 | |
 Interactive map of Olympic Club | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | San Francisco &San Mateo County, California, U.S. |
| Established | 1860; 166 years ago (1860) |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 45 |
| Events hosted | U.S. Open:1955,1966,1987,1998,2012 U.S. Women's Open: 2021 Tour Championship: 1993, 1994 U.S. Amateur: 1958, 1981, 2007, 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur: 2004 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball: 2015 |
| Website | olyclub.com |
| Lake Course | |
| Designed by | Sam Whiting Willie Watson Gil Hanse &Jim Wagner (2025 renovation) |
| Par | 71 (70 for 2012 U.S. Open) |
| Length | 7,170 yards (6,560 m) (2012 U.S. Open)[1] |
| Course rating | 76.5 |
| Slope rating | 145[2] |
| Ocean Course | |
| Designed by | Tom Weiskopf |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,925 yards (6,332 m) |
| Course rating | 73.2 |
| Slope rating | 131[3] |
| Cliffs Course | |
| Designed by | Jay Morrish Tom Weiskopf |
| Par | 27 |
| Length | 1,800 yards (1,646 m) |
The Olympic Club is anathletic club and private social club inSan Francisco, California.
First named the "San Francisco Olympic Club",[4] it is the oldestathletic club in the United States. Established on May 6, 1860, its first officers were President, G.W. Bell, Secretary, E. Bonnell, Treasurer, H.G. Hanks, and Leader,Arthur Nahl.[4]
Its main "City Clubhouse" is located in San Francisco'sUnion Square district, and its threegolf courses are in the southwestern corner of the city, at the border withDaly City. The "Lakeside Clubhouse" is located just north of the Daly City border; the two clubhouses are separated by about 10 miles (16 km).
The three golf courses are named Lake, Ocean, and Cliffs. Lake and Ocean are 18-holepar-71 courses, and the Cliffs is a nine-hole par-3 course in thebluffs overlooking thePacific Ocean. All three venues are lined with manytrees and offer views of theGolden Gate Bridge andGolden Gate Park. TheUnited States Golf Association recognizes the Olympic Club as one of the first 100 golf clubs established in theUnited States.
In November 2017, it was announced that Olympic Club would host the 2033 Ryder Cup.[5]
First named the "San Francisco Olympic Club",[4] it is the oldestathletic club in the United States. Established on May 6, 1860, its first officers were President, G.W. Bell, Secretary, E. Bonnell, Treasurer, H.G. Hanks, and Leader,Arthur Nahl.[4]
James J. Corbett, theheavyweight boxing champion from 1892 to 1897, joined the club in 1884. He later went on to coachboxing at the club for many years. On January 2, 1893 the club opened its first permanent clubhouse on Post Street. That building did not survive theSan Francisco earthquake.
Women who could not join the men-only Olympic Club built their own modest athletic club a few doors down, named the Women's Athletic Club of San Francisco. Begun in 1912 and completed in 1917, it provided many of the same facilities as the Olympic Club. In 1966, the Club changed its name to the Metropolitan Club of San Francisco. It may be found on Sutter St., in back of the Olympic Club's parking garage.[6]
In 1987, San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne filed suit against the Olympic Club for discrimination against women and (allegedly) against minorities. Renne contended that the Club's lease of City-owned land upon which fell one hole of the Lake Course and two holes of the Ocean Course required them to conform to the City's anti-discrimination policies.[7] Rather than face a protracted legal case with an uncertain outcome, the board voted to accept women as members in 1990.[8]
In 1918, the club took over the Lakeside Golf Club, which had just opened in 1917 but was struggling financially. Lakeside had one 18-hole golf course designed byWilfrid Reid, but following additional land purchases the club decided to replace it with two courses. These were designed by Willie Watson, a well-known Scottish architect, and the Lake and Ocean courses opened in 1924. The Ocean course was shortly thereafter damaged by landslides, and Sam Whiting (who had constructed the two courses, and would remain as superintendent until 1954) remodeled and rebuilt both courses in 1927. In 1953, the Lake course was modified byRobert Trent Jones in preparation for the 1955 U.S. Open. The Ocean course was altered several times over the years, and following heavy storm damage in 1996 was completely redesigned byTom Weiskopf and reopened in 2000.[9]
The Cliffs Course opened in 1994 withJay Morrish andTom Weiskopf as the course architects.
The Olympic Club hosted the 2004U.S. Junior Amateur (won by Sihwan Kim) and theU.S. Amateur in 1958 (won byCharles Coe) and 1981 (won byNathaniel Crosby, son ofBing Crosby). The Lake and Ocean Courses were used for the 2007 U.S Amateur, won byColt Knost, who earned a 2 and 1 victory overMichael Thompson.
In 1909, Olympian and club memberRalph Rose set aworld recordshot put throw of 51 feet (16 m).
