The Top 25 Most Historic Golf Courses

Located within the Presidio of San Francisco, California, the Presidio Golf Course dates to 1895, when John Lawson designed nine holes for military officers to play. Lawson noted,

“God shaped this land to be a golf course. I simply followed nature.”

The course is known for its spectacular forest setting, as well as its challenging play. Golf course architect Robert Wood Johnstone expanded the Presidio Golf Course to 18 holes in 1910. The Presidio Golf Course has hosted some of the world’s greatest athletes, celebrities, and famous artists of the 20th century: baseball Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, comedian Bob Hope, crooner Bing Crosby, and cartoonist Charles Schulz all played the Scottish game at the Presidio. The course is also notable for its environmentally sensitive management practices and has been recognized as a leader in environmentally sensitive golf course management. The Presidio is managed by a private-public partnership between the National Park Service, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and the Presidio Trust. Heritage travelers interested in playing the public golf course can stay at The Lodge at the Presidio (1894) or the Inn at the Presidio (1903). Inn at the Presidio was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2011, and The Lodge at the Presidio was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2018.