Part of the fun of city golf is having a San Francisco limo or car service pick you up at your hotel and deliver your party to the course. Then when your game is over, your driver awaits, just as he does of Tiger.
It's always smart to call several weeks ahead for tee times, deposit requirements and to reserve a Quicksilver Towncar or Suburban to pick you up at the airport. (800) 486-9622 The Suburban easily holds four golf bags and all your luggage.
Harding Park San Francisco was designed by architect Willie Watson in 1925. Among its kudos are a Top 50 US Courses ranking by Golf Digest and a place among ?Top 100 You Can Play? by Golf Magazine.
Harding Park played host to the 2005 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. The American Express event in October of 2005, which saw Tiger Woods defeating John Daly on the second playoff hole.
Harding Park Golf Course is located next to the private Olympic Club course which has been host to many U. S. Open tournaments and is less than one mile from the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Zoo. Harding Park's layout follows the original 1925 plan, using the property's existing topography, contours and vegetation. Features include the towering Monterey Cypress trees and a view of Lake Merced where high school crews practice on a dogleg 2k course.
Tee-times for Harding Park Golf Course are available 8 - 30 days in advance. A non-refundable deposit is required for advance booking at the time of the reservation. To make an advance reservation, call the Harding Park Pro Shop at 415-664-4690. http://www.harding-park.com/view.asp'id=129&page=1727
If You Are Staying In SF Consider Playing These
One-Of-A-Kind Bay Area Golf Courses.
Lincoln Park Golf Course, 300 34th Ave, San Francisco, (415)221-9911, is easily one of the two or three most beautiful courses in northern California. Lincoln is the oldest course in this list; its 18 holes were built in 1908, designed by Tom Bendelow.
Located west of the famous bridge, several fairways provide postcard views of the Pacific and Golden Gate. If you play this course carry a camera in your bag. City of San Francisco golf info: http://www.sfgov.org/site/recpark
Tilden Park Golf Course is located across the bay in Berkeley at the intersection of Grizzly Peak and Shasta Road, above the University of California campus. (510)848-7373. This is a challenging hillside course. Tilden Park's signature first hole is a 420-yard par 4, straight uphill to an elevated green. My father-in-law compared it to playing the Royal Course in Nepal. The 18 hole course was built in 1937 and designed by William P. Bell.
Tilden is notorious for its hills and natural setting. According to one report, the front nine is fairly forgiving, but things change on the back nine, which starts with a vertigo-inducing tee that recalls Olympic ski jumps, followed by narrower fairways. http://tildenparkgc.americangolf.com/
There are many golf courses in the Bay Area, but we suggest trying these courses which are open to the public, inexpensive and well know to your Quicksilver Towncar driver.
It's a familiar situation, a business traveler or vacationing couple is headed for the Bay Area and reserves a car for airport pick-up. The car service company quotes the rate for towncar service from an airport to San Francisco or Napa Valley ? and of course there is a tax. But wait, travelers should be aware that there is no legal tax for limo and car service. Check with your car service before you make a reservation.
Using a limousine or towncar for the trip into San Francisco saves money for the traveler because hotels can charge $25 to $85 dollars a day for parking in their garage. For someone attending a convention or trade show garage charges can be avoided by reserving a clean Lincoln Towncar or SUV with a pre-screened, professional driver from Quicksilver Towncar or another limo service.
Then if the traveler wants to take a wine tour to taste the chardonnays in Alexander Valley, or the costal Pinot's in the Santa Cruz Mountains, they can rent a car for the day for less that the cost of hotel parking.
Truth About Car Service Taxes
The fact is, there are no taxes on services in California. This is something every traveler should know. This includes Oakland Airport, San Francisco International Airport and San Jose Minetta International there are no taxes on limo or car services.
Don't get scammed by your limo or car service. A per passenger surcharge is prohibited by the P.U.C (California Public Utilities Commission) for limousine carriers. You are renting the whole car.
The real PUC tax is small. The P.U.C. operating fee is only 25 cents per $100.00, 2.5 tenths of 1 percent. Most reputable limo and car service companies do not pass this along to any customer.
It's All About Them
Each Bay Area airport has its own way of operating. Here are some urls to help you plan your trip.
- SFO: Limousine transportation information http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/tofrom/transp-serv/limo/
- SJC: Mineta San Jose International Airport Ground Transportation: http://www.sjc.org/travelers/ground_trans.html
Travelers Alerts
Potential bottleneck: In November 2005 the San Jos? City Council approved a $1.5 billion implementation revision to the terminal area improvement program for the Mineta San Jos? International Airport Master Plan. The first major element of the new airport is the North Concourse, currently under construction, located between Terminal C (American and Southwest) and Terminal A (everybody else). This quarter-mile long ?horizontal high rise? will have nine gates, new dining and retail concessions, and will feature a ?paseo? much like the downtown San Jose open air dining and club strip. Mid 2008 is a generous estimate for the completion date.
SFO new cell phone lot: SFO has added a new free parking lot where people can wait for arriving passenger to call before going to pick them up. Quicksilver Towncar Service has the same arrangement with its drivers. For a map of the new cell phone waiting lot go to http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/parking/options/cell-phone/index.html.
For business travelers or vacationing couples traveling to the bay understanding the transportation trade-offs and knowing the law helps the smart traveler save money.