Golden Gate Park Archery Field

Bring your own target padding or cardboard– Other wise almost nothing left to pin the paper target to.

This is not a real archery range. No one knows to wait, say «clear», go get arrows. People are shooting right paste each other! It’s super dangerous and in no way a legitimate archery range. You’re MUCH better off going to a real range like SF Archers in Pacifica. It’s a shame because I live right by here. Every once in awhile I drive by thinking ‘maybe it’s changed, maybe they’ve gotten it together and made it into a respectable range’, but no, they have not! As a self respecting archer I can’t bear to shoot there. And, IT’S DANGEROUS! People are shooting at the target next to you WHILE YOU’RE GETTING YOUR ARROWS. It’s a real shame! It would be so easy to make it into a real range and teach people proper range etiquette and safety.

There are few archery fields around the area for honing in on your bow & arrow Hunger Games skill. Golden Gate Archery, right off Funston and 47^th is not regulated by a leader, but instead by regulars who dictated which bales were free or not. I’m glad to have gotten a bale on the pavement and not on the grass field because cross-​firing is very likely. Imagine an arrow from 100ft whizzing passed you while you stand at 20ft in the adjacent lane. Definitely need to be highly skilled, confident, or trustworthy of your fellow archerymen. Typically a group of four or more may share a lane, but the pros like to have their own thing going claiming their own lane. It is FREE to shoot afterall. A little nerve-​wrecking at times without regulation.
However, the day rental from the Archery Pro Shop is great! The two establishments are separate but coincide graciously. Our helper, Scott, was very helpful and skilled. He definitely demonstrated that by fixing the fiber optics we brought in on a whim with ease. They abide by a philosophy that is welcoming, all-​inclusive, and it really feels like a community. He let us wander about with the recurves and trusted that we’d bring them back. Also his red beard is such a cool character! I am impressed by the usage of crowded space. It looks like a mom-&-pop one-​stop shop!

«Very Katniss.»
Quote of the day came from my sister.
Shot of the day came from the people shooting arrows at targets in the middle of a public park. Somehow legal. Somewhat dangerous. Something amazing.
Five stars all around.

One of my favorite places in the whole city! It fills up quickly on the weekends so either get there early or wait until later in the afternoon.

I had no idea this place existed… until I signed up for some archery lessons through parks and rec! There are some really awesome archers here that it’s enjoyable just to sit back and watch them shoot for awhile. Last weekend I saw an older man with a legit longbow and some intense looking arrows, it reminded me of Lord of the Rings or something. Mad props to the archery enthusiasts!
I’m learning a lot and it’s so much fun. Even if you don’t shoot just come check out the field while you are wandering around Golden Gate Park! I promise you will be impressed =)

I’m a non-​competitive shooter and I’ve shot here for 30 years, love the place. Really, how can anyone complain? Free lanes, minimal waits during non-​peak, beautiful surrounds and right in the city. A gem.

Talk about an Outer Sunset (/​Outer Richmond) gem, this place is quite gemy. It’s totally free, open to the public, spacious, and in a great location. How can I not take advantage of something like this especially when it’s just a quick mosey from my apartment?
Upon my first visit, I met 2 regulars who saw my wide-​eyed hesitation and quickly deduced that I was a newbie. Rather than shunning me and my obvious lack of experience, one of them offered me a lesson. I don’t usually accept archery lessons from strange men in Golden Gate Park, but telling from his fur-​lined quiver and impressive long-​bow, I decided to accept. Goes to show the openness and friendly atmosphere of the range; there really is no reason to be intimidated.
If you’re going for the first time, be aware of your surroundings and use common sense. Don’t walk in front of people obviously using a target unless you like the feel of cold metal all up in your bits. Also be aware that there are some shooting at 70 yards and others shooting at 20. If it makes you uncomfortable being next to those 70-​yarders, do yourself a favor and find a different target. That’s one thing about this range — there isn’t any regulation as far as who shoots from what distance. There are also people retrieving arrows at will and sifting around in the wooded area behind the targets for wayward arrows. Pay attention and the harmony of his range shall continue!
If you need equipment, the SF Pro Shop is located just up the street a ways on Balboa. How much more convenience can you take?
Also look for some red tailed hawks that hang around here. They sure are purdy.

Where else in The City can you shoot like Robin Hood? RIGHT HERE!!! It’s a nice, wide field where experienced and amateurs alike can target practice. Not as cool as the walking target practice arrangement like in Pacifica but that’s not the point here.
There are two hay bales to the far right that have cemented pathways with distance markers which is nice. Most of the bales are in decent, usable condition. They don’t seem to replace them too often. BTW, you should know basic archery field etiquette before coming… this will keep you out of trouble. Like getting shot! If you are a beginnerr just wanting to try it out, this is not a bad place. However, you are going to have to find someone to teach you. This archery field is part of Goldge Gate Park so there is no store associated with it to offer lessons. You can find some experienced people online for this.
The shortcomings of this place is its location. Situated only blocks from the beach, it can get pretty overcast quickly… not to mention just plain COLD if you are in the shadows.

Free is always a great price! And conveniently located. The downside I feel about this range is the lack of cohesion. I really do not like shooting next to someone shooting at 70 yards when I’m up at 20 – 30 yards. Other target ranges have rules and holler «clear» when collecting arrows all together. Seems a tad unsafe to me.

