Bay Area Golf

Here are some of my favorite golf courses in the Bay Area.

Stanford Golf Course - clearly I'm biased, but this is my 'home' course here and I love it. It is not an easy course, starting with the first tee over Junipero Serra Road for par 5, and it is long, but it is beautiful with diverse holes, well-kept and fun. Not cheap, costs $100 for alums, $110 guests, but a nice treat.

Rating: from the Blacks 76.3/137 6231 yards, for ladies on Blues 71.5/129 5401 yards
http://golfcourse.stanford.edu/

The Ranch - I love this course despite the dozen-plus balls I lose every time I play. The holes are carved in the hills of South San Jose so there's a ton of elevation and almost feels like links since you have to hit from patch to patch to stay on the fairway (which doesn't happen much...) Absolutely beautiful and full views of the Bay Area from the highest holes. Mandatory cart.

Rating: Whites 73.9/142, Red 68.6/123
http://www.theranchgc.com/

Crystal Springs - this Burlingame course hugs the resevoir along the Santa Cruz mountains that you can see from 280. Decent elevation but walkable, and just beautiful between the morning fog and sunny skies in the afternoon. $65ish

Ratings: Whites 76.0/134 6212 yards, Red 72.1/126 5580 yards
http://www.playcrystalsprings.com/

Shoreline - Mountain View's course is a great value and the nicest public course I've played. Can get a bit windy in the afternoons, as you can tell from some of the trees that grow sideways. $35ish

Rating: Whites 74.6/130, Red (ladies) 70.7/120
http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us/city_hall/comm_services/shoreline_golf_links/

Cinnabar Hills - Cinnabar is a great 27-hole course in San Jose. Each nine falls into "Lake", "Mountain", or "Canyon" and you play a combo of two. The names are somewhat indicative of the terrain, though for example the lake is only part of a few of the Lake course holes.

Rating: depends on which combination of holes played. Cinnabar (equivalent to whites) ranges 76-76.5/140-141, Oak (ladies) 68.9-69.1/118-122
http://www.cinnabarhills.com/

Presidio - Deep in the Presidio in north San Francisco, the course, like the city, was beautiful and foggy when I played. The park itself is lush and beautiful, but the views of the city are stunning.

Rating: White 76.5/130, Red 73.5/125
http://www.presidiogolf.com/

Palo Alto Hills CC - It was such a treat to play at this beautiful country club course. The club is off of Page Mill Road about a mile west of 280. A lot of elevation, as the name suggests, and I definitely needed the cart, though one cart for four is a doable option too. Truly panoramic views of the whole Bay and not only amazing nature but homes in these hills. To give you a sense of how nice, you can see John Chamber's house from 16th hole. Palo Alto Hills is a private club, members and guests only.

Rating: Green (three trees) 75.6/142, Gold (one tree) 70.0/128
http://www.pahgcc.com/club/scripts/section/section.asp?GRP=11011&NS=GP

Wish List
These are the courses that I would like to play at some time in my golf life (but requires $ and/or friends in high places...)
- Pebble Beach :)
- Olympic Club
- The Preserve
- Half Moon Bay Ritz
- San Francisco GC

*Check out GolfNow.com for great deals on last minute tee times. It's kind of like OpenTable for golf. http://www.golfnow.com/sanfrancisco