In 1915, the club'samateurbasketball team won theAmateur Athletic Union (AAU) Basketball Championship. In 1934, club memberFred Apostoli won the National Amateur Middleweight boxing title. In 1937, the Olympic Clubtrack and field team won the Track and Field National Championships. In 1941, club memberHank Luisetti helped lead the Olympic Club basketball team to win the AAU Basketball Championships again. In 1950, Olympic Club memberArthur Larsen won theU.S. Open oftennis inForest Hills, New York. The Olympic Clubwater polo team won the 1959 Water Polo National Championship.
Cycling is one of the sports with the longest tradition at the Olympic Club. From 1893 to 1903, the Olympic Club Cycling Team was one of the club's premier teams. Although the sanctioned cycling team disbanded in 1903, many Olympians participated in cycling on an individual basis. The most illustrious of these was Ernest Ohrt. Ohrt capped his cycling career by being named coach of the United States Olympic Games cycling team in 1924.
Beginning in the mid-1990s, a revived Olympic Club cycling team supported several cyclists who went on to become professional road cyclists. Former Olympic Club cyclists who later turned professional include Skyler Bishop, Nick Kelez,James Hibbard,Jackson Stewart, Mike Tillman and Zach Walker.
In addition to being a springboard for aspiring professional cyclists, the modern cycling team also boasts some of the finest masters-age cyclists in the nation, including Brian McGuire, Hal Johnson, Cynthia Mommsen and Lisa Hunt.
Club memberMaureen O'Toole won a silver medal in water polo at the2000 Olympic Games inSydney, Australia.
At least five Olympic Club members have won theDipsea Race, which was founded by OC members: Oliver Millard in 1910 and 1913, Mason Hartwell in 1917,Norman Bright in 1970, Joe King in 1995 and 1996, and Shirley Matson in 1993.
In 1992, the Club set up the Winged "O" Foundation, which changed its name to TheOlympic Club Foundation in 2002. Its purpose is to fund youth sports programs which primarily target less advantaged youth who live in theBay Area.
The Olympic Club fielded afootball team that played Bay Area colleges such asStanford,Cal,St. Mary's, andSanta Clara.[10] The team was formed in 1890.[11] That year, the Olympic Club was accused by a rival club of enticing athletes to jump to its ranks with offers of jobs. An investigation by theAmateur Athletic Union ruled that the Olympics' practice was not actually professionalism but only a "semi" form of it, thus inventing the term "semi-pro". Although the Amateur Athletic Union didn't like the idea very much, it decided that clubs could indeed offer employment without losing theiramateur status or compromising the athlete.[12] From 1891 through 1934, Olympic club had a 12-30-8 record against Stanford[13] and a 6-49-5 record against Cal.[14]
In 1926,Percy Locey played football at the Olympic Club. He was a member of the Olympic's "Winged-O" football eleven that handed theUniversity of California's "Wonder Team" their first loss in five seasons.[15] In 1928, Locey took over as the head football coach at the Olympic Club.[15] In his first year with the Olympic Club, his team posted an undefeated season, with wins over futurePac-12 schoolsStanford and1929 Rose Bowl bound California. After the success of that season, Locey was promoted to head coach of all sports at the athletic club. He was named the coach of the West team in the annualEast–West Shrine Game in 1929, though his team was defeated that year, 19-7.
Olympic Club members played a major part in the first All-Star football game. E. Jack Spaulding, the founder of the Shrine East-West football classic played, coached and was football commissioner of the Olympic Club. In 1925 the first game was played in San Francisco. Spaulding served as managing director of the first two games. An award in his name is presented each year at the game. O.E. "Babe" Hollingbery played for the club and was coach in 1925. He headed the selection process for the West team and served as the first Coach of the West team which defeated the East by a score of 6-0. He later had a long distinguished career as coach of the Washington State football team and coached in 18 Shrine games.[16][17]
Olympic Club fields a rugby team that participates in the Pacific Rugby Premiership and formerly in USA D1 and in theRugby Super League. The Pacific Rugby Premiership (PRP) is the highest level domesticrugby competition in the U.S. Several players from Olympic Club have played for theU.S. national rugby team.
In 1913, the Olympic Club'srugby union team played the touring the New ZealandAll Blacks, then as now the world top team in that sport. Olympic Club members later provided the core of theU.S. national team that won gold medals in rugby at the1920 and1924 Summer Olympics,[citation needed] the last occasion the sport was part of the Olympic program.
The Olympic Club's City Clubhouse is a masonry building on Post Street, two blocks west ofUnion Square in San Francisco, next door to theBohemian Club and on the same block as theMarines Memorial Club. A garage (shared by the Marines Memorial Club) and separate entrance are on Sutter Street, on the north side of the block. The current clubhouse was built in 1912, after the first one was destroyed in the1906 San Francisco earthquake. The clubhouse contains a pub, a dining room, meeting rooms, banquet rooms, guestrooms, a fitness center, a cardio solarium, handball and squash courts, circuit training facilities, two basketball courts, two swimming pools, and a rooftop deck.
