Bay Area Golf in Nov?

I'll be in San Jose/San Fran from 11/17-11/24. Looking to get a couple rounds in that Monday and following Saturday. Some quick questions:

1. The typical November weather looks like the high is in the low to mid 60s...does that sound about right? I'm from Chicago and generally play until it's lower than the upper 40s (assuming sunny days). Does low to mid 60s sound about right for that time of year?

2. It looks like sunset will probably be around 6pm...about how much past sunset is there typically enough light to play?

3. I'm trying to sort out public courses to hit and have found a few good mentions in other threads: Corica, Pasatiempo, Presidio, Harding Park...any other top public courses I should be looking at?

TIA!

1. That's about right. Might be a couple days that don't climb out of the 50's but I would be borderline shocked if you had a day that didn't get to 50.

2. Depends on course because hills can have a big effect, but 30 minutes is probably about the max.

3. Those are the main ones. Pasatiempo and Harding Park are the only ones folks from outside the area will reliably know. Also consider: Callippe Preserve, Wente Vineyards, Half Moon Bay, Baylands, Coyote Creek, Bridges.

Mid 60’s is pretty typical in November. There are a lot of different micro climates in the Bay Area. So it would depend on where you end up playing. You might get some mornings in the 30’s. And afternoons in the 70’s. Bring layers of clothing.

Thanks, guys. I'm looking forward to playing out that way.

I'm traveling to San Fransisco for business next week and I have all of Friday to go play some golf. My flight home is a red eye at 11:00pm. I was thinking of renting a car and driving out to Half Moon Bay. I have never played in California and would love to play an oceanside course. My rough plan at this point is to rent a car in downtown when I check out, drive to Half Moon and play an afternoon round and then drop off the car at the airport. Any recommendations or suggestions? I was thinking of trying to get a round in at Pebble Beach but I may try to do that on another trip and book a stay and play package.

Thanks,

Russ

> @RX7RUSS said:

> I'm traveling to San Fransisco for business next week and I have all of Friday to go play some golf. My flight home is a red eye at 11:00pm. I was thinking of renting a car and driving out to Half Moon Bay. I have never played in California and would love to play an oceanside course. My rough plan at this point is to rent a car in downtown when I check out, drive to Half Moon and play an afternoon round and then drop off the car at the airport. Any recommendations or suggestions? I was thinking of trying to get a round in at Pebble Beach but I may try to do that on another trip and book a stay and play package.

>

> Thanks,

> Russ

Pebble is a long way from San Francisco, about 2-2 1/2 hours, so you have to be committed to that goal.

As far as Half Moon Bay, I love the location and have played the old course and walked the ocean. One thing to consider is the ocean holes on each (18 on old, 16-18 on ocean) are late in the round, so you need to start early enough to reach them. Otherwise it's a beautiful spot for golf, and I'd love to go back if I could afford it.

Note that November is after the time change so sunset will be right around 5pm, and it will be totally dark by 5:30 i’d guess

> @DeeBee30 said:

> I'll be in San Jose/San Fran from 11/17-11/24. Looking to get a couple rounds in that Monday and following Saturday. Some quick questions:

>

> 1. The typical November weather looks like the high is in the low to mid 60s...does that sound about right? I'm from Chicago and generally play until it's lower than the upper 40s (assuming sunny days). Does low to mid 60s sound about right for that time of year?

> 2. It looks like sunset will probably be around 6pm...about how much past sunset is there typically enough light to play?

> 3. I'm trying to sort out public courses to hit and have found a few good mentions in other threads: Corica, Pasatiempo, Presidio, Harding Park...any other top public courses I should be looking at?

>

> TIA!

I played Harding Park in August and would definitely recommend it (even though it is a bit pricey for non-locals). Especially right now as they prepare to host the PGA Champ next May, the fairways are playing much narrower than normal and the course is playing a bit tougher. There's a bit of back and forth through the trees on the front 9 and then the back kind of wraps around the outside of the property and has some pretty great holes. Not super long, so it is a great walking course as well.

I have not played Pasa personally, but from some bay area friends that have, they say it is the best.

I'm really debating whether to get a car and make the drive to down to Pasa...it's one of my "bucket list courses" and this'll be a good chance to check it off. BUT, I'd really prefer to play it when the weather isn't a factor.

Should I expect pretty much the same weather between Pasatiempo and Harding Park?

> @DeeBee30 said:

> I'm really debating whether to get a car and make the drive to down to Pasa...it's one of my "bucket list courses" and this'll be a good chance to check it off. BUT, I'd really prefer to play it when the weather isn't a factor.

>

> Should I expect pretty much the same weather between Pasatiempo and Harding Park?

I would expect warmer weather at Pasa. I have only played it once and it more than lived up to the hype. I would have played it again this year but they raised the rates substantially.

> @DeeBee30 said:

> I'm really debating whether to get a car and make the drive to down to Pasa...it's one of my "bucket list courses" and this'll be a good chance to check it off. BUT, I'd really prefer to play it when the weather isn't a factor.

>

> Should I expect pretty much the same weather between Pasatiempo and Harding Park?

Same but potential to be different. Depends a little on whether there is fog or not. If there is fog, one of those courses could be in brilliant sunshine while the other is 50's and soaking wet. Otherwise, for the MOST PART, the weather will be the same between the courses, within say +/- 5 degrees or so.

As far as weather having an effect, start watching the weather now and track it as the day gets closer. It might stay dry from now to your date of travel... it's supposed to be 90 degrees in Fremont, my home town today.

If you're in the San Jose area, Cinnabar Hills would be a great choice and would probably be close. Coyote Creek is also a nice course as well. If you're a single digit, then The Ranch in San Jose is another nice one. Its just a really tough course with narrow fairways that requires lots of strategy. Many of my buddies think the course is unfair. November weather in the Bay Area should be nice and comfortable.

