Santa Teresa Golf Club

Overview

Santa Teresa Golf Club is a public, 18-hole championship course tucked into the foothills of south San Jose, alongside Santa Teresa County Park. Open to the public for more than six decades, it is one of the South Bay's most established daily-fee layouts, offering a full-length regulation course, a par-27 short course, a practice facility, and a clubhouse restaurant.

The course is defined by its two contrasting nines: a mostly flat, open front nine that eases players in, and a back nine that climbs into the hills with meaningful elevation change and sweeping views across the Santa Clara Valley. Playing to a par of 71 and stretching to roughly 6,744 yards from the tips, it rewards accurate ball-striking and thoughtful course management.

Quick Facts

Course History

Santa Teresa Golf Club opened in 1963 and was designed by California golf course architect George E. Santana. Set beneath the Santa Teresa Hills in the then-rural southern reaches of San Jose, it grew into a neighborhood institution as the surrounding Santa Teresa community developed around it. The club has hosted generations of Bay Area golfers and remains home to an active men's club and junior programs.

In 1982, noted golf course architect Robert Muir Graves reworked the 18-hole layout, refining bunkering and green complexes and giving the course much of the character it retains today. Over the years the facility has changed operators but has consistently remained open to the public as a full-service daily-fee destination.

The Design & Architecture

Santana's routing takes full advantage of the site's transition from valley floor to foothill. The front nine plays largely flat and open, with generous landing areas that let players find a rhythm early in the round. The back nine is the more dramatic and demanding half, climbing into the hills where elevation changes, doglegs, and hillside lies put a premium on shot shaping and club selection.

Robert Muir Graves' 1982 revisions sharpened the strategic demands of several holes. Fairway bunkers guard the preferred angles into greens, and the putting surfaces reward approaches played to the correct tier or section. Mature trees frame many corridors, so keeping the ball in play off the tee is often more valuable than raw distance.

Playing the Course

The round opens with a demanding par-4 dogleg left that plays to a green roughly 42 yards deep, immediately asking for a well-positioned tee shot and a disciplined approach. Holes such as the sixth, a dogleg-left par 4, reward a drive placed to the right of the fairway bunker, opening the ideal angle to the green.

The closing stretch is a highlight: the 18th is a long, picturesque finishing par 4 defined by a three-tiered green, where getting the approach onto the correct level is the difference between a stress-free par and a tricky two-putt. With nine sets of tees ranging from roughly 4,000 to 6,744 yards, the course scales comfortably for everyone from beginners to low-handicap players.

Know Before You Go

• Public daily-fee course; tee times can be booked online or by phone at (408) 225-2650.

• Facilities include a driving range, a par-27 nine-hole short course, and a clubhouse with food and beverage.

• Multiple tee sets (roughly 4,000 to 6,744 yards) make the course playable for all skill levels.

• The hilly back nine offers scenic valley views but plays tougher than the flat front nine, so plan club selection for elevation changes.

• Located at 260 Bernal Road beside Santa Teresa County Park, off US-101 and CA-85 in south San Jose.