A free archery range in San Francisco. How cool is that. Watch your gear, it might get stolen by the «Frisco» wild life. I take my bow with me when I retrieve my arrows. If the local wild life get to close — it is all good since I am armed and have a shovel in my car ;-).

awesome place to practice archery, i try to come out here afterwork everyday and in the mornings on weekends. whats there not to like about this place? its free!!! if you own a bow and live in the city theres no excuse not to visit this place regularly.
only caveat is the «seedy» individuals who live in the bushes in the near area… remember to lock your car doors folks.

I love this place !! my fav. Archery spot !

I’ve now been shooting here for over a year several times a week. Except when I shoot point blank in my backyard, you can find me here. Though it gets crowded from 10am — 4pm on the weekends, most of the time it’s not hard to get a lane here. And you can arrive as early as dawn, and stay until sundown.
The concept that this range is free for anyone is a really great amenity. And I continue to be stunned by the weather in this part of the park. It’s often gorgeous when other parts of the Richmond or Sunset are not, and the surrounding trees can cut down on the wind.

A fun place to spend time in the park. Bring your own bow (and arrows). On Sundays it stays busy most of the day. Good for beginners and experts. All sorts of folks shoot here.

Who knew this place existed?! An archery park open to the public! You can also take lessons which my friends and I did for fun. And yes, it was fun! And no, we didn’t wear tights. They teach you the basic principles and provide the bow and arrows. And, it was only like $ 20.
Now I know how to shoot a bow and arrow! hehehe…

My friend’s been telling me about this place for a whole lot of moons, but I’ve never had the chance to come here until now.
Truth be told, my archery experience is somewhat limited. (My brother got me into it.) We have an infamous picture that basically sums up our siblinghood where I’m pretending to shoot him and he’s welcoming the shot. He found a pretty good deal for a bow + arrows and a quiver on ebay, and our quests to become awesome began shortly thereafter.
Officially, I took one quarter of archery at Davis, but during my last couple quarters there, I’d run to the field after one class ended to catch the tail end of their class. (The teacher called me their «guest TA.» lawl. She’s awesome.) I’d run into one of my exercise biology classes two times a week, out of breath from kickboxing/​biking furiously across the entire campus, with my giant backpack, a bag containing the day’s worth of food, and of course, my bow and arrows. My professor probably thought I was crazy, but perhaps also unique? :D? (In my defense, he actually wrote me a really awesome LOR. But I digress.)
I BARTed up to Daly City today to meet up with my friend; we spent a couple hours here and basically shot at targets until our arms got tired. :D The best part = it’s FREE! This definitely beats the cardboard boxes filled with styrofoam/​scrap paper that my brother and I concocted to serve as targets at a local park that shall remain unnamed. ._​.
The range is outdoors, and the targets are set up at different distances. I guess in the more recent year, they covered up the bales of hay so you can now aim at green or black dots, «Pacific Bow Butts» or «Super Butts» if you so choose. This is a huge plus because apparently, back in the day, when it rained, the hay bales would get soggy and pretty disgusting. You can also bring your own targets to pin up if you’d rather use those. There’s no one enforcing rules or anything and you can just take up whatever unoccupied lane there is.
I wouldn’t recommend that you come here if you’ve never done archery before. For one thing, you need to bring your own equipment. There’s also the slight chance that if you happen to be terrible enough at this, you could potentially shoot someone while they’re going to collect their arrows, which would be a rather unpleasant experience for everyone involved.
P. S. There are really cute gophers and cats here, and also several suicidal, low-​flying birds that seem to really like fluttering by right as you shoot. :[ We accidentally mistook a pinecone for an extremely brave bird. Oops. But anyway, try not to kill the animals. :[
P. P. S. Might not be the best place for kids. There were a couple here today who shot their arrows into the sky, which is a genius idea that you should never try unless you wanna die (or just possibly get injured, but that doesn’t rhyme).

So nice to have an archery range near my house, for free!
The Facility– Its no frills… There are lanes at different distances with a bale at the end. Bring your own target and pin it up. There is no firing line, I just marked paces to find where I wanted to shoot from. But to have bales out for a range you don’t have to pay for is awesome!
If you haven’t shot before I would recommend you don’t start here unless you’re doing a lesson or going with someone who has. You will need your own equiptment and there is no marked firing line and no one making sure the range is clear for everyone to retrieve arrows… This didn’t really worry me since everyone out there was pretty good. But it would be worrisome for a beginner and also is not a great way to learn range rules. For these reasons I also wouldn’t recommend it for childrens.
People were nice too, I met the one man team that shoots for UCSF and enjoyed chatting with him. Apparently they do have organized shoots out there from time to time also.

I haven’t actually shot here, but I’ve observed which is good enough.
The field is free and outdoors. Anyone can come and shoot, which is always nice. The targets are stacked so if someone next to you shoots badly, theoretically you could get hit. However, I don’t think anyone is THAT bad and the targets aren’t THAT close together.
I wished that they had rentals. It would be great to able to participate without actually having to spend $ 400+ on a bow and a few arrows.
Apparently, there are free lessons on some Sundays.

I come here at least once a week. I love that it’s free, that there’s no reservation necessary, no range marshall enforcing all the rules, just a clear signpost stating the rules. Basically no crossbows and no broad-​heads.
Go to the shop on Balboa and rent a bow, get a quick lesson in the shop or maybe spring for a lesson at the range. The owner is really friendly and will come down to the range with you. Then get out and enjoy the outdoors. It’s a great hobby that will get you off the internet and out onto the green grass. It’s not pysically difficult, but it does improve your coordination and concentration. And wouldn’t you love to waste a burglar with a bow and arrow? I know I would. And once you stop loosing arrows into the woods, it doesn’t cost anything. FREE FUN!
My beloved archery range gets my hundredth Unilocal.And I’ll post pics.