Olympic Club or Cal Club?

...

Neither. San Francisco.

Olympic Has so many members and weekends are crowded. SF or cal club (neither of which I’ve actually played) or Merced (which is an awesome track) seem to be the better choice.

Fried Egg podcast with Al Jamieson from Cal Club, might give you an insight into the "culture" of the club https://thefriedegg.podbean.com/e/episode-133-the-california-golf-club/

Cal Club is one of my favourite places in the world to play golf, I've only walked Olympic.

Forget Cal Club. Really, really, really really (repeat a million times) forget SF Club.

Maybe join Olympic as a downtown member, assuming you get some friends to sponsor you. Not bad for a younger guy.

> @carrera said:

> Forget Cal Club. Really, really, really really (repeat a million times) forget SF Club.

> Maybe join Olympic as a downtown member, assuming you get some friends to sponsor you. Not bad for a younger guy.

I'm nothing more than an interested reader of this thread, but just curious why you have the strong feelings you do about Cal Club and SF Club.

Nothing more than being a new guy in town he'd have no chance at all at getting into SF, and it is difficult now to get into Cal Club also. Olympic is easier to join via the downtown club.

The Olympic Club has a 10 year waiting list. Joining the Downtown Club gives you limited access to tee times and the number of guests you can bring. Merced is a good alternative. Burlingame Golf Club is about a 15 minute drive from Olympic and is a very nice course. Plenty of really nice golf clubs in the Peninsula but it seems to get more expensive the more South you go.

You guys are forgetting "old SF money". I bet that helps open some doors. OP, why not join where your parents are members? Assuming you would already know some members.

SF, Burlingame no possibility of joining. I was a member at a private club down the peninsula for 20 years. Depending where you'll be living I'd choose OC downtown,(many golf limitations) or Merced ( my grandfather was a member at OC golf for 40 years and my father at downtown for 30+) I've played every private club up and down the SF peninsula dozens of times. Merced would be a excellent choice, great track and easy access to 280. Not all private clubs get more expensive as you move south, check out the Alister Mackenzie private club in Millbrae GHCC.

I forgot to mention OC would be worth the membership just for the world renown hamburger on the hot-dog bun at turn Lol!

I was a golf member at Olympic for over 30 years so I know the landscape. OP, join Olympic as a non-golf member...figure things out, enjoy the club...maybe network your way into Cal Club down the road.

Cal is a better course IMO. Olympic has tons of members so I don't think it's that exclusive. Honestly either club would be great to call home. Good luck!

> @carrera said:

> Nothing more than being a new guy in town he'd have no chance at all at getting into SF, and it is difficult now to get into Cal Club also. Olympic is easier to join via the downtown club.

> I was a golf member at Olympic for over 30 years so I know the landscape. OP, join Olympic as a non-golf member...figure things out, enjoy the club...maybe network your way into Cal Club down the road.

Figure things out indeed.

No choice made in your 20s about which golf club to join is remotely important in the grand scheme of a hobby like golf, let alone anything else.

> @carrera said:

> I was a golf member at Olympic for over 30 years so I know the landscape. OP, join Olympic as a non-golf member...figure things out, enjoy the club...maybe network your way into Cal Club down the road.

Carrera, are you indicating that Cal is harder to get into than Olympic.........to quote a SF resident......wow.

Yes it is. And significantly more expensive.

I'm on Olympic Club member: Cal Club is much smaller membership and much more expensive than OClub. Not sure why you think the quality of golf course at Lake Merced isn't good enough. That's a great course. (I like all of them: both courses at OClub and Cal Club and Lake Merced! IMO, all would be excellent--arguably world class--as your every-day course.)

Cal Club and Lake Merced are normal clubs in that they are exclusive smallish clubs. OClub is unique: not exclusive, over 5,000 regular members ("downtown members") who have access to the courses on a green-fees basis. The "fit" issue is that it's a huge membership. So, you don't get to know members and see them regularly. You seem seriously worried about a Jewish person fitting in there--I'd like to think it's been many decades since that's been an issue. Golf privilege is indeed a long wait list. People might think it's exclusive because of the famous Lake course, but over 5,000 members means: not exclusive. And they let me in! (And no, I'm not a white guy with old family money or anything like that!!)

Now, San Francisco Golf Club on the other hand..... In that top-level Cypress, LACC, Seminole exclusivity category.

i know it's up in marin, but what about meadow club? that's supposed to be 1 hell of a course, somewhere b/t a lmgc and a cal club yet isn't quite as exclusive as cal.

