rehill:Harding Park... hm, I think I have played there before. I was pretty young, but I remember it being pretty nice. Do you play there often?
Well, when my father (70) plays.. or my son (11)... both of which have been playing for a year or less, we play the 9 hole Jack Fleming course (par 30) nestled smack in the middle of Harding. It's maintained by the same crew on the same schedule with all the amenities of Harding... so it's fantastic. One of the best Par 3 / Executive courses I have ever been on... (but then again, I'm biased.)
We are there a minimum of 3 times a month.... year round... matter of fact played this morning. It's also nice that it's less than 10 mins away.
If you played it as a kid, you probably found a dog track. From the late 70s to 2000 it was a punchline. It wasn't until 2002 that the PGA came in and helped them completely restore it, lengthen it and make it one of the best muni's in the country, imho. But then again, it's got some pretty impressive neighbors to contend with.... San Francisco CC, Lake Merced CC and the ever famous Olympic Club are all 5 minutes away from first tee to first tee.
From the article linked below is a great paragraph:
After several decades of neglect, Harding Park finally hit bottom in 1998 when it was used as a parking lot for the U.S. Open at neighboring Olympic Club.
Harding is where Johnny Miller cut his golf teeth, if you will. USA Today article here.
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Oh, and Faterson.. if you're looking at Orange County, I would suggest talking to SweetiePie. She's much closer to the OC then I am.
But, If I'm there in Europe and looking to move somewhere sunny and warm, I would think the south of France would be my first choice,... maybe northern Spain... Sunny California would have to be about 9th or 10th on the list.