Marin golf, 1898 to today

Courses in play, by decade

A course counts in a decade if it was in play at any time in it (from the census years; Fort Baker’s three eras counted separately; the Marin Town and Country Club, whose golf is unconfirmed, is included). Source: research/census/census.csv.

Key events

1. 1890s
2. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CCSep 1898San Rafael Golf Club organized

   Marin’s first golf club starts on temporary links in Happy Valley near the Hotel Rafael. (Marin Journal, 8 and 29 Sep 1898)

3. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CCMar 1899Tetley lays out the San Rafael links

   The club’s first instructor, T. W. Tetley, lays out the links on the Wagner ranch north of town. (SFC18990305.2.138)

4. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CCJul 1899Eighteen named holes

   By mid-1899 San Rafael plays 18 holes, from “Daphne” to “Saint Andrews.” (SFC18990708.2.128.1)

5. 1900s
6. Fort Baker25 May 1900Sausalito Golf Club organized

   The club is organized at an evening meeting; it has no lease and may put up no buildings, so tents will serve. (SFC19000526.2.55.4)

7. Fort Baker30 May 1900Decoration Day opening in tents

   The links are formally opened with a luncheon in tents, though the nine holes are not yet ready for play. (SFC19000602.2.28.17)

8. Fort Baker19 Oct 1901Clubhouse formally opened

   The hillside clubhouse with a glassed-in piazza opens with driving and putting contests; Ruth Miller, Leonard Chenery and A. Starr Keeler win. (SFC19011020.2.182.9)

9. Fort Baker25 Oct 1902Club's survival doubtful; tennis instead

   The Call says buildings make a course impossible and Sausalito golfers will try to form a lawn-tennis club. (SFC19021025.2.110.10)

10. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CCSep 1906The links land is sold

    The Campbell tract under the San Rafael links is sold, and the club prepares to move east of town. (MJ19060927.2.12)

11. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CC8 May 1909Marin Golf & Country Club links open

    The same club, under its new name, opens nine holes off the Point San Pedro road; the clubhouse had opened on 12 Sep 1908. (SFC19090504.2.68.17)

12. 1910s
13. Belvedere4 Apr 1914Course laid out on the "Pasture lands"

    The Call reports that a golf course and tennis courts are being laid out on the north side of Belvedere Island, the part known as the "Pasture lands." (SFC19140404.2.167)

14. Belvedere1 Aug 1914Formal opening of the links

    Belvedere residents and guests from the city, Ross Valley and San Rafael play the new course all day at the formal opening. (SFC19140801.2.156)

15. BelvedereMay 1918Bob Clark chosen as instructor

    R. C. "Bob" Clark moves to Belvedere as the club's instructor, the first professional the papers name there. (MCT19180504.2.27)

16. Mill Valley19 Jun 1919J. H. Clark building nine holes

    The papers report that 100 charter members expect to open a nine-hole course being completed by John H. Clark within six weeks. (SFC19190619.2.237)

17. Mill Valley1 Nov 1919"Golf is now a reality"

    The Record declares the roughly 2,500-yard nine-hole links in Boyle Canyon complete, with all but two greens playable. (MVR19191101.2.3)

18. Mill Valley29 Nov 1919Bob Clark engaged as professional

    Bob Clark is engaged permanently as professional and greenkeeper, and the clubhouse roof is finished. (MVR19191129.2.11)

19. 1920s
20. Mill Valley1 Jan 1921Completed clubhouse formally opened

    About seventy-five members attend a New Year's dinner-dance in Ratcliff's completed clubhouse, marked by an address for the club's formal opening. (MVR19210108.2.45)

21. Belvedere25 Sep 1921Marin wins the first county cup

    Final totals: Marin 2,042, Mill Valley 2,089, Belvedere 2,126. (MVR19211001.2.76)

22. Belvedere1 Feb 1922Elected to the USGA

    The club joined the United States Golf Association with Charles F. Preusser as president. (archive.org)