I live in Marin County and my understanding from some brief conversations is that Meadow Club is an approximate 7-10 year timeline for full proprietary membership, although I haven't revisited those talks in a couple years. I'm not able to comment whether or not it's as exclusive as Cal Club, but it's still going to be closer to 6 digits rather than 5 for initiation fee. You're also looking at 25-45 minutes to get up there from the time you cross the Golden Gate Bridge, ignoring however long it takes you to even get to that point. Traffic is a Bay Area way of life, but if you're not already living in Marin County or close enough, factor that into how much you could reasonably expect to utilize the club.

Meadow and Cal Club are both excellent courses, but two different types of club. Meadow is like a Burlingame, Claremont or Orinda - old style smallish club in an area where you join for a "traditional" country club experience....the whole family are members, no tee times, pool, tennis (except Meadow), and active social calendar. Traditional "games" on the golf course and more east-coast in feel than SF Bay Area. Cal Club is a relic of the old days - male only golf club with no family or social aspects at all (except stag events). Pure golf, and at great at that since the renovation 10+ years ago. More similar to SFGC in that respect, though even SF has women members (wives of members, or people like Condy Rice).

Some day, I am certain, Cal Club will be put in the spotlight because of its male-only membership (especially given its high profile members like Steph Curry), just like what happened to Olympic back in the late 90s. Olympic changed completely from the club I joined in the early 80s when it was male-only. Now it is a completely different club (I quit about 7 years ago)....nothing at all like the club it used to be.

Male members but wives can play correct? Knowing a couple folks from there I never heard of just blokes on the course and heard some anecdotes of the best tippers for the caddies... and they weren' t men :-)

Cal Club is men only. Unlike any other golf course in the Bay Area. Even Olympic back in the day had a "spousal golf privilege" that you could get for your wife. Not so at Cal Club.

> @carrera said:

> Cal Club is men only. Unlike any other golf course in the Bay Area. Even Olympic back in the day had a "spousal golf privilege" that you could get for your wife. Not so at Cal Club.

OK - maybe I am thinking of a different Peninsula club he caddied at. I'll have to check with him - as I guess I am misremembering the anecdote and I'm not that old yet. Thanks for the reply!

I believe women can play Cal Club. They just can’t go into much of the clubhouse, including that (pretty great) bar room with the horseshoe-shaped bar.

As is the case with any name club, you need a network to get in. Build your network over the next couple years and IMO that means starting at a private club and working your way around. We have networks for all kinds of things (private poker games, invites to parties/events, golf buddies) and things happen from there. If you have a job in finance, law, tech ventures your co workers are probably connected to a club or know guys who are. Things happen from there, no rush. As long as a guy isn't a jerk, most people want to help friends.

> @lchang said:

> I believe women can play Cal Club. They just can’t go into much of the clubhouse, including that (pretty great) bar room with the horseshoe-shaped bar.

Cal Club is open to women, they are not allowed in the Men's Locker Room (obviously). I believe they aren't allowed upstairs to the rooms as well. Either way, not a Men-Only club.

Thanks guys :-)

I feel better that I am not losing my memory... quite yet.

> @lchang said:

> I'm on Olympic Club member: Cal Club is much smaller membership and much more expensive than OClub. Not sure why you think the quality of golf course at Lake Merced isn't good enough. That's a great course. (I like all of them: both courses at OClub and Cal Club and Lake Merced! IMO, all would be excellent--arguably world class--as your every-day course.)

> Cal Club and Lake Merced are normal clubs in that they are exclusive smallish clubs. OClub is unique: not exclusive, over 5,000 regular members ("downtown members") who have access to the courses on a green-fees basis. The "fit" issue is that it's a huge membership. So, you don't get to know members and see them regularly. You seem seriously worried about a Jewish person fitting in there--I'd like to think it's been many decades since that's been an issue. Golf privilege is indeed a long wait list. People might think it's exclusive because of the famous Lake course, but over 5,000 members means: not exclusive. And they let me in! (And no, I'm not a white guy with old family money or anything like that!!)

>

> Now, San Francisco Golf Club on the other hand..... In that top-level Cypress, LACC, Seminole exclusivity category.

Thanks for the info. As far as being Jewish, as recently as a decade ago SFGC didn’t allow us in. I once heard an old story (no idea if true) about how they rejected Larry Ellison, amongst other billionaire ceos. I’m sure I’ll network once at the firm, just wondering about exclusivity of each place in general. It seems like Olympic downtown is probably the move. How often can you play the courses (specifically the Lake course) as a downtown member?

