In a city of just 49 square miles, miniature golf feels appropriate. And as of this past weekend, San Francisco is home to a total of three putt-putt golf courses.
We love Urban Putt—the craftsmanship of the Transamerica hole, the sparkling wine, those mini corndogs. But when the sun is shining, our urge to play outside is real. When that day arrives, you'll want to make a reservation at the new Stagecoach Greens, now putting in Mission Bay.
Situated next to the food truck lot Spark Social and operated by its founder, Carlos Muela (also of Parklabs and SoMa StrEat Food), the 18-hole course is the vision of avid mini-golfing couple Esther and Jan Cohn Stearns, made manifest by more than 150 local artists and craftsmen.
(Photography by Sarah Chorey)
Similar to Urban Putt, each hole represents a different bit of Bay Area culture, only here the theme is the West's legacy of booms and busts—from a Barbary Coast saloon and the Gold Rush trail to the battle for the tallest building where the Transamerica Pyramid dukes it out with Salesforce Tower (ding ding ding!). Other landmarks in miniature include Chinatown's Dragon Gate and Sutro Tower. So in a way, a day here is like playing through a timeline of our city; and history buffs can read more about each story on Stagecoach's website.
Given its location in the shadow of AT&T Park as well as of the future Warriors arena, Stagecoach Greens seems made for tailgating and post-game shenanigans. You can get your grub on at one of five Parklab food trucks—including permanent residents Al Pastor Papi and Hookt Donuts—team it with a cocktail from the bar dubbed The Watering Hole (get it?), and chill in one of the cabanas.
BRB, we're booking our next tee time.
// Stagecoach Greens, 1379 4th St. (Mission Bay); tickets ($16/adults) can be purchased and tee times booked in advance online at stagecoachgreens.com.
