“GGP gets TLC”
Reimagining Golden Gate Park Golf Course
For decades, the nine-hole golf course in Golden Gate Park has flown below the radar. Beloved by generations of locals, they’ve watched the trees crowd the playing corridors and the grass turn to thatch as the course was neglected. Meanwhile, demand for golf and green space skyrocketed within the community, including at the First Tee-San Francisco, which uses Golden Gate Park Golf Course as a home-base.
“We have more kids on the waiting list than we do in the program,” says Dan Burke, executive director of the First Tee-San Francisco, one of the largest chapter in the country.
Starting next week, the Fire Pit will be taking you into the dirt–or in this case, the sand–of a restoration project that brings the Golden Gate Park Golf Course the TLC it needed and deserved. You’ll read, watch and listen as Burke, architect Jay Blasi, and agronomist Josh Lewis work with the city of San Francisco to reimagine a community asset, all funded by private donors. The finished product promises to be a national attraction.
Over the next six weeks, there will be a series of stories, videos and podcasts that document an eight-month cycle in which Burke, Blasi, Lewis and several others have created yet another blueprint for what’s possible at a mini muni.
Matt Ginella has been covering golf for 25 years. First at Sports Illustrated, then Golf Digest and Golf World magazines and most recently for Golf Channel, where he appeared as the Travel Insider for “Morning Drive” and wrote for Golf Advisor.com.
This course is where I first learned how to swing a club and play the game that has given me decades of joy (and frustration). As a teen in the 80s, I used to play here as often as possible. So glad it’s getting the TLC it deserves. Can’t wait to play it again someday.
Growing up in the City, the memories of learning how to play at GGP and Lincoln Park, gave the foundation for a long history and love for the game. This plans to be a special place for all, and especially for the younger generation to experience and learn from the wonderful game of golf. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.