Evan Schiller
Evan Schiller
Evan Schiller
Evan Schiller
Courtesy of the club
Evan Schiller/Courtesy of the club
Evan Schiller/Courtesy of the club
Courtesy of the club
Evan Schiller
Evan Schiller/Courtesy of the club
Lake Merced Golf Club
Lake Merced Golf Club
2300 Junipero Serra Blvd
Daly City, CA 94015-1630
United States
Overview
Lake Merced is one of the latest clubs to benefit from the restoration work of Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and their team. In 1962 a freeway consumed a portion of the club’s property and forced a major overhaul of the work Alister MacKenzie did in 1929 and 1930, forcing the holes to be re-routed, new holes to be built and permanently altering the look and character of the golf course. Gone were the deep barrancas, sandy waste areas and MacKenzie's signature mounding and bunker designs. The new course was reflective of the design predilections of the post-World War II era that included tree plantings, simplified bunkers and a general narrowing of the holes. Further work done in the 1990s, including new bunkers and elevated greens, enhanced the modern aspects of the course, even as the cypress and pines had overgrown most hole corridors. Hanse and Wager suggested the club attempt to recapture the MacKenzie routing, and they were able to recreate 14½ original holes, two and ½ hybrid holes and the new par-3 16th playing next to one of MacKenzie’s marquee holes, the revived par-3 13th. In all, 150,000 square feet of bunkers were refurbished in a style that matches the club’s 1920s shaping, trees were pared back and eliminated, and a new spacious practice facility was added to the north side of the property. The changes were strong enough to earn Lake Merced the Golf Digest Best Transformation award for 2023.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
2023-'24 ranking in California: 51st (previously unranked).
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Well conditioned course that provides an excellent appeal to the eye of the tee. Bunkering is well placed and aesthetically pleasing. Strong layout of holes that requires different ball flights and clubs into greens."
Read More2025
Review
“(Round played post 2024 renovation). Excellent course with rolling terrain amongst tall Cypress pines. Course played firm and fast throughout and offered a very good variety of long and short holes. Fairways were expansive and lined with mature Cypress pines offering excellent site lines and targets. Holes only moved slightly left or right but did move up or down consistently with only the first hole being relatively flat. Some holes moved up or down hills significantly. Holes 5, 11, 12 and 17 were examples. Overall, each hole was distinctive and challenging requiring the player to be creativity and offering different shot options. Fairway and green side bunkering was outstanding in terms of location, size and appearance. Additionally, a number of blind tee shots (holes 5, 8, 11, 12 and 17) provided challenges and shot options. Greens were of medium size with ridges and contours throughout. Overall, this course provided a variety of shot options, scenic holes / sight lines while being very playable."
Read More2025
Review
“With a recent restoration from Gil Hanse, Lake Merced has become one of the hottest and most exciting courses over the last few years. I never saw the course before the renovation, but by all accounts Gil Hanse's work was an extreme success. Today's course is a great members course, sitting on a compact property and playing to a modest 6600 yards from the longest members' tees. While on the shorter side, the wonderful land movement and tricky greens will keep better players on their toes but golfers of all abilities should enjoy Lake Merced without losing a ball. Like so many of its famous neighbors, Lake Merced is very aesthetically pleasing with tall cypress trees abound and beautiful bunkering in the style of Alister Mackenzie. The course played quite firm and fast and also scores highly for me in shot options, with numerous reachable par fours (2, 10, 11) mixed in with some memorable par threes (13, 16) and beastly holes (8, 12, 15). This is a course you could really enjoy playing everyday and is certainly one to see when in San Francisco."
Read More2025
Review
“With a recent restoration from Gil Hanse, Lake Merced has become one of the hottest and most exciting courses over the last few years. I never saw the course before the renovation, but by all accounts Gil Hanse's work was an extreme success. Today's course is a great members course, sitting on a compact property and playing to a modest 6600 yards from the longest members' tees. While on the shorter side, the wonderful land movement and tricky greens will keep better players on their toes but golfers of all abilities should enjoy Lake Merced without losing a ball. Like so many of its famous neighbors, Lake Merced is very aesthetically pleasing with tall cypress trees abound and beautiful bunkering in the style of Alister Mackenzie. The course played quite firm and fast and also scores highly for me in shot options, with numerous reachable par fours (2, 10, 11) mixed in with some memorable par threes (13, 16) and beastly holes (8, 12, 15). This is a course you could really enjoy playing everyday and is certainly one to see when in San Francisco."
Read More2025
Review
“Lake Merced offers an exceptional blend of character, challenge, and playability. The redesigned layout features a variety of shot options that demand both strategy and creativity, ensuring an engaging experience for players of all levels. The course boasts a seamless balance of long and short holes, undulating greens, and well-placed hazards, making each round dynamic and fun. Aesthetically, the course shines with its natural beauty and thoughtful design elements, all complemented by pristine conditioning that showcases its world-class status."
Read More2024
Review
“Hisotric Alister Mackenzie course which recently has under gone a $20 million dollar renovation under Gil Hanse. I thought the course was fun to play. Great conditioning for such a new course. Hanse rerouted several holes and created some new ones. The course is challenging in spots. #5, #6, #12, #15 and #17 are all stout par 4's. The course has a nice blend of short holes and long holes. Three of the par 3's play downhill which made them all look and play the same. The 8th hole at 628 yards and into the prevailing wind is a brute. I though the green complexes were brilliant. Some are very large but there is a lot of movement. Most go back to front with some false fronts in front of them. There were three examples of "punchbowl" green complexes which I thought was well done. They are fun to play. My only comment is that serveral of the holes look and play the same. The 17th hole is the one weak hole on the course. Blind tee shot over the driving range and ridge. It just did not feel right. All in all a good test of golf and a fun course to play."
Read More2024
Review
“A lot of fun packed into all 18 holes!"
Read More2024
Review
“Outstanding renovation by Gil Hanse to the original MacKenzie design and routing"
Read More2024
Review
“I didn’t play the Rees Jones course prior to the Gil Hanse’s restoration, but with the highway work destroying very interesting land, I can see where this course’s reputation pre-restoration didn’t match its historical pedigree. Hanse’s work is so strong that it’s hard to picture this land not producing a world class course. While some holes in the the early portion and middle of the course along the boundaries of the club are forgettable from most measures (shot options, fun, layout variety), there is nothing average or forgettable about the interior holes that carve their way through the land’s primary ridges, Hanse’s punchbowl hole, and the previously iconic and now-newly iconic again McKenzie par 3 that was lost to highway. The conditioning on the restoration is strong (even during the rainy period of play on which I played it). It’s very safe to say that Lake Merced will be considered a peer of San Francisco GC, Cal Club and the Olympic Club, and I won’t be surprised that many will see it as their favorite course of the group."
Read More2024
Review
“The restoration of Lake Merced Golf Club by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner significantly improved the course, the shot options it offers, the layout variety, as well as how much fun the course is to play. While the restoration offers a significant upgrade for LMGC, the course is still not in the same league as Olympic, SFGC, or Cal Club."
Read More2024
