Due to an agreement in 2010 between the City & County of San Francisco and the PGA Tour, which now operates the course, the name changed from Harding Park Golf Course. The course was named in memory of avid golfer and 29th President of the United States Warren G. Harding, who died in San Francisco in 1923.

The course opened with a Sam Whiting / Willie Watson co-design in 1925 and hosted the San Francisco Open until 1969, when the PGA Tour abandoned the course due to deteriorating conditions and obsolete facilities. After the course was used as a parking lot for the 1998 men's U.S. Open at nearby Olympic, former USGA president Sandy Tatum set out the raise funds to restore Harding Park to its former glory. Many arguments, legal wrangling, and several changes of management ensued before the course re-opened on August 22, 2003.

The chief features here are the huge Monterey Cypress trees and nearby Lake Merced. Also here is the popular 9-hole executive-length Fleming Golf Course and an all-season practice area with TourTurf™ surfaces. The First Tee of San Francisco is also based here.

Since the reopening, Harding Park has hosted the 2005 WGC-American Express (Tiger Woods over John Daly in a playoff), the 2009 Presidents Cup (U.S. 19½, Internationals 14½), the 2010 Schwab Cup Championship (John Cook), and the 2015 WGC-Match Play (Rory McIlroy).

Notable future events will include the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2025 Presidents Cup.