Peninsula Golf & Country Club

Peninsula Golf and Country Club holds a distinction that matters to anyone who takes golf architecture seriously: it is the only course west of Colorado designed by Donald Ross. Ross is the Scotsman who arrived in America in 1899 and spent the next five decades reshaping how the country thought about golf course design. He built or remodeled more than 400 courses — Pinehurst No. 2 and Seminole among the most famous — and his hallmarks were consistent and recognizable: crowned greens that shed approach shots to closely mown surrounds, strategic bunkering that rewarded intelligent play, and routing that moved with the land rather than against it.

The club's origin predates Ross by more than a decade. Founded in 1911 as the Beresford Country Club, the original course was designed by Tom Bendelow and measured just over 6,000 yards, with eucalyptus trees ringing the property and open creeks running between several holes. In 1920, the club president traveled to Chicago to engage Ross directly — Ross made the trip to San Mateo, completely re-routed the course, redesigned the bunkering and greens, and added 300 yards to the layout. The clubhouse that members use today opened on New Year's Eve 1915 and remains in active use.

Work on a full restoration began in 1995 with Ron Forse, a specialist in Donald Ross work, hired as architect. Forse completed an extensive drainage overhaul and faithfully restored the course to its Ross character, with the back nine reopening in 2002 and the full 18 holes back in play on April 4, 2003. The current layout plays to par 71, 6,538 yards from the black tees, with a course rating of 72.2 and slope of 133. Membership is limited to 350 proprietary members. Peninsula is a full-service family club with tennis, swimming, fitness, and dining alongside the golf program. Contact the club directly for current membership availability.