Presidio Golf Course

The Presidio Golf Course has been here since 1895, which makes it one of the oldest courses west of the Mississippi and the oldest in San Francisco proper. It started as a military course — the Presidio was an active Army base — and stayed that way for the better part of a century. When the base transferred to the National Park Service in 1994, the course went with it, and by 1995 it was open to the public for the first time. Playing here still feels like stepping onto grounds that belong to something larger than a golf course, because they do.

The layout runs through dense corridors of eucalyptus and Monterey cypress that block the wind in places and funnel it in others. At 6,442 yards it looks manageable on a scorecard, but locals will tell you it plays considerably longer than that — a combination of uphill approaches, heavy air off the Bay, and what San Franciscans call Karl, the city's marine layer, which can settle over the course by mid-morning and add club length to shots all day. One frequent visitor described it as the longest sub-6,500-yard course in the world, and regular players understand exactly what they mean.

Touchstone Golf manages the facility, which includes a solid practice area, a well-stocked pro shop, and a restaurant with one of the more pleasant settings of any clubhouse in the Bay Area. The Presidio Inn and Lodge sit adjacent to the course, making it genuinely workable as an overnight golf trip without leaving the city. Book tee times in advance — this one fills up, especially on weekends, and the people booking it know what they have.