A Presidential Past at Harding Park
It is perhaps fitting that Harding Park Golf Club (now part of the TPC network) should become a host venue for the Presidents Cup. The course is named after the 29th President of the United States, Warren G. Harding, who died of a heart attack (whilst in office) during a trip to San Francisco in 1923. The architects responsible for the Lake Course at the nearby Olympic Club, Willie Watson and Sam Whiting, laid out the course and it was completed in 1925.
The course hosted the Presidents Cup in 2009 and will welcome the biennial competition back in 2026. As an aside, I found it interesting that there is no apostrophe in “The Presidents Cup”. I understand that this is because it was not presented by or on behalf of a president. Therefore a possessive apostrophe is not required and it is simply a cup for all presidents. Anyway, the event is certainly a top tier event and whatever your views on the competition itself it is an honour to host it.
Chequered History
The Good Times
So, when Watson and Whiting laid out the new course in 1925 on the banks of Lake Merced neither of them could have anticipated what was to follow. The golf club fostered numerous future stars, including Johnny Miller, Ken Venturi, George Arthur, Bob Rosburg and Tony Lema. As a public golf club, it offered easy access to everyone and at one time was considered to be the second best municipal course in the world (after St. Andrews).
Its star quickly started to shine and the course twice hosted the US Amateur Public Links Championship. The Public Links, as it was known, had started in 1922 as a competition open to those who played on public courses. As a member of a private club, you were not eligible to enter. The winner was offered a place at the following year’s Masters tournament (provided they were still an amateur). As such, it carried a lot of prestige.
Further professional tournaments followed, and Harding Park became a regular PGA Tour stop in the 1960s. Locally, however, it is better known for hosting the San Francisco City Golf Championship. “The City” is the longest consecutively played championship in the world as it continued during the war years. Inaugurated in 1916 at Lincoln Park, the competition moved to Harding Park in 1925 and is now played across the two courses. Its most celebrated champions include Venturi, Archer and Julie Inkster. Many others, including Tom Watson, took a crack at it but without success.
… and the bad
Sadly, fortunes changed towards the end of the 60s and the 1969 San Francisco Open Invitational was the last regular PGA Tour event. The course was in need of money for maintenance and the facilities did not meet the required standard. Conditions continued to deteriorate and the club hit rock bottom in 1998 when the course provided over-flow parking for the US Open at The Olympic Club. There are photographs of this as a reminder on the walls of the restaurant in the clubhouse.
The course desperately needed funds and a champion. Frank “Sandy” Tatum came to the rescue and in 1997 he started agitating for the club to be restored to its former glory. Tatum was a well-known figure in the golfing world, having been president of the USGA from 1978-1980. A Los Angeles native, he had attended college at Stanford and took a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. He had been instrumental in bringing the US Open to the Olympic Club in 1955 and, perhaps more importantly, to Pebble Beach for the first time in 1972. This was going to be a tough assignment and Tatum was just the man for the job.
Restoration and the creation of TPC Harding Park
The project did not go quite according to plan, and the initial attempt, in partnership with Arnold Palmer Golf Management was blocked by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Their objection, it appears, was founded on fears that the municipal club would be turned into a private venture. The chief of staff to the supervisor who had led the objections proposed another way forward.
On 7th March 2000, voters in California passed Proposition 12. This provided a $2.1bn fund for various land and water quality programmes. Of this, $1.6bn was allocated for “recreational, cultural and natural areas of statewide significance”. They put together a proposal to apply for funds from Proposition 12 for the renovation of Harding Park and, despite objections from the Neighbourhood Parks Council, the application was unanimously approved.
Work commenced in 2002 and 3 years later, at a cost of $16m, the course and its facilities reopened. Substantial work had been carried out on the course, extending it from 6,743 yards to nearly 7,200 yards. A new clubhouse and practice facilities were installed, and a local chapter of The First Tee created.
