From: mcdermot@diane.enet.dec.com (Shawn Mcdermott)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf
Subject: Re: Golf Near Moffet Field, NASA AMES
Date: 10 Apr 92 17:05:43 GMT
Reply-To: mcdermot@diane.enet.dec.com (Shawn Mcdermott)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

-In article <-#ljnjp.mzimmers@netcom.com>, mzimmers@netcom.com (Michael Zimmers) writes:
|> Path: bl.cad.slb.com!aa.cad.slb.com!slcs.slb.com!ut-emx!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!sun-barr!news2me.ebay.sun.com!exodus.Eng.Sun.COM!appserv.Eng.Sun.COM!sun!amdcad!netcomsv!mork!mzimmers
|> From: mzimmers@netcom.com (Michael Zimmers)
|> Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf
|> Subject: Re: Golf Near Moffet Field, NASA AMES
|> Message-ID: <-#ljnjp.mzimmers@netcom.com>
|> Date: Fri, 3 Apr 92 11:38:42 GMT-0:03
|> References: <v7g+qT-@engin.umich.edu>
|> Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)
|> Lines: 25
|> 
|> In article <v7g+qT-@engin.umich.edu> tornado@convection.engin.umich.edu (Tim Tomaich) writes:
|> 
|> >I just learned that I'll be spending 3-4 months in the San Francisco
|> >area this summer.  In particular at NASA AMES.
|> >
|> >Are there any courses in the area that a starving graduate student
|> >can afford?  What courses offer the most for the least $$?  I am
|> >really worried about not being able to find a course that I can play
|> >regularly, because of price.
|> 
|> I'm afraid I can't be too encouraging.  You're within a half hour of
|> four munies (Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Jose) that
|> are uninteresting and crawling with duffers, especially on the weekends.
|> You're very close to Shoreline in Mtn. View, but that'll run you $29 on
|> the weekdays and $38 on the weekends.  It, too, is crowded, but it's
|> at least a decent course.
|> 
|> I'd suggest you live in Mtn. View.  This will get you half off (roughly)
|> of Shoreline's green fees, and (I believe) preferred starting times.
|> It's probably the only way to go in your situation.
|> -- 
|>                                                    |  Michael Zimmers

I was actually impressed by the two municipal courses I played in the Bay
area when I was there 2-weeks ago.  

They both were excellent values: I paid $10 to play Santa Clara and $14 to play Palo Alto. I had no trouble getting out on either, but then again I was on
vacation so I was able to show up at noon on a weekday.

I played 18 at Palo Alto and only the front 9 at Santa Clara.  It had been
raining a lot during that period so both courses were pretty muddy and water-
logged.  Nonetheless, the greens were in excellent condition. (I was told that
in the summer they can get hard and therefore difficult to hold.)  The
layouts were pretty good, especially for muni courses.  I played both from the
white tees, so they weren't terribly long overall, but Palo Alto had some
killer par 4s.

Compared to what's available in the Boston area, I'd say that people in the
Bay area are getting a pretty good deal.  Courses around here are difficult
to get on during the weekends as well.  Most of the public courses here are
expensive, short, and poorly maintained.  

If the Palo Alto and Santa Clara munis are typical, then you'll do just fine
golfwise during your stay.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shawn McDermott
Product Development
Schlumberger CAD/CAM, Billerica MA
email: mcdermott@boston.sinet.slb.com
Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf