Poplar Creek Golf Course

What Poplar Creek Golf Course does

Poplar Creek Golf Course is a municipal 18-hole championship golf facility located at 1700 Coyote Point Drive in San Mateo, California, owned and operated by the City of San Mateo. Originally built in 1933 as The San Mateo Municipal Golf Course, the facility was closed in April 1999 for a complete renovation by architect Steve Halsey and reopened on July 11, 2000 under the 'Poplar Creek' brand. The course is reported to host more than 75,000 rounds annually and over 250 group events per year, making it one of the most heavily played public courses in Northern California.

The facility's core product is the 18-hole championship course (70.2 rating, 115 slope), supported by a driving range, putting greens, and a short-game practice center. Supporting services include professional golf instruction (individual and group lessons from a four-person teaching staff led by Head Professional Dana Banke), a Get Golf Ready beginner program, junior golf development clinics, and full-service tournament and corporate outing planning. Customer segments span individual public golfers, San Mateo city residents (eligible for discounted resident rates), seniors, juniors, and recurring weekly club members across three organized clubs (Men's on Saturdays, Women's on Wednesdays, San Mateo Women's on Tuesdays). Online tee-time booking is delivered through foreUP Software, and VIP memberships are managed through the Supreme Golf platform.

The business model is multi-stream transaction-based revenue anchored on green fees (weekday rates $25-$47, weekend rates $33-$64 depending on tee time and category), supplemented by golf cart and equipment rentals, range bucket sales, recurring club memberships ($87-$125 annually), and event/outing fees. The course is currently undergoing a multi-phase facility reinvestment program, including an irrigation well drilling project (Phase 2 expected Fall 2026) and a forthcoming Request for Proposals for a new food and beverage operator to reopen the on-site restaurant and banquet facility.

Name

Poplar Creek Golf Course

Legal name

Poplar Creek Golf Course

Website

https://poplarcreekgolf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Poplar Creek Golf Course is a municipal 18-hole championship golf facility in San Mateo, California, owned by the City of San Mateo. It serves individual public golfers, residents, juniors, and corporate event organizers, hosting over 75,000 rounds and 250 group events annually with instruction, driving range, and membership programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Golf Course / Municipal Golf Facility

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Basketball Leagues (MPAKAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Golf Clubs & Tournament-Host Clubs (Professional/Elite Golf Clubs) (MPAKABAE)

Keywords

• Municipal golf course
• Public golf rounds
• Golf instruction lessons
• Golf tournament hosting
• Driving range practice

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Green Fees: Revenue from daily golf rounds charged at varying rates based on day of week (weekday/weekend), time of day (regular, twilight, super twilight, early AM back nine), and player category (general public, city residents, seniors, juniors).
2. Equipment Rentals: Revenue from golf cart rentals (single and two-rider), pull carts, and club rentals.
3. Golf Instruction: Revenue from individual and group golf lessons provided by certified golf professionals, with tiered pricing for half-hour and hour lessons, and discounted series packages.
4. Tournament and Event Hosting: Revenue from hosting golf tournaments and corporate/outings events for groups and organizations, including customized packages.
5. Driving Range: Revenue from practice range bucket sales (warm-up, small, medium, large) and short game practice area access fees. Also includes discount range card packages.
6. Golf Club Memberships: Annual membership fees for Poplar Creek Golf Club ($125 annually), Poplar Creek Women's Golf Club ($90 annually), and San Mateo Women's Golf Club ($87 annually), each including NCGA and GHIN Index dues.
7. 10-Play Cards: Pre-paid discount cards for frequent golfers, available in senior general and resident variants at discounted rates compared to single-round pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Poplar Creek Golf Course operates an 18-hole championship municipal golf course in San Mateo, California, selling daily green fee rounds, driving range access, golf cart and club rentals, professional instruction (individual and group lessons, junior programs, Get Golf Ready beginner clinics), tournament and corporate outing hosting, and annual memberships through its men's and women's golf clubs. The facility is owned by the City of San Mateo and uses foreUP software for online tee-time bookings and Supreme Golf for VIP membership management.

