A guide to hitting the local links
By Bobby Philbrook
Spring quarter means nice weather and a perceived abundance of free time. It's the perfect quarter to explore some of the many local golf courses.
Besides the obvious essentials -- three friends, golf clubs, beer, a pack of Black and Milds -- you're going to need a car to get to these courses. But you needn't break the bank. This guide ranks your best bets for a day at the links starting with the cheapest.
* Front lawn driving contest
The thrill of hitting a golf ball over the middle school from Washington Street. The cost is free, and the thrill ends only when you run out of golf balls, break something or the police show up.
* Mini golf: Golfland
Go straight down El Camino until you hit Sunnyvale. Token mini-golf course with windmills, obnoxious teenagers, rampant cheating, the chance to win a free round at the last hole, etc. Head over on Monday nights after 5 p.m. and play till your heart's content for only $4.50.
* San Jose Muni
Forget Palo Alto's muni, the ridiculously cheap $12 green fee for students after 1:30 p.m. makes this course the final word in local walk-on golf. Surprisingly well-kept greens and several challenging par 4's lend itself to serious play, but the five to six hour pace will bring out the antics in no time. Be warned: The dads with daughters crowd won't hesitate to tell you to put your "goddamn shirt" back on.
* Pruneridge
Don't let its convenient location on Saratoga Avenue tempt you. Since this nine-hole "training facility" has the audacity to charge 17 bucks for a half-round of divot-ridden golf, I hold no shame in saying this course "sucks." The two-story driving range is a decent place to hit some balls with an hour to kill.
* Cinnabar Hills
Located in the hills of south San Jose, this public course boasts three differently themed nine-hole courses: canyon, mountain and lake. The $40 twilight fee sounds steep, but the perks make it well worth it, as a cart is included with a GPS locator showing the distances to each hole, your location, etc. This course will give the average golfer a serious challenge, but the beautiful scenery will alleviate even the worst case of the shanks.
* Coyote Creek
Although it usually isn't a good sign when you can see a golf course from the freeway, this course earns its reputation as the finest public golf course in the South Bay. The $45 super-twilight rate is steep enough to make you want to take this round seriously, but its moderate difficulty won't make you cry. The restaurant has the best Reuben sandwich around.