Known for its natural beauty, progressive politics, preeminent universities, leading technology companies, and affluence, the Bay Area is also a golfer’s paradise. Spanning over 100 municipalities and 9 counties, it offers a wide range of settings to play the game. One of the very best locales is a splendid sanctuary called CordeValle.
Situated in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains south of San Jose and surrounded by rolling meadows and tree-laced hills, this 1,700-acre golf resort is a hidden gem.
What makes this such a good place to base a golf holiday is not only its own superb golf course, top spa, dining with views (Lion’s Peak Grill and the One Iron Bar), and sumptuous accommodations (a range of bungalows, fairway homes, and villa suites), but also its proximity to some of the very best tracks around.
Less than an hour’s drive south on Highway 101 are all the golf treasures of Monterey, such as Spanish Bay, Poppy Hills, Spyglass, Pacific Grove, and Pebble Beach.
CordeValle Resorts
Courtesy: CordeValle Resorts
Heading west towards Santa Cruz, also about an hour away, you can enjoy the brilliant Pasatiempo, created by world-renowned golf architect Alister MacKenzie. Despite also designing the iconic Augusta National and Cypress Point, it’s said that Pasatiempo was his favorite layout and where he made his American home, which still borders the sixth fairway.
Drive north for just over an hour, and you’ll find yourself teeing off at the fabulous Half Moon Bay Golf Links. Situated on more than a mile of beautiful beaches along the San Mateo County Coast, this resort features a pair of tremendous courses.
These two beautifully different golf courses include The Old Course, designed by Arnold Palmer, and Arthur Hills’ Ocean Course.
The former, opened in 1973, is a lush parkland design with distinctive edges and corridor views of the Pacific. The course includes several challenging dog-legs, multiple water hazards, and tree-lined fairways, rewarding strategic players over long hitters. The latter is a Scottish Links-style layout with firm, wide-open fairways bordered by wispy native grasses and seasonal wildflowers. The changes in elevation add drama, as does the varying weather, including prevailing onshore winds, coastal fog, and attention-getting sunsets.
After each golf excursion, retreat to the peace and serenity of CordeValle, nestled in the heart of northern California’s wine country. Now, tee off at the resort’s own Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed golf course. This club, which offers four membership programs, provides a challenge and enjoyment on par with the surrounding courses. Host to the Women’s U.S. Open in 2016 and several PGA events, the golf course is a 7,360-yard, par-72 layout. The routing takes full advantage of the natural elevation changes, incorporating wide meadows, streams, and prominent oak and sycamore trees. Generously stocked self-service refreshment booths further enhance the round.
After your round, soothe those muscles and joints at CordeValle’s state-of-the-art spa, a sanctuary of wellness, relaxation, and renewal, before your next tee time. A full gym, pools, tennis/pickleball, archery, and bocce ball are among the other activities here.
“CordeValle is a luxury retreat filled with countryside charm. A haven of serenity, wellness, and extraordinary experiences,” said Managing Director Luca Rutigliano.
Courtesy: CordeValle Resort
While CordeValle offers a secluded foothill retreat, the Shashi Hotel provides an urban resort experience in the heart of Silicon Valley. Located in Mountain View within walking distance to Google’s HQ, Microsoft, and the Computer History Museum, it doesn’t take much to see that this 200-room hotel is also in a prime spot to access more of the area’s golf courses.
This innovative hotel blends tradition and technology, featuring a modern, minimalist design. Along with the welcoming Broma restaurant serving Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, it offers easy access to the Stanford University golf course, Shoreline Golf Links, and Sunnyvale Golf Links. Additionally, there are two must-play experiences: Baylands Golf Links up the street in Palo Alto and The Course at Wente Vineyards in Livermore.
At Baylands, players can enjoy plenty of roll on the fairways, particularly with favorable winds.
This completely redesigned, Troon-managed, links-style course opened for play in 2018 on the grounds of the former Palo Alto Municipal Golf Club. GolfWeek magazine has consistently ranked it among the Best Public Courses You Can Play in California.
Located on the east side of the Bay Area, The Course at Wente Vineyards is a challenging championship layout with an elegant, private club feel. Its beautiful design winds through acres of grapevines, part of an 1883-vintage winery, the oldest continuously operating family-owned winery in the country. It is also one of the state’s highest-rated public facilities.
