've had numerous friends give me reports about the course and its playability factor.

That said, I thought this little course was enjoyable and is probably the perfect venue to learn the game. The holes are all par-3's, with the longest being the 9th hole at right around 200 yards. We faced some uphill shots and some sidehill lies, but we found the greens themselves to be in fairly great shape. The rest of the course has longer grass than I'm used to playing, but it's still manageable to get the club on the ball and produce some spin.

The greens are tiny! You have to really put the ball where you aim it in order to setup a putt. I firmly believe playing smaller greens will elevate your game as a golfer because it introduces a need for accuracy you don't need as much on a traditional links or inland course.

All in all, I thought the course itself was a fun walk on a beautiful day. They have a hitting cage next to the temporary clubhouse, but you have to actually buy a bucket of ball to use the cage - and you hit into a big net. We were baffled at this, but decided against buying a bucket after they came out and let us know.

They do offer merchandise inside along with offer push cart rentals (ClicGear 3.5+) and they have a wide selection of beers behind the counter. I feel like this course is best enjoyed with your buddies while putting away a few beers.

Keep 'em straight!