Albert Warren Tillinghast was probably the greatest American golf course architect of his day and “Tilly” was the genius who crafted the course for San Francisco Golf Club in 1915.



Albert Warren Tillinghast was probably the greatest American golf course architect of his day and “Tilly” was the genius who crafted the course for San Francisco Golf Club in 1915.



6
At a place like SFGC, time moves very slowly, and ‘change’ is thankfully not a constant factor. There is no need to change perfection, you just preserve its boundaries. I’ve been playing this course for more than 15 years, but it was my game in the Autumn of 2025 that stood out the most. I was awestruck by the tree removal and the views that were carefully opened up. Select trees between holes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and especially along hole 7 have been taken out. I never thought walking down the 6th hole that I would be able to look down on the entirety of the famous ‘Duel Hole’ number 7 from a height, and up the hill to the 8th green. Literally all of the trees are gone between 6 and 7. For those familiar with the property, it will be a reason to ‘pause’ in astonishment of what your eyes are beholding. SFGC continues to be one of my absolute favourite places to play this game, and the discrete efforts to keep this magical course among the world’s elite give a sense of privilege unlike any other venue.
Overall rating
5.5
Overall rating
5.5
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
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