23. Mill Valley15 Sep 1922Bob Clark's hole-in-one on the 4th

    Professional Bob Clark makes the first hole-in-one on the links, at the fourth, in a round of 29; he resigns a month later. (MVR19220916.2.35)

24. Fort Baker26 Mar 1924Gibson's nine-hole course opens

    Col. Percy P. Bishop opens the new nine-hole Army course; officers from five posts play, Mrs. Gibson is hostess. (archive.org)

25. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CCJun 1924An 18-hole plan for Marin

    Willie Locke draws an 18-hole plan for the Marin G&CC; it was probably never built. (SAH19240627.1.1)

26. BelvedereJan 1926Golf Illustrated reports lagoon course

    An 18-hole course on eighty acres of filled Tiburon Lagoon is reported to be in the San Francisco Yacht Club's plans. (digital.la84.org)

27. Fort Baker17 Feb 1926New York Times prints floating-tee story

    The Associated Press story of Fort Baker's $30,000 floating tee and A.E.F. hole names runs in the New York Times. (ProQuest 103910901)

28. Meadow Club1927Meadow Club opens near Fairfax

    Members’ history: password required. (census.csv row meadow-club)

29. 1930s
30. Belvedere27 Sep 1931Course opened to non-members for green fees

    During the Nights in Venice carnival the club held open house and let non-members play the course for a green fee, for the first time. (SN19310925.2.13)

31. Belvedere18 Oct 1933Land Company takes over the clubhouse

    The Belvedere Land Company announces it will take over the abandoned clubhouse and install a caretaker; the Landmarks Society dates the club's end to this day. (landmarkssociety.com)

32. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CC3 Aug 1934Palacio’s 65

    Mat Palacio sets the Marin G&CC amateur record of 65. (ETCM19340829-01.2.44)

33. Sleepy Hollow25 Oct 1934Polly Willard's golf club announced

    The Marin Herald reports a low-cost golf club planned on some 350 acres of the old Sleepy Hollow ranch, with H. A. 'Polly' Willard behind it and options on the land. (SAH19341025.1.4)

34. Sleepy HollowDec 1936First nine opens: par 36

    Kaenel and Willard announce the first nine, east of the clubhouse drive: par 36, given as 3,440 yards. (PAC19361204.1.4)

35. BelvedereFeb 1937Resubdivision map lays streets over course

    Punnett, Parez & Hutchinson's resubdivision of part of Belvedere lays new blocks and avenues across the north end of the island. (cdm17213.contentdm.oclc.org)

36. Sleepy Hollow18 Apr 1937All eighteen holes open

    The full 18-hole Sleepy Hollow Golf Course opens to the public as a public links, said to be in splendid shape. (SAH19370415.1.1)

37. Sleepy Hollow12 Dec 1938Goggin's 65 sets the course record

    In the Northern California PGA pro-am, Willie Goggin and Ed Hitzelberger win with 69-65; the AP says Goggin's own afternoon 65 set a new competitive course record. (OT19381213.1.32)

38. Mill Valley17 Jan 1939Voters approve the golf bonds

    A special election carried the $25,000 bonds by nearly three to one (820 to 327 per the Record). (MVR19390120.2.2)

39. Mill Valley3 Mar 1939Municipal course opens

    The city recorded deeds to nine parcels, 42 acres, and opened the Mill Valley Municipal Golf Course that day. (MVR19390303.2.12)

40. Fort Baker9 Jul 1939Course dedicated at open house

    Forts Baker and Barry hold an open house with an exhibition match, putting and pitch-and-putt contests, a band concert and a reception to dedicate the course. (SN19390706.2.15)

41. 1940s
42. Sleepy Hollow2 Jun 1940Art Bell wins NCPGA with record 31

    Art Bell beats Mark Fry 3 and 2 in the 36-hole final, coming home in 31, a new nine-hole record for the course. (OT19400603.1.11)

43. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CC20 Jul 1940Marin G&CC announces it will close

    The club says it is about to close its doors after 33 years. (PAC19400720.1.4)

44. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CC29 Jul 1941Foreclosure

    The First National Bank of San Rafael takes the Marin G&CC property; the course had closed in May. (MVR19410801.2.39)

