Presidio Golf Course - hole 1
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 1
Presidio Golf Course starts out with a par 4, and it's not the easiest tee shot in San Francisco. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 18
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 18
Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco dates back to 1895, and it's a challenging and beautiful test today. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 2
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 2
The par-5 second at Presidio Golf Course plays from an elevated tee. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 4
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 4
The fourth at Presidio Golf Course is short at 130 yards, and it plays from an elevated tee. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 7
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 7
A large bunker guards the green on the difficult 219-yard par-3 seventh at Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 8
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 8
The par-4 eighth at Presidio Golf Course has an uphill approach. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 9
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 9
The old clubhouse and city are the backdrop for the par-5 ninth at Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 10
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 10
The 10th is the second of back-to-back par 5s at Presidio Golf Course. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 11
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 11
The par-4 11th at Presidio Golf Course plays down a chute. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 13
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 13
The 13th at Presidio Golf Course is a tough par 3 with OB left. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 15
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 15
The par-3 15th at Presidio Golf Course plays downhill. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - General Store
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Presidio Golf Course - General Store
The General Store serves golfers several times as they make their way through Presidio Golf Course. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - 16th
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Presidio Golf Course - 16th
A bunker protects the right side of the green of the par-4 16th at Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Presidio Golf Course - hole 18
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Presidio Golf Course - hole 18
The finishing hole at Presidio Golf Course is a risk-reward par 5. Mike Bailey/GolfPass
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San Francisco's other municipal treat: Presidio Golf Course

SAN FRANCISCO -- Most golfers know about TPC Harding Park, a historic San Francisco municipal that has hosted the WGC-American Express Championship, the Presidents Cup and the Champions Tour's Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Lost in the shadows -- at least outside of San Francisco -- might be Presidio Golf Course, an older city venue run by the military for most of its existence and now part of a national park.

First established in 1895, the course was originally crafted by architect Robert Wood Johnstone. It was expanded by Johnstone in collaboration with William McEwan in 1910, and then redesigned and lengthened by the British firm of Fowler & Simpson in 1921. The golf course opened to the public in 1995.

At 6,422 yards, Presidio is short by today's standards, but because of elevation changes, especially uphill, the holes can play longer than their advertised yardages.

The golf course, its old clubhouse and new clubhouse all sit on what used to be a military reservation that dates back to 1776, when it was a Spanish post. It had to be rebuilt after an earthquake in 1812 and became a U.S. Army post in 1846 before it was closed in 1994 and established as a national park and San Francisco treat.

Mike Bailey is a former Golf Advisor senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. He has also been on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.
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San Francisco's other municipal treat: Presidio Golf Course