Golf

This is one heck of a wake up call. Long and difficult, the first hole will force you to earn a par. The hole bends slightly left and the green is well protected by a single bunker on the left side. On a clear day, you can see the Marin Headlands through the pine trees on the right side of the fairway as you approach the green.

A dogleg right of modest length. Three fairway bunkers stand watch on the left side at the corner of the dogleg. The green can be treacherous, especially with a back left hole location. There is a significant hump in the middle of the green, separating left from right. Don't get distracted by the view of Lake Merced in the background. Pay attention to yardage as the downhill second shot tends to play a bit shorter than the distance indicates.

A downhill par three to a circular green with five different levels. Bunkers protect the green left and right. The hole does not play as long as it looks.

Members consider this the hardest hole on the course. It isn't called Expedition for nothing! The tee shot is uphill and semi blind and there is a fairway bunker about 220 yards out on the right that you cannot see from the tee. The second shot is uphill to a severely sloping green that is guarded by a deep bunker in front.

A terrific driving hole. The tee shot on this dogleg left is downhill and there are two fairway bunkers on the right side. The green is well protected by bunkers left and right and a slope that falls off to the rear.

This is a fairly docile par five. The hole is straightaway, with two fairway bunkers on the left side of the landing area. The green is well protected by five bunkers, and it can be very tricky.

This hole is named for Alister Mackenzie, who redesigned Lake Merced in 1929. This is one of the original fairways from the old course. The original hole was a dogleg right par five. The current hole is a long par four that moves right to left. The green has three distinct areas with ridges protecting each one. As with most other holes at Lake Merced, a smart player will stay below the hole, and will make sure to position his approach shot on the right side of the flagstick.

A long par three with the most undulating green on the course. The "Sunday location" is back right, but members will tell you that the hardest spot is in the front of the green because it is hard to keep the ball below the hole.

This is a short five par that runs parallel to Interstate 280. The hole doglegs to the left and you will be playing back to the clubhouse. Longer players can get home in two. The green is well protected by four large bunkers.

A sporty opening to the back nine. The entire hole is visible from the tee, and you will note that a bunker guards the left side of the fairway. The driving range, behind the trees to the right, is out of bounds. The shot into the green is tight and the putting surface is protected by very deep bunkers left and right.

While this hole is short, it is perhaps the tightest tee shot on the course. The landing area is protected by two bunkers on the left and two short cypress trees on the right. The green is also well protected - deep bunkers guard it left and right. Don't be long, as the area behind the green falls away and you can kick out of bounds if you aren't careful.

A mid-length one-shotter which requires a full carry to a plateau green. The bunkers left and right mean business: they are deep and par is something you will have to work for. The green is fast, sloping and a thrill from every angle.

Another tight driving hole, that offers rewards to a straight hitter. A fairway bunker protects the left side, and overhanging limbs the right. At about 200 yards, the fairway drops into a valley, and then extends uphill to the green, which is bunkered in the left front and on the right side.

This is the easiest hole on the course. It is a short five par, a dogleg left that is reachable in two shots. Four bunkers on the right side of the landing area are a warning sign: don't go there! The green is also guarded by sand to the left, right, and rear.

For members, this is "the" hole. A long three par that requires great strength and great skill. The bunkers that protect the green are deep and difficult. The green itself is fast and treacherous.

A short part four that tempts the brave and rewards the skilled. Longer hitters can get close to the green, but for most players the tee shot will be hit with a fairway metal or long iron, and you will have only a pitching wedge into an intriguing putting surface that is guarded by four deep bunkers. The green here is severely banked, very fast, and absolutely maddening!

Another sporty four par. You will see the green in the distance from the tee. What you can't see is the steep dip in the fairway at 210 yards. Longer hitters will be able to drive to the bottom of the hill, from where they will have only a wedge to the green. If your drive does not reach the bottom, you may face a difficult stance for your second shot. The fairway is crowned, so any tee ball hit slightly left or right will kick into the rough. There are four bunkers (one left, three right) that you must negotiate off the tee, and another four await you around the green. The green is banked back to front and there are three noticeable levels once you get there.

A classic finish played through an old riverbed. The tee shot is down hill, and two bunkers guard the landing area. The fairway bends gently to the right and culminates in an uphill walk toward the clubhouse. Bunkers protect the green front right and on the left side, and two menacing cypress trees have limbs that will reach out and grab your golf ball if you give them half a chance.