Product overview

Poplar Creek Golf Course is a municipal 18-hole championship golf course in San Mateo, California, operated by the City of San Mateo. The facility operates as a single unified golf course with multiple supporting services and programs. Core offerings include the championship 18-hole course (originally built in 1933, fully renovated in 2000), a driving range, and professional golf instruction. The course is complemented by various golf club organizations (Poplar Creek Golf Club on Saturdays, San Mateo Women's Golf Club on Tuesdays, and Poplar Creek Women's Golf Club on Wednesdays), tournament and event hosting services, junior instruction programs, and the Get Golf Ready beginner program. The facility uses foreUP software for online tee time bookings and Supreme Golf for VIP membership management. A restaurant and banquet facility is currently undergoing renovation with plans to select a new food and beverage operator.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 18-Hole Championship Golf Course An 18-hole championship golf course originally built in 1933, completely renovated and reopened in July 2000 with a new design by architect Steve Halsey. The course hosts over 75,000 rounds annually and is home to the Robert O'Brien Junior Championship and San Mateo County Championship.
• Driving Range Practice facility open 7 days a week (Wed-Sun sunrise to sunset; Mondays close at 2:00 PM; Tuesdays open 10:00 AM for maintenance). Features bucket pricing (Warm Up $9, Small $12, Medium $15, Large $14), a Short Game Practice Area ($6), and discount range cards ($100 for $120 value; $200 for $250 value).
• Golf Equipment Rentals

Quantifiable outcome

• 75,000+ rounds played annually
• +1 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Mariners Point Golf Links: Public par-3 and driving range facility in Foster City, California, also operated by a municipal-style entity adjacent to Poplar Creek's San Mateo market. Comparable as a Peninsula public golf facility focused on beginner-friendly and short-format play.
• Stanford Golf Course: Public-access golf course on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, California. Comparable as a Peninsula public golf facility with championship pedigree, though operated by a private institution; shares the same Bay Area public-golfer demographic and competitive set.
• Sunol Valley Golf Course: Public 18-hole municipal golf course in Sunol, California, operated by Alameda County. Comparable as a Northern California public daily-fee course with similar green-fee pricing tiers, driving range, junior programs, and tournament/event hosting.
• Crystal Springs Golf Course: Public golf course in Burlingame, California, just north of Poplar Creek. Comparable as a San Francisco Peninsula municipal-style public course serving a similar Bay Area customer base with comparable public-rate pricing and municipal-district ownership dynamics.
• Metropolitan Golf Links: Public municipal golf course in Oakland, California. Comparable as a Bay Area public daily-fee course with similar 18-hole championship layout, public green-fee tiers, and tournament/event hosting serving the East Bay portion of the same regional market.
• Corica Park Golf Course: Public municipal golf course complex in Alameda, California. Comparable as a Northern California municipal golf operation with public green fees, driving range, instruction, and tournament hosting — drawing from the same broader Bay Area public-golfer segment.

Direct peers

• Baylands Golf Links: Public 18-hole links-style course in Palo Alto, California, operated by the City of Palo Alto. Directly comparable as a Peninsula municipal golf course with similar public green-fee pricing, tournament hosting, and instruction programming for the same Bay Area demographic.
• Sharp Park Golf Course: Historic municipal golf course in Pacifica, California, owned by the City and County of San Francisco. Directly comparable as a public municipal championship-length course on the San Francisco Peninsula with similar tournament hosting and public green-fee model.
• Shoreline Golf Links: Municipal golf course in Mountain View, California, operated by the City of Mountain View. Comparable as a Silicon Valley public golf course with similar resident-discount pricing structure, driving range, and instruction offerings serving the same South Bay / Peninsula corridor.

Broad incumbents

• TPC Harding Park: Premier public municipal golf course in San Francisco, operated under the TPC brand by the PGA Tour. Comparable as a public-access championship municipal course in the Bay Area, with overlapping tournament-hosting positioning and shared Bay Area customer base, though at a higher price point.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/poplar-creek-golf-course

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Poplar Creek Golf Course