The return of the PGA Tour
Shortly after it re-opened in 2005, Harding Park hosted the WGC-American Express Championship. This was a classic tournament, with Tiger Woods finally defeating John Daly after a 3 hole play-off. The highlight of this was the first tee shots on the 1st playoff hole. Both players took on the trees on the 18th and Daly outdrove Woods. Unusually, the crowd that day were routing for John Daly – the everyman, playing the everyman’s golf course.
Following that, the Charles Schwab Cup (the final event on the Champions’ Tour) took up residence in 2010, 2011 and 2013. The WGC returned in 2015 with Rory McIlroy winning the Cadillac Matchplay.
The Championship Course at TPC Harding Park
Agronomy and features
The fairways and rough are a combination of poa annua, bentgrass and ryegrass. The club undertook a complete renovation of the greens prior to the 2015 WGC Matchplay and replaced the poa annual with bentgrass. Prior to this the greens had struggled due to invasive nematodes (a microscopic roundworm that eats poa).
For the PGA Championship (starting later today, 6 August) the organisers have reduced the fairways to 60% of their normal size. The rough will penalise players as it is deep and is mowed in stripes. This means that if you miss the fairway you will need a lot of luck for a good lie. If you are lying against the grain, the ball is likely to sit down and cause problems! This may play into the hands of players like Bryson who have the strength to gouge the ball out of the deep rough.
The most striking feature of the course, however, is the majestic Monterrey cypress trees. As the name suggests, this species of tree is native to the central coast of California. They thrive in conditions which provide cool, moist summers and sea fog. Perfect for San Francisco! The trees were all planted during the construction of the course and so are coming towards the end of their natural life. These trees typically live for between 100-120 years. I last played the course in 2018 and it was clear then that some were starting to die. It will be fascinating to see how the course authorities manage this over the coming years.
Playing Conditions
As I mentioned, the fairways have been vastly reduced and the rough allowed to grow. This will place a premium on accuracy. Whilst I had initially thought this was likely to favour a “bomb & gouge” merchant, these players tend to thrive where they can take the hazards out of play. Harding Park is, however, neither heavily bunkered or littered with water features. The course has been setup as a par 70 measuring 7,234 yards for this competition. So it is not long by modern standards.
On that basis, it will be a different test from that posed by Bethpage (Black) last year. I still expect Brooks, Bryson and Rory to be up at the top of the leaderboard, but don’t be surprised if a short-game / wedge specialist such as Matt Fitzpatrick is in contention as well.
I have played here twice and I found it to be an incredibly enjoyable play to play. The course is gettable, without being easy and on both occasions it was in phenomenal condition. As a non-resident it cost $125 for a round which is still quite expensive by UK standards, but is a steal in the US. The No-Laying Up boys included this in their California Tourist Sauce series. If you haven’t see it, I thoroughly recommend it!
The Front 9
Holes 1-4
The course opens with two fairly benign par 4s. The first in particular has a generous fairway and no bunkers in play off the tee. The second is longer and tighter, with bunkers up the left. Both holes have deep thin greens that are protected by a bunker on the right edge. Consequently, they will favour an approach that can be shaped from left to right.
The 3rd is an excellent par 3 that always plays longer than it seems. The entrance to the green looks very narrow from the tee box that is below the putting surface, with two bunkers pinching into the entrance. This is the most generous putting surface of any of the short holes albeit that you cannot see the extent of the green from the tee. At 36 yards from front to back, there is no excuse for being short here, especially as the false front will punish you further.
The 4th is a fine par 5 which, at 607 yards, is the longest hole on the course. Again, there is no trouble off the tee, but the fairway runs out of the dog-leg at about 310 yards. The hole turns sharply left at this point. It will be interesting to see how much of the corner each player tries to take on. The green is tucked away on the left and is protected by two huge bunkers. There is a bail-out area to the right of the larger of the bunkers but that will leave a difficult approach off a tight lie.
Holes 5-8
The 5th, 6th and 7th are par 4s with differing challenges. The 5th has no bunkers, but a very tight fairway. The green is the deepest on the course and undulating and so requires an accurate approach. This will be difficult if the players are not coming in from the short grass. The 6th has another sharp dog-leg from right to left and stretches to 473 yards from the tips. Three large bunkers protect the approach from the left side so don’t be surprised to see the hole cut in the far left on Sunday. The 7th is a drivable par 4 at only 340 yards. There is a pot-bunker on the left edge that cuts into the green, and a large trap front right. These are likely to see a lot of action over the next four days!