Bent grass covers the greens. The fairways are a rye and poa annua grass combination. The roughs also have a bit of bluegrass mixed in.
Setup for the 2007 U.S. Amateur Championship:
The Lake Course has been recognized byGolf Magazine in its list of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S. It has also been recognized inGolf Week's category of "America's 100 Best Classical Courses." InGolf Digest's list of the U.S. 100 Greatest Courses for 2021-2022, the Lake Course was ranked 34. It is almost entirely within the borders of San Francisco.
Theyardage of the Lake Course is 7,060 yards (6,460 m) from the new championship tees, with acourse rating of 75.7 and aslope rating of 143. From the next set of tees forward, the course measures 6,529 yards (5,970 m), and has a course rating of 72.3 and a slope rating of 132. From the next set of tees forward, the course measures 6,235 yards (5,701 m), and has a course rating of 70.9 and a slope rating of 129. From the front tees, the course measures 5,593 yards (5,114 m), and has a course rating of 68.6 and a slope rating of 122.
The Lake Course was lengthened to prepare for the 2007 U.S. Amateur and 2012 U.S. Open by architect Bill Love. Included in the improvements by Bill Love were new tees that have added significant length to the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th, 12th, 13th and 16th holes. In addition, drastic changes were made to the par-4 seventh and par-3 eighth holes as part of the greens replacement project. A new two-tiered green at the seventh replaces the old three-level green constructed in the 1970s. This green is located approximately 20 yards (18 m) behind the old one. The most dramatic alterations were made at the par-3 8th. Previously just a short uphill pitch, a completely new hole has been built with a teeing area well back and to the right of the original, changing the angle of approach and pushing the length of the hole back to 200 yards (180 m). A new green has also been built at the par-3 15th. The controversial 18th green has also been changed further to reintroduce, in a more playable manner, the slope that was previously removed while at the same time creating more diversity in pin placements for the finishing hole. The new 7th and 8th holes opened for play in May 2009.
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 U.S. Open | 75.7 / 143 | 520 | 428 | 247 | 438 | 498 | 489 | 288 | 200 | 449 | 3557 | 424 | 430 | 451 | 199 | 419 | 154 | 670 | 522 | 344 | 3613 | 7170 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 70 | |
| Black | 75.0 / 142 | 533 | 418 | 229 | 430 | 457 | 439 | 294 | 181 | 439 | 3420 | 422 | 430 | 415 | 195 | 417 | 157 | 609 | 522 | 347 | 3514 | 6934 |
| Blue | 73.2 / 134 | 515 | 380 | 212 | 417 | 434 | 426 | 284 | 169 | 424 | 3261 | 395 | 414 | 399 | 180 | 402 | 142 | 579 | 491 | 334 | 3336 | 6597 |
| White | 71.7 / 130 | 500 | 367 | 198 | 396 | 420 | 415 | 263 | 154 | 382 | 3095 | 385 | 384 | 375 | 172 | 388 | 133 | 562 | 464 | 322 | 3185 | 6280 |
| SI | Men's | 13 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 14 | 12 | |||
| Par | Men's | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 71 |
| Par | Women's | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 38 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 38 | 76 |
| SI | Women's | 11 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 15 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 12 | |||
| Green | 68.6 / 123 | 455 | 286 | 185 | 296 | 328 | 380 | 241 | 115 | 350 | 2636 | 371 | 369 | 359 | 156 | 366 | 122 | 457 | 443 | 310 | 2953 | 5589 |
The Ocean Course has seen many changes over its history including a recent complete redesign and reconstruction in 2012 by architects Bill Love and Brian Kington. The Ocean Course's storied past includes winter El Niño storms in 1983, and 1997 that caused significant damage and required major changes to the course and layout. During the mid-1990s, the club built 4 holes west of Skyline Blvd. along the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Holes of par 4, par 3, par 5, and par 4 had dramatic views, but these holes were severely eroded and fell victim to the 1997 storm. Prior to the recent 2012 renovation project the course had been rebuilt in 1999.
The regular yardage for the Ocean Course is 6,926 yards (6,333 m) from the Black Championship tees with a course rating of 73.6 and a slope rating of 136. From the Blue tees, the course measures 6,496 yards (5,940 m) and has a course rating of 71.1 and a slope rating of 129. From White tees, the course measures 5,896 yards (5,391 m) with a course rating of 68.8 and a slope rating of 121. From the Green tees, the course measures 5,386 yards (4,925 m) with a course rating of 66.5 and a slope rating of 115.
