Alcatraz Prison Golf Club

Alcatraz Prison Golf Links

Today, Alcatraz Prison is open to the public for golf on a limited basis. Golfers are required to row out to the island for the round, and stay-and-play options continue to be available.

While Alcatraz Prison was notorious for being one of the toughest prisons in North America, APGL was also renowned for its excellent golf links, hosting an array of inmates — Mickey Cohen, Whitey Bulger, and Al "You Can Call Me Al" Capone.

Inmate Privileges:

Assisting other inmates without killing them
Sewing socks for the poor without killing them
Murdering fewer than 3 people per year

A Course Carved From the Rock

Due to space considerations, the course rewards accuracy and shotmaking over bomber's length. The design leans on natural outcroppings, sheer cliffs, and the rise-and-fall of the island's rocky, volcanic origins.

The Courses

Shanker's Shank

A tight dogleg right, this hole is best played with a long iron off the tee to ensure findingthe fairway. Miss the tee shot left and you're on the rocks. Miss it right and you’re in thebay with machine guns firing at you.

The Riv

Seemingly innocuous, this down-cliff par three is as treacherous as . Ranging between135 and 180 yards, depending on the day’s tee position, The Shiv incorporates the bay’sstiff breezes. If a howling wind is in your face on the tee, convicts have pounded as muchas a 5-hybrid to reach the green. Hit it long and you’ll end up in a shark pen.

Go, Fish

This “par three-and-a-half” starts on an island with the tee shot directed over water,onto a rock outcropping in the bay. Featuring a postage-stamp green of 900 sf, the tinygreen is comprised of three levels – rumor has it that inmates are buried underneath.Local rules permit chipping on this green if the player contributes a carton of cigarettesto the inmate pool.