Silicon Valley offers economic golfing
By Jack Ferdon
For all you wide-eyed optimists out there who think that right now is the best time there's been to be alive, consider this: In the early '70s, the price of a weekday round at Pebble Beach - including cart and hot dog - was 26 bucks. But then came the money-hungry '80s, and then the oversized driver and then Eldrick(Tiger)-mania. And now every American with two arms and money to burn is clamoring for a tee-time, sending the price of a round into the stratosphere and ushering in a veritable Dark Age for the Santa Clara golfer who has to make-do with wages from a campus job (or who doesn't get any reciprocals from his home club).
But there are still a smattering of cheap golf courses in the Silicon Valley that offer a ray of hope to the golf-starved student, and while they are only golf shantytowns in comparison to Pebble's El Dorado, this just means the beer will be that much cheaper in the clubhouse bar. Here they are, in order of decreasing proximity to campus:
Pruneridge Golf Course: Drive on Market St. for a couple of miles and you'll hit this nine-hole stinker. The rarely-tended greens have more pockmarks than Randy Johnson's face and wayward drives from the range come at you from all directions while you're playing. But for $9 and a five-minute drive from school, it's not too bad.
San Jose Municipal: Home of the best student discount in town: $11 with student ID after 1 p.m. on a weekday. It's a no-frills, ultra-flat course with a very Silicon Valley clientele. Look out for any bitter, laid-off web designers or some rich guy testing out his new Kasco. To get there, take Highway 880 east to Brokaw, then turn right on Old Oakland.
Sunken Gardens: As you would expect of a golf course on El Camino - it's located on the corner of El Camino and Wolfe - this nine-hole has not an ounce of character. Few trees, few bunkers, cardboard flat - it's the McDonald's of golf courses, and by the looks of the greens, the Gardens have served billions, too. But it's only $12, it's close, and it's better than Pruneridge. Better bring a foursome, otherwise you'll have to play with old ladies.
Santa Teresa: Offers the same student discount as San Jose Muni, but with narrow fairways and numerous rises in elevation, Santa Teresa is a much tougher track. It's notorious for slow play, so get there right at one if you want to get a full 18 in. Take 101 south to Bernal Road and go west for two miles.
Dela Veaga: For the best muni course in the area you need to head over the hill to Santa Cruz and play this hilly little gem. Just remember to bring a lot of balls. Dela Veaga has a Himalayan slope of 133 from the whites, and the fairways are super narrow and surrounded by forests. If a righty slices one, he can forget about it - it's gone. At $35, it's a little steep, but there's no better golfing value within an hour's drive. Go over U.S. Highway 17 and take U.S. Highway 1 south for about a minute to Morrissey and make a quick right.
Pasatiempo: If your dad's ever in town and wants to pay for a round, take him here. For $125, it's half the price of Pebble but way more than half the course. Designed by Alister MacKenzie in 1929 - a few years before he finished Augusta National - Pasatiempo doesn't offer any monstrous par fives or artificial water hazards, but it does have some really wicked greens. None is tougher than the three-tiered putting surface of the par four 16th, where Tiger Woods once had a chip from the front of the green to the top tier roll right back to him. It's a tough course. To get there, take U.S. Highway 17 to the Pasatiempo exit, a few miles before Santa Cruz.