Hands down SFGC is the most prestigious 'members only' club north of Cypress Point Club on the west coast. It has the historical artifacts, exclusivity and overlap in its membership with Cypress, ANGC, PV, Seminole, etc. There is no question at all here on this aspect.

The golf course however maybe a different story. It is uniquely well above average (and rare) but it doesn't ever approach the star power of BethPage Black and WingedFoot for me. This is a 100 year old social club that happens to have a golf course. What makes it special is that it is the only original Tilly in the west. This alone puts it in rare air architecturally speaking. My rating here is focused on the golf course, practice facilities, caddy program and nothing else.

The course has not hosted any major tournaments. I will assert 2 reasons for this: (1) it is a very private course and the members want to keep it that way. Signs are up indicating that pics are not allowed. (2) SFGC is too easy for the professionals and low amateurs. Overall it is also a very easy place to walk which is a plus for members. It doesn't beat you down and tire you out like others in the area can do (e.g. Olympic Club). You won't lose any (or many if you're less skilled) golf balls at SFGC. It is overall a very easy course for weekend hackers and a joy to play often if you like shorter, more quaint courses and want a peaceful walk without having to worry about tee time contention, waiting in line at the entry gate and then fighting for parking. There are many excellent and memorable holes as described by prior reviewers below so I won't repeat them. The caddies are phenomenal. They know the course and its membership very well.

Moving on to the parts of the course that leave something to be desired... The driving range is adjacent to the parking lot and is nothing special. It looks like a muni range with tall nets. That said many courses over 100 years old in the area (Claremont CC, Meadow Club, GreenHills, etc) don't even have driving ranges so this is truly a feather in the cap for its era but I will apply the highest bar here. Some holes back up to the highway and as the cars are speeding by one is reminded it is not the most peaceful place to play when you can hear police sirens, honks and mufflers in your backswing. There are no drivable par 4's in the layout anywhere. There is some elevation change and the topography is good but not as incredible as BethPage nor Winged Foot IMO. There are other golf courses in America that are more undisturbed relics preserved in near perfection from their pasts and many of those are superior in their designs for me.