But the body of the course has been fleshed out to its full beauty, the fairways and green complexes brought back to life. Though Harding gains some of its grandeur from the stately trees that frame it, it also owes its aura to its place in history. It’s a great walk that doubles as an amble back through time. Then again, the past is ever-
present when you peg it at a public track around these parts. You sense it when you make the rounds at Golden Gate Park Golf Course, a sweet par-3 track engulfed by the storied park that shares its name. You feel it when you swing by gritty Gleneagles, a great sleeper of a layout, run on a shoestring, that Lee Trevino is said to have described as the toughest nine- holer he ever played. And it hits you with full force when you shoot south, just beyond the city limits, to Sharp Park, yet another muni whose shabby facade belies it sparkling pedigree. One of the rare public courses built by Alister Mackenzie, Sharp Park has endured years of legal battles, targeted by environmentalists who would like to see it closed. But the course has staunch defenders, and a movement is afoot to refurbish the coastal layout, which bears Mackenzie’s vivid imprint in its decep- tive bunkers and artful doglegs, flanked by bouffant hairdo cypress trees.
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NCGA.ORG / FALL 2014
Perhaps the San Francisco City Championship’s greatest match took place in 1956, when Ken Venturi (left photo), squared off in the finals against his friend and defending champ, Harvie Ward (above).
Harding’s Hidden Gem The Fleming 9 Golf Course at TPC Harding Park
all it Harding’s Mini-Me. It played a major role in Ken Venturi’s career. Before he had enough game for the championship course, Venturi built his skills on what was then a six-hole practice course, tucked within the boundaries of the larger 18. In 1961, that practice track
expanded into a nine-hole layout, and was named in honor of former city golf caretaker, Jack Flem- ing. A par-30 course, the Fleming 9 has two sets of tees, playing 2,165 yards and 1,865 yards, respec- tively, and offers much of the beauty and artistry of its sibling, at a more manageable scale.
The Fleming Course’s eighth hole
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