After my round at Pebble Beach yesterday I hightailed it up to the Bay Area to catch a Sharks game. The game was a good one for Sharks fans with a win over Anaheim!

I didn’t have anything planned for Tuesday and ultimately, I decided on a return visit to San Juan Oaks Golf Club, which is about 45 minutes south of San Jose. I managed to play San Juan Oaks a couple times when I lived in California and always liked playing here.

San Juan Oaks is a Fred Couples design that opened in the mid 1990’s. Based on the massive clubhouse I suspect there were homes planned in the area, but that didn’t happen. From a golfer’s perspective, the setting is top-notch, offering great views of the area. It is just you and nature.

I’m not sure exactly why but play started on the 10th hole, which meant that I got to play the dramatic back nine first! More on that in a moment though, as I’ll start with comments about the front nine.

I think the front nine is good, although most (including myself) will prefer playing the back. The front is in a flat area between some hills and goes out in a fairly straight line to the end of the canyon before returning to the clubhouse. It is a solid collection of holes and ones where you can score.

The back nine is where things get exciting, starting on the 11th hole. The back is about 200 yards longer and winds its way into the hills. Here you get some good elevation changes and nice separation between the holes.

Unfortunately, the fog didn’t burn off until I got to the 15th hole (my 6th) so my original pictures didn’t capture the beauty of the 10th through the 14th. Once the fog burned off the course lit up like a candle! So, after my round I asked to go back out there and take some pictures in the sun. The proshop agreed and I’ve included those afternoon pics, which turned out great.

What stands out about the back nine are tough par-4’s and scenic par-3’s. The 13th is a long par-4 with an elevated tee and a green guarded by a hazard. The 17th and 18th are also long par-4’s but they play quite a bit downhill, especially the 17th. The 17th has a great view from the elevated tee box.

I played the blue tees which are 72.3/133/6646. I think the toughest part about San Juan Oaks will be trying to get an iron close, into small sections on the greens. The driving areas are friendly and I found the greens to be challenging to putt, without being too difficult.

I paid $46 for a weekday round and the conditions were very acceptable. Everything was soft due to recent rainfall, but the fairways had good coverage and provided nice lies. The greens were solid surfaces and rolled smoothly, at a medium speed. The only trouble spots were the fairway bunkers, which have been neglected – think hardpan and weeds. However, the greenside bunkers were playable with firmer sand. 

I enjoyed San Juan Oaks years ago and enjoyed it again today. If you find yourself in the South Bay and don’t mind driving to explore the golf scene then I’d recommend a round here.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):