Tony Lema

Named for one of the Bay Area's most beloved golf sons, this municipal course carries real emotional weight. Tony Lema — "Champagne Tony" — grew up poor in Oakland, caddied at local courses, and rose to become the 1964 Open Championship winner at St Andrews before dying tragically in a 1966 plane crash at just 32. Naming a public course after him feels exactly right: he was a man of the people, and this is a course built for everyday players.

San Leandro sits on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, where the flatlands meet the foothills of the East Bay hills. The area's golf culture is unpretentious and well-worn, shaped by a working-class tradition that Lema himself embodied. Afternoon winds off the Bay are a reliable feature across much of this region, adding a layer of difficulty that no scorecard communicates.

As a municipal layout, Tony Lema offers East Bay residents an accessible, affordable entry point into the game — the kind of public facility that keeps golf democratic, and a fitting tribute to a man who never forgot where he came from.