10 Exclusive Places In San Francisco You'll Never Get Into

San Francisco is home to some of the country’s oldest and most exclusive clubs, most of which are completely off-access to the general public. From a club whose members are made up of the U.S.’s most elite athletes, to a club you can't even talk about being a member, San Francisco has a little taste of it all. It’s old money, new money, and no money. The city’s rich history and beautiful landscape were a perfect catalyst for the social club, so it’s no surprise they’re abundant.

So light up that cigar, tie up your boat, clean your gun, swing your golf clubs, and make room for some delicious Italian food, as these are the hardest places to get into in San Francisco.

Address: 800 Powell St.

Founded in 1890 by William Thomas, a Harvard alum and President of the Harvard Club of San Francisco, the University Club set out to have a meeting place for alumni of a wider range of universities, including Stanford, University of California, Berkeley, and other Ivy League schools. In 1906, after their second location was ruined in the infamous earthquake, The University Club bought a lot on Nob Hill where they built a four-story brick clubhouse, which still serves as their current headquarters. Membership at the “venue for the city’s cultural and intellectual life and a worldwide center for the sport of squash” is by invitation only and maxes out at 400 people, so if you didn’t attend one of our country’s prestigious schools, or if you don’t know anyone who’s a member, leave your racquet at home.

Address: 624 Taylor St.

Way back in April of 1872, a group of journalists started a private gentleman’s club for those who wished to promote a fraternal connection with other men who had a strong appreciation for the arts. The journalists were to be regular members, while artists and musicians were given an honorary membership. Eventually, businessmen with an understanding of the arts were allowed to join, and it wasn’t long before these rich and powerful members took the club over. (Shocker.) Over the years, members have included presidents, CEOs of large corporations, military contractors and more, but as the Bohemian Club law states, 10 percent of its members must be accomplished men in the arts. Their motto, “Weaving Spiders Come Not Here,” taken from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, means that the members must leave their business affairs outside. Today, the club has a select number of members in public domain, but a majority of the membership list is private.

Address: 524 Post St.

On May 6, 1860, 23 charter members founded The Olympic Club, turning their informal gymnastic training sessions into an organized institution. The goal of the new club was to “strengthen and improve the body by gymnastic exercises.” Today, The Olympic Club—whose Union Square clubhouse boasts a fitness center, cardio solarium, hotel facilities, handball and squash courts, circuit training facilities, two basketball courts, and two swimming pools—has over 5,000 active members who compete in 19 different sports. The OC is also famous for their Lakeside Clubhouse, located near Lake Merced, whose golf course played host to the U.S. Open in 2012. Membership is by invitation only and requires three members for a proposal. It’s time to start working out…

Address: 489 Terry Francois Blvd.

In the late 1930s, Joe Boesl, who repaired rowboats and owned a tavern in Hunter’s Point, approached John Allemand and his friend Woody and asked them to build a place for his boat repair business. A structure was raised on a site adjacent to the tavern, and a second story was added to provide Boesl with living quarters. Customers, friends, and locals would socialize at the shop, and it eventually evolved into a proper club. Today, any prospective members must own some type of seagoing vessel and be sponsored by two current members. So heed the call local SFers. Grab your yacht (or rowboat), your two friends who own larger yachts (or rowboats) who are already members, and head on down to the Bayview Boat Club. Sounds easy, right?

Address: 27 Hotaling Pl.

San Francisco’s Hotaling Place, a one-car-wide street in the city’s Financial District, is home to Villa Taverna, a private club that opened in February of 1960. The club was started for the city’s leading families who wished to celebrate Italian culture and cuisine. Today, the club has a mere 460 members including Senator Diane Feinstein and her husband, UC Regents Chairman Richard Blum, Gordon and Ann Getty, and former Secretary of State George Schultz. The clubhouse is not as grand as some of the others on this list, but that’s part of the appeal for its members. The restaurant, with its white brick walls, red velvet, and harlequin tile floors, allows members to check their business affairs at the door and be waited on by male servers with linen towels draped over their arms. Beats a Mission-style burrito for lunch, or maybe not…

Address: 520 John Muir Dr.

The Pacific Rod & Gun Club has been operating since 1928, and after a lease dispute with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission last year, they’re back up and running on their original home on Lake Merced. It’s the only outdoor shooting range in the city, and for the last 85 years, they’ve welcomed members like Clark Gable, Ernest Hemingway, and many more. While anyone can come use the facilities at the Gun Club to shoot shotguns and .22 caliber rifles, membership is limited to only 400 people, which includes some of our country’s finest Olympic shooters.

Address: 1000 California St.

The Pacific-Union Club was founded in 1889 when the Pacific Club (founded in 1852) and the Union Club (founded in 1854) merged. Their iconic clubhouse in Nob Hill is an enormous brownstone, built for silver magnate James Clair Flood, and one of two buildings in the area to survive the 1906 earthquake. This is the crème de la crème of San Francisco elites, and after almost 125 years, it is still only for men. In fact, the members’ wives must come in the back door if they wish to eat lunch with their husbands. There’s exclusive, and then there’s places you’ll never get into. This is the latter.

Address: 1310 Junipero Serra Blvd.

The San Francisco Golf Club is as hard to get into as it is to find. Just past San Francisco State on I-280, slow at the sign for Thomas Moore Church and drive until you see a small, hidden sign that says “SF Golf Club.” The club’s course, overlooking the Pacific and considered by many as one of the best in the world, was designed by the famous A.W. Tillinghast. Over 20 years ago, the club lost its role as host to PGA events because it had no female or minority members. In 2004, the club famously said no to Scott McNearly, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems, who had recently been named the best CEO golfer in the country by Golf Digest. Maybe the SFGC hates technology, maybe they hate good golfers, but one thing is for sure—they probably won’t let you in.

Address: 550 Montgomery St.

Ok, so the Wingtip Club isn’t as ultra-exclusive as the rest of the institutions on this list, but that’s sort of the beauty. The Wingtip Club has its roots in retail, carrying men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, grooming products, wine, cigars, and home goods. The Wingtip Club, located in SF’s Financial District, is a modern take on the social club, exclusive but not stuffy and filled with old men in blazers and oversized pleated khakis. The building offers food service all day, with a main bar and lounge, private parlor rooms, a “wine cave,” game rooms, a board room, roof deck, and of course, their storefront. And if you need to be shuttled around the city, hop into one of the club’s Audis. Initiation fees can cost up to $2,500 with $200 monthly dues, but hey, some of us want a little 21st century style when smoking our cigars with an eau-de-vie.

Address: 24 Willie Mays Plaza

A Giants game at San Francisco’s AT&T Park is never not a good time, but if you’ve ever had the honor of knowing someone (or knowing someone who knows someone) who’s an Oracle Level suite holder, then you’ll know exactly what you’re really missing out on. Each of the seven Oracle Level suites at the stadium have interior and exterior HDTVs, a kitchenette, a wet bar, and Wi-Fi access. And each game comes with anywhere from 16 to 30 tickets, depending on the suite, but the real kicker is the complimentary full scoreboard message. Just think what you can do with that. Play ball!