Courtesy: Wente Vineyards
While the tee shot landing areas are generous, accuracy is crucial on approach shots to the layout’s sloping greens and massive bunkers, navigating the numerous sycamore and oak trees. The elevation changes create some blind shots, but the dramatic, switchback-filled cart path from the 9th green to the 10th tee offers breathtaking views. The round closes where water comes into play, as creeks, wetlands, and a small lake add to the beauty and strategy of these final holes of the 7,181-yard, par-72 track.
While mid-summer rounds can get warm, The Grill provides the perfect spot to cool down and toast your playing partners. Relax with a glass of wine and savor the exceptional view of the 18th green and surrounding vineyards.
While the new Shashi Hotel complements its high-tech surroundings, it’s time for golfers to experience a classic hotel in a classic city and play some classic courses.
The Fairmont San Francisco, a beacon of style and grandeur for over a century, is a living monument of The City By the Bay. Opened in 1907, this regal Beaux-Arts landmark, this iconic 5-star hotel combines timeless elegance and peerless comfort.
To complement your historic accommodations, it’s only fitting to tee off at some of San Francisco’s most storied golf courses.
Courtesy: Fairmont San Francisco
Nestled within a national park, the Presidio Golf Course was established in 1895 to serve the military when it was an Army base. Since 1995, this 6,500-yard course has been open to the public. Renowned for its spectacular forest setting, including rows of massive eucalyptus and Monterey pine trees, as well as its challenging play that includes lots of elevation changes and blind shots, you’ll have a ball here.
Steeped in history and shrouded in occasional rain and fog, stands San Francisco’s Olympic Club.
Home to two 18-hole tracks – the Ocean Course and the Lake Course, these are hallowed grounds for those who’d welcome walking the same fairways and putting on the same greens as some of the all-time greats, particularly on Lakeside.
The Lake Course was once called “the best in the west” by famed champion Bobby Jones. With forest-lined fairways and spectacular views of San Francisco, the Lake Course is one of the premier courses in the U.S. and unsurprisingly has played host to countless tournaments and championships, including six U.S. Opens.
Courtesy: Presidio Golf
Between shots, let your mind wander back in time. Imagine the 1955 U.S. Open, where underdog Jack Fleck defeated the legendary Ben Hogan (using Hogan’s own clubs!). Or the 1966 U.S. Open, where Arnold Palmer’s seemingly insurmountable lead slipped away to Billy Casper. And don’t forget the 1987 U.S. Open, where Scott Simpson held off the charge of Tom Watson.
Looking to play a round at Olympic? You could try and find a member to sponsor you as a guest, or you might be interested in simply joining. The Club offers both resident and nonresident membership options. Every member has access to book tee times.
As for those living outside of the Bay Area, the Club also offers a special Nonresident Golf Privilege which will gain you unfiltered access to one of the most iconic courses on the West Coast.
Courtesy The Olympic Club
Just a few minutes away from the private Olympic Club is another Bay Area course where you can feel a part of history.
TPC Harding Park, like The Presidio, is a public facility. It hosted the 2020 PGA Championship. Making his PGA Championship debut that year, and second major appearance, former Cal Berkeley student, Collin Morikawa won by two strokes ahead of runners-up Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson. What is also noteworthy was that, at one point over 40,000 spectators were expected daily, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after moving it back several months, it was the first major played in over a year, and had no spectators in attendance.
Though renovated in 2005 (with further greens renovation in late 2013), a player can certainly feel the Bay Area history here as one moves from hole to hole because the layout pretty much follows the original routing designed by architect Willie Watson and Sam Whiting in 1925. Lined with towering Monterey Cypress trees and bordering Lake Merced, with its gently undulating fairways, TPC Harding Park is a classic San Francisco municipal golf course.
Now relaxing back at one of the finest San Francisco hotels in a room with a view sitting perched atop Nob Hill, as you contemplate visiting such classic attractions as the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Chinatown, don’t forget to take in a modern classic – a Giants game at Oracle Park. And if your visit occurs during the off-season, the baseball franchise has something special for the golfer: The Ballpark Back Nine.
Courtesy
It is easy to see why the San Francisco Bay Area holds a special place in the hearts of golfers from all over the world who have visited. With its blend of world-class courses, diverse landscapes, rich history, and luxurious accommodations, the Bay Area offers a golf experience that is truly unforgettable.