> @golfinguru11 said:

> > @lchang said:

> > I'm on Olympic Club member: Cal Club is much smaller membership and much more expensive than OClub. Not sure why you think the quality of golf course at Lake Merced isn't good enough. That's a great course. (I like all of them: both courses at OClub and Cal Club and Lake Merced! IMO, all would be excellent--arguably world class--as your every-day course.)

> > Cal Club and Lake Merced are normal clubs in that they are exclusive smallish clubs. OClub is unique: not exclusive, over 5,000 regular members ("downtown members") who have access to the courses on a green-fees basis. The "fit" issue is that it's a huge membership. So, you don't get to know members and see them regularly. You seem seriously worried about a Jewish person fitting in there--I'd like to think it's been many decades since that's been an issue. Golf privilege is indeed a long wait list. People might think it's exclusive because of the famous Lake course, but over 5,000 members means: not exclusive. And they let me in! (And no, I'm not a white guy with old family money or anything like that!!)

> >

> > Now, San Francisco Golf Club on the other hand..... In that top-level Cypress, LACC, Seminole exclusivity category.

>

> Thanks for the info. As far as being Jewish, as recently as a decade ago SFGC didn’t allow us in. I once heard an old story (no idea if true) about how they rejected Larry Ellison, amongst other billionaire ceos. I’m sure I’ll network once at the firm, just wondering about exclusivity of each place in general. It seems like Olympic downtown is probably the move. How often can you play the courses (specifically the Lake course) as a downtown member?

Sucks to hear that for SFGC but I guess it shouldn’t surprise me at all. OClub is not like that.

You can play as often as you’d like. But you pay a green fee every time so that will add up if you play a lot. Golf privilege members have 28 day advance tee times, regular members 7. But every other time is kept open anyway for same day walk on’s. Very early and lunch time tee times are also reserved for golf privilege holders.

Bringing guests is severely limited. As in none for the Lake course unless you get on the wait list for the golf privilege and then it’s only 1 guest per quarter for the Lake.

> @lchang said:

> > @golfinguru11 said:

> > > @lchang said:

> > > I'm on Olympic Club member: Cal Club is much smaller membership and much more expensive than OClub. Not sure why you think the quality of golf course at Lake Merced isn't good enough. That's a great course. (I like all of them: both courses at OClub and Cal Club and Lake Merced! IMO, all would be excellent--arguably world class--as your every-day course.)

> > > Cal Club and Lake Merced are normal clubs in that they are exclusive smallish clubs. OClub is unique: not exclusive, over 5,000 regular members ("downtown members") who have access to the courses on a green-fees basis. The "fit" issue is that it's a huge membership. So, you don't get to know members and see them regularly. You seem seriously worried about a Jewish person fitting in there--I'd like to think it's been many decades since that's been an issue. Golf privilege is indeed a long wait list. People might think it's exclusive because of the famous Lake course, but over 5,000 members means: not exclusive. And they let me in! (And no, I'm not a white guy with old family money or anything like that!!)

> > >

> > > Now, San Francisco Golf Club on the other hand..... In that top-level Cypress, LACC, Seminole exclusivity category.

> >

> > Thanks for the info. As far as being Jewish, as recently as a decade ago SFGC didn’t allow us in. I once heard an old story (no idea if true) about how they rejected Larry Ellison, amongst other billionaire ceos. I’m sure I’ll network once at the firm, just wondering about exclusivity of each place in general. It seems like Olympic downtown is probably the move. How often can you play the courses (specifically the Lake course) as a downtown member?

>

> Sucks to hear that for SFGC but I guess it shouldn’t surprise me at all. OClub is not like that.

>

> You can play as often as you’d like. But you pay a green fee every time so that will add up if you play a lot. Golf privilege members have 28 day advance tee times, regular members 7. But every other time is kept open anyway for same day walk on’s. Very early and lunch time tee times are also reserved for golf privilege holders.

>

> Bringing guests is severely limited. As in none for the Lake course unless you get on the wait list for the golf privilege and then it’s only 1 guest per quarter for the Lake.

Wow, this is actually better than I thought. Don’t mind the greens fee at all. Thanks again, if all goes well I might be running into you in about 3 years lol.

> @farmer said:

> You guys are forgetting "old SF money". I bet that helps open some doors. OP, why not join where your parents are members? Assuming you would already know some members.

My parents club is in the east bay, about an hour from SF. I’ll be working and living in the city. The old sf money is my girlfriend but her family doesn’t golf. I’m sure it won’t hurt, but it’s not getting me anywhere near SFGC. I’d be perfectly content with Olympic, although the smaller club (cal club) where people know you is preferable (I have experienced both growing up).