In preparation for the 2007 U.S. Amateur, the 14th hole was changed, to allow the 15th hole and driving range to be lengthened. The Ocean Course recently hosted the U.S.G.A. Amateur Four-ball Championships in May 2015.
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 73.6 / 136 | 555 | 196 | 420 | 565 | 172 | 337 | 446 | 423 | 391 | 3505 | 184 | 546 | 395 | 365 | 396 | 475 | 438 | 207 | 414 | 3420 | 6925 |
| Blue | 71.1 / 129 | 535 | 176 | 382 | 544 | 161 | 306 | 431 | 396 | 377 | 3308 | 167 | 504 | 376 | 354 | 380 | 422 | 406 | 187 | 392 | 3188 | 6496 |
| White | 68.8 / 121 | 498 | 151 | 361 | 479 | 159 | 299 | 386 | 370 | 354 | 3057 | 144 | 454 | 353 | 318 | 333 | 389 | 352 | 170 | 328 | 2841 | 5898 |
| SI | Men's | 7 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 12 | |||
| Par | Men's | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
| Par | Women's | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
| SI | Women's | 3 | 17 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 12 | |||
| Green | 66.5 / 113 | 479 | 134 | 326 | 437 | 142 | 275 | 359 | 359 | 339 | 2850 | 120 | 433 | 313 | 292 | 249 | 355 | 343 | 113 | 318 | 2536 | 5386 |
The 9-hole, par 3 Cliffs Course is the windiest because it is set on the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean. Though it is short, it is very challenging. Designed by Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf, it is the most scenic of all three courses. It measures 1,800 yards (1,600 m).
The Olympic Club has hosted fiveU.S. Opens (1955, 1966, 1987, 1998, 2012); the 54-hole leader failed to win all five times.
Jack Fleck won in1955, defeatingBen Hogan in an 18-holeplayoff after the two were tied at the end of 72 holes on 287.Billy Casper defeatedArnold Palmer in another playoff to win in1966 andScott Simpson won in1987 by one shot overTom Watson.
Lee Janzen won in1998 with an even-par score of 280. Players complained about the questionablepin position at the 18th hole in the second round; it was set at the top of a ridge, and many balls rolled on far beyond the cup.Kirk Triplett incurred a two-stroke penalty when he used hisputter to stop the ball from rolling.Payne Stewart, the runner-up to Janzen, complained as he three-putted the hole. The green was flattened around 2000 as a result, but was given more slope in the recent renovation to the course.
The2012 U.S. Open was won byWebb Simpson when he made four birdies over the last thirteen holes. This U.S. Open was part of three sports championships involving San Francisco that year, along with theGiants'World Series victory and the49ers' sixthSuper Bowl appearance.
| Year | Winner | Score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 |  Webb Simpson | 281 (+1) | 1 stroke |  Graeme McDowellMichael Thompson |
| 1998 | Lee Janzen | 280 (E) | 1 stroke | Payne Stewart |
| 1987 | Scott Simpson | 277 (−3) | 1 stroke | Tom Watson |
| 1966 | Billy Casper | 278 (−2) | Playoff | Arnold Palmer |
| 1955 | Jack Fleck | 287 (+7) | Playoff | Ben Hogan |
The Olympic Club has hosted oneU.S. Women's Open, in 2021.
| Year | Winner | Score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 |  Yuka Saso | 280 (−4) | Playoff |  Nasa Hataoka |
In November 2017, it was announced by thePGA of America that The Olympic Club's Lake Course will be the host of the 2028PGA Championship also the 2033Ryder Cup. It will be the first Ryder Cup held on the west coast since the1959 contest inIndian Wells, California and the first for SF Bay Area.[18]
The Olympic Club has hosted thePGA Tour's season-ending event,The Tour Championship, twice, in 1993 and 1994.
| Year | Winner | Score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Mark McCumber | 274 (−10) | Playoff | Fuzzy Zoeller |
| 1993 | Jim Gallagher Jr. | 277 (−7) | 1 stroke |  David FrostJohn Huston Greg NormanScott Simpson |
The Olympic Club has hosted fourU.S. Amateurs, in 1958, 1981, 2007, and 2025.
| Year | Winner | Result | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mason Howell | 7 & 6 | Jackson Herrington |
| 2007 | Colt Knost | 2 & 1 | Michael Thompson |
| 1981 | Nathaniel Crosby | 37 holes | Brian Lindley |
| 1958 | Charles Coe | 5 & 4 | Tommy Aaron |
The USGA announced that The Olympic Club will host the 2030U.S. Women's Amateur.[19]
The Olympic Club has hosted oneU.S. Junior Amateur, in 2004.
| Year | Winner | Result | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 |  Sihwan Kim | 1 up | David Chung |
37°42′32″N122°29′42″W / 37.709°N 122.495°W /37.709; -122.495