45. Fort Baker25 Dec 1941Hospital stands on the old golf ground

    An Army aerial photograph shows the new hospital buildings on the flat above Horseshoe Cove. (npshistory.com)

46. Mill Valley16 Jan 1942Blackout closes clubhouse; holes renumbered

    Night rentals end for lack of blackout shutters, and the holes are renumbered with only 1, 2 and 9 unchanged. (MVR19420116.2.5)

47. San Rafael GC / Marin G&CC13 Jul 1942The army camps on the links

    The 74th Field Artillery Battalion makes the old Marin clubhouse its headquarters. (MVR19420714.2.65)

48. Sleepy Hollow21 Jul 1942Last reported golf at Sleepy Hollow

    The Women's Golf Team of Sleepy Hollow holds its weekly Tuesday tournament, the last play on the course that we have found. (SAH19420723.1.4)

49. Sleepy Hollow13 May 1943Course plowed for potatoes and corn

    Weaver reports the Sleepy Hollow fairways plowed up and the thousand-dollar greens gone, to be replaced by potatoes and corn. (SAH19430513.1.8)

50. Marin Town & Country1944Marin Town and Country Club opens in Fairfax

    A resort said to have had “a golf course”; what kind is unknown. (Marin Magazine, 28 Jul 2023)

51. Sleepy Hollow31 May 194587 course acres sold for $91,000

    Kaenel, Frank Healion and David Adams buy 87 acres of the former course and sell thirty homesites within a week. (SAH19450607.1.1)

52. Fort Baker22 May 1947Golf course "sacrificed" for the hospital

    A Sausalito News photo caption says the course was sacrificed during the war when the hospital buildings were built. (SN19470522.2.46)

53. 1950s
54. Mill Valley4 Apr 1954New dogleg ninth hole opens

    The new ninth green and the first grass tee, at No. 1, open for the Director's Cup in a driving rain. (MVR19540408.2.56)

55. Indian Valley1958Indian Valley opens

    A public 18 on Novato Boulevard, begun as a member-owned club in 1955. (census.csv row indian-valley; PAC 14 Apr 1955)

56. Marin Country Club1959“The new Marin Country Club”

    The Novato club (course by Lawrence M. Hughes) is new in early 1959. (Oakland Tribune, 2 Feb 1959)

57. Peacock Gap1959Peacock Gap opens

    William F. Bell’s course in east San Rafael opens in 1959–60. (census.csv row peacock-gap)

58. 1960s
59. San Geronimo1965San Geronimo opens

    A public 18 in the San Geronimo Valley. (Mill Valley Record, 1965 ads)

60. Mill ValleyMay 1967Course rerouted around the creek

    Parks director Don Dimitratos announces a rerouting so golfers no longer cross the creek on two holes in a row. (MVR19670510.2.19)

61. 1970s
62. Marin Town & Country1972Marin Town and Country Club closes

    The Fairfax resort closes after 28 years. (Marin Magazine, 28 Jul 2023)

63. Mill Valley11 Nov 1975Clubhouse gutted by fire

    An early-morning fire, later judged probable arson, guts the clubhouse interior; on Nov. 17 the council votes 3–2 not to abandon the site. (MVR19751112.2.5)

64. Mill Valley17 Oct 1977Rebuilt clubhouse accepted

    The council accepts the rebuilt clubhouse, with a 99-seat theater, and the Center for the Performing Arts reopens there after two years dark. (MVR19771019.2.6)

65. 1990s
66. McInnis Park1992McInnis Park opens

    The county’s nine-hole executive course on Smith Ranch Road opens in 1992–93. (Marin IJ, 19 Jul 2018)

67. 2000s
68. StoneTree2000StoneTree opens

    Johnny Miller’s course at Black Point, on the old Renaissance Faire site. (census.csv row stonetree)

69. 2010s
70. San GeronimoDec 2017San Geronimo closes

    The course closes; the county buys the land in 2018 and it becomes parkland. (Point Reyes Light, 11 Jan 2018)