THE OLYMPIC CLUB
🇺🇸 San Francisco, CA, USA
Designed by Bill Love, Sam Whiting, Wilfrid Reid
Steeped in tradition overlooking the Pacific from its perch above Lake Merced, The Olympic Club's Lake Course is a monument to challenging golf, a place where legends have been both forged and humbled. This classic parkland layout, originally conceived by Sam Whiting, sprawls across rolling terrain punctuated by towering Monterey pines and cypress trees. While strategically bunkered fairways offer generous landing areas, the course gradually tightens as it approaches its undulating, notoriously fast greens, favoring players who can shape shots and control trajectory.
The Lake Course has been repeatedly refined by renowned architects, most notably Robert Trent Jones Sr. and more recently, Bill Love. It has served as a demanding stage for multiple U.S. Opens, witnessing iconic moments of triumph and heartbreak—from Jack Fleck's stunning upset of Ben Hogan in 1955 to Lee Janzen's gritty victory in 1998, and most recently Webb Simpson's triumph in 2012. The unforgiving layout and dramatic setting have solidified its place in championship lore.
The Olympic Club fosters a unique, old-school atmosphere; its membership reflects the city's vibrant tapestry of industry titans, sports enthusiasts, and community leaders. And while the competition on the course can be fierce, the camaraderie in the clubhouse is just as renowned, especially over the Club's signature "burger dog," a culinary creation almost as storied as the holes themselves.
Reviews
Challenging tight course that overlooks San Francisco. First few holes are challenging then eases up as you get to the back 9. Very tight off the tee then opens up as you get to the greens.
Really good tournament course, challenges every part of the game for even the best in the world. Excited to watch high level events here, might be too hard for an everyday course for the average member. Great caddies
Really fun day. Playable if you take what it gives you. If you try for heroic shots and don't execute you can get eaten up.
Three rounds over fifteen years. Very underwhelming property. Oddly claustrophobic. Not very….fun? YMMV but it’s not my favorite golf course or even close.
The Lake Course at Olympic Club is one of the best and most challenging layouts I’ve played. The course is known for its narrow, sloping fairways lined with towering cypress trees and small, fast greens that demand precision on every shot. There’s a great mix of holes here, with plenty of elevation changes and a routing that forces you to shape shots both ways to score, especially off the tee. The par 3s are especially strong, and several holes along the Lake Merced side offer some incredible views while still keeping the focus on strategy and accuracy around the golf course. The conditioning is always excellent, and the greens are very quick and tricky in some spots, making putting a real test if you find yourself above the hole. It’s a course that rewards smart play and patience and you definitely have to let the round come to you. Every round feels like a grind here but in the best way possible and I especially saw that after watching the 125th US Amateur that was played there just a few months after I played it.
Well, just played in the US AM and played it twice. This is probably the most “aura” course I’ve ever played, can just feel it oozing when you step on property, Good movement of land, I thought it was really cool, but a lackluster closing stretch after hole 13, some really easy holes coming in, but this is in the Top 5 I have ever played so it gets the ranking it has, THX.
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FAQ
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Lake at The Olympic Club has a Course Vaults score of 8.9 out of 10 based on 92 explicit golfer ratings.
Lake was designed by Bill Love, Sam Whiting, and Wilfrid Reid.
Lake at The Olympic Club is listed as private on Course Vaults; guest access is typically restricted.
Par at Lake is 71.
Lake plays 6,934 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Lake is 138.
