Est. 1922 · Willie Lock (original, 1922); redesigned by Alister MacKenzie (1929-30) and Rees Jones (1996)
Why we love this place
Tucked among San Francisco's legendary neighbors, Lake Merced quietly carries a MacKenzie pedigree and decades of thoughtful evolution. It has survived a freeway and come back stronger, and that resilience shows in every well-shaped bunker and green.
Via GolfPass
About Lake Merced Golf and Country Club
Lake Merced Golf Club was founded in 1922 in Daly City, just south of San Francisco and near the Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club. The original course, opened the following year, was laid out by transplanted Scot Willie Lock and featured more than 200 bunkers. Around 1929-30, the club engaged Alister MacKenzie, who lengthened the course, removed roughly 140 bunkers, restyled those that remained, and built a new hole. In 1962 construction of Interstate 280 consumed part of the property, forcing significant re-routing and new holes. Rees Jones renovated the layout in 1996, restoring classic character with deep bunkering and undulating greens. A more recent bunker refurbishment matching the club's 1920s shaping earned Golf Digest's Best Transformation honor for 2023.
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