The 8th hole has been stretched to 250 yards and the longest par 3 on the course. This will be a tough hole. The green is set in an opening between the trees and can therefore be affected by the wind. The green runs away into a collection area at the back and there are a couple of swales just short on the left side. The front bunker has a steep lip and plays onto the downslope.
Hole 9
The closing hole on the front 9 plays as a par 5 for the amateurs, but has been reduced to a par 4 for the pros. This was the scene of the famous Tiger club-twirl in the 2009 Presidents Cup when this played as the 18th. It also saw Miguel-Angel Jimenez and Keegan Bradley’s caddy get into an entertaining dispute in the WGC Matchplay. Some excellent gamesmanship from the Spaniard here! Otherwise, it is a fairly straight and unassuming hole. The fairway is littered with bunkers up the right side and the fairway has been vastly reduced. If you miss the fairway here you will be struggling to get on the green in two.
The Back 9
Holes 10-13
The 10th plays alongside the lake for the first time and under the revised scorecard is the last par 5. There are two bunkers which encroach on the right side of the fairway just before the hole bends round to the left. The green is slightly raised and has protection from two bunkers at the front and a pot bunker back left. Expect the pot bunker to see plenty of action if the pin is on the left side of the green.
The 11th is a medium length par 3. Another pot bunker protects the left side, with a bunker below the green on the front right. Check the wind again here and don’t go long as there is no much room beyond the green. The 12th is usually a par 5 and has been reduced to a par 4. The hole gently slides from right to left to another long thin green. The organisers may choose to hide the pin on the back left behind the bunker if they are feeling mean!
The 13th has a double dog-leg, but I suspect most of the pros will just cut off the corner. It is 225 yards to fly the fairway bunker and from there you should be on the downslope towards the hole. The green is protected by a bunker on the left, but expect to see a lot of birdies on this hole.
Holes 14-17
The next four holes play alongside Lake Merced. The 14th has a tough tee shot, with the fairway cambering from right to left. There is a steep dip as well that will make it difficult to get a flat stance for your approach. The green is slightly raised and is protected by a deep bunker on the left edge. The 15th follows the shoreline and bends from right to left. A bunker on the corner at 270 yards cuts into the fairway at precisely the best yardage for an approach to the green.
The 16th is another short par 4, but there is a lot of danger if you aim for the green in one. There are three bunkers that protect the left side of the fairway, and beyond them is the lake. The green has a narrow entrance, between two bunkers and widens out to the back. A cluster of trees on the right side will collect anything that is pushed off the tee and it will be tough to get on in two from underneath them. The sensible play is to lay back with a mid-iron and have a wedge into the green.
The penultimate hole is the shortest par 3 on the course, but at 170 yards it is still no pushover. Two bunkers protect the narrow entrance to the green and there is not much margin for error at the back (especially left).
Hole 18
The closing hole is a great risk-reward hole. The tiger line off the tee is to take the ball straight over the cypress trees with driver which will leave a short iron or wedge approach. Danger lurks everywhere, however, if you get this wrong. Too far left and you may not carry the lake or get caught up in the tallest trees. Too far right and you will run out of fairway or catch one of the deep bunkers.
The hole bends round from right to left and the approach is played up hill to a two tiered green. The top tier is very narrow indwell be tough to access. At 38 yards from front to back it is one of the largest greens the course and if you are in the wrong section it will be a tough 2-putt.
Fleming 9
In addition to the 18 championship holes, there is a short course that plays inside the beginning of the back 9. This is a short course, but a perfect place to hone your short game skills (or to have some fun after a good lunch). The course is a par 3 and measures about 2165 yards, but with two par 4s over 400 yards and 3 par 3s at 200 yards or more it is not a pushover. The course was named after Jack Fleming who was a local golf architect and city golf caretaker in San Francisco.