In San Francisco, unless you plan to play Harding on a weekday, its pretty tough to get on especially with daylight savings starting next week and an advance booking fee is required for anything more than 7 days which is $15. 30 days is $50 and both are on top of the green fee and are nonrefundable.

> @Shakester said:

> If you're in the San Jose area, Cinnabar Hills would be a great choice and would probably be close. Coyote Creek is also a nice course as well. If you're a single digit, then The Ranch in San Jose is another nice one. Its just a really tough course with narrow fairways that requires lots of strategy. Many of my buddies think the course is unfair. November weather in the Bay Area should be nice and comfortable.

>

> In San Francisco, unless you plan to play Harding on a weekday, its pretty tough to get on especially with daylight savings starting next week and an advance booking fee is required for anything more than 7 days which is $15. 30 days is $50 and both are on top of the green fee and are nonrefundable.

The Ranch has been closed for a long time.

So I ended up having about the best Bay Area experience I could possibly imagine Friday. Thanks for the advice. I didn't realize Pebble was so far away. I'll save that for another trip. I rented a car in downtown and drove out across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time and drove around a bit. I then went down the 1 to Half Moon Bay and played the Ocean course. I had a 1:40 tee time and got paired with some really cool San Jose natives that I got along with really well. The pace was a little bit slow because it was packed (4:40-ish) but it didn't matter because the Sun was slipping behind the ocean right as we got to 18. I have to say the finishing holes are absolutely breathtaking. The course was in great shape as well. Worth every penny!

So it looks like the going rate for Pasatiempo in November may be $195...a couple of questions:

1. Is the course worth that aside from considering it a kind of "trophy course"?

2. How walkable is the course when considering hilliness and green-to-tee distance?

It's not just a trophy course. It's an amazing design. It's a really cool vibe. Takes you back into time without the "private", "you're not allowed here" type of vibe. It's very walkable. Not anymore difficult than your next hilly course but greens to tee is right next to each other. Hopefully good weather comes your way while you're there.

> @DeeBee30 said:

> So it looks like the going rate for Pasatiempo in November may be $195...a couple of questions:

>

> 1. Is the course worth that aside from considering it a kind of "trophy course"?

> 2. How walkable is the course when considering hilliness and green-to-tee distance?

I am not in the best of shape and I walked it with my own push cart. I would rate it a 8 or 8.5 out of 10 on walking toughness.

Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

Baylands is going to be the slowest of those on a weekend. The place gets pretty packed. Coyote and Cinnabar are a bit further out, they should be more open. Given your timings traffic would theoretically be a non-issue, but it is the x factor in all of this.

My concern is that by the time you get through the airport process, you won't get to the course in time to finish.

I'm going to wonder alloud if you might do better playing Pasa on day 1 and playing Coyote/Cinnabar on day 2. Upside is Coyote and Cinnabar are right next to each other, so Monday is a guaranteed 2 rounds. Downside is if anything goes wrong, you won't finish at Pasa, which is the E-ticket ride of your trip.

On the other hand, thinking about your early tee time at Pasa, you should be able to get to any of the other courses by 12.00, so I think your original plan was good. I just wanted to give you another option to consider. It's going to be a great trip!

@"James the Hogan Fan" I appreciate the local knowledge. As much as I’d love to hit Pasa that sunday, I just can’t bank on everything going smoothly and being able to get down there with enough time to finish. I don’t like waking off ANY course for darkness, but I could live with it more anywhere else since Pasa is the main event of this trip.

I’m gonna check cancellation policies to see where I’d have the most flexibility in case my flight or luggage (clubs) is delayed.

> @DeeBee30 said:

> Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

>

> 1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

> 2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

> 3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

> 4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

> 5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

> 6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

>

> Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

>

> Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

> @DeeBee30 said:

> Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

>

> 1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

> 2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

> 3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

> 4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

> 5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

> 6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

>

> Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

>

> Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

> @DeeBee30 said:

> Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

>

> 1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

> 2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

> 3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

> 4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

> 5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

> 6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

>

> Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

>

> Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

> @DeeBee30 said:

> Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

>

> 1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

> 2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

> 3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

> 4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

> 5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

> 6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

>

> Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

>

> Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

> @DeeBee30 said:

> Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

>

> 1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

> 2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

> 3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

> 4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

> 5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

> 6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

>

> Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

>

> Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

> @DeeBee30 said:

> Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

>

> 1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

> 2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

> 3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

> 4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

> 5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

> 6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

>

> Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

>

> Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

> @DeeBee30 said:

> Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

>

> 1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

> 2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

> 3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

> 4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

> 5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

> 6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

>

> Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

>

> Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

> @DeeBee30 said:

> Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

>

> 1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

> 2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

> 3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

> 4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

> 5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

> 6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

>

> Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

>

> Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

> @DeeBee30 said:

> Love the comments here, and I think you guys have helped me design a plan:

>

> 1. Fly into SJC on Sunday 11/17 and land at 11:35am

> 2. Aim for a 12:45-1:00-ish tee time at one of the three courses within a half hour's drive: (1) Cinnabar, (2) Baylands or (3) Coyote Creek (this seems to be a good ranking, all else being equal)

> 3. Sunset will be 4:55pm, with another 30 minutes of dusk so I need to be done by dark around 5:30pm

> 4. Drive down to hotel near Santa Cruz Sunday night to allow for an early time at Pasatiempo on Monday morning

> 5. Aim for a 6:30-7:00am time at Pasa on Monday morning

> 6. If I can finish by Noon, drive to one of the other courses listed in line #2 to get in an afternoon round

>

> Any strong opinions on where I'm likely to have the best pace of play on both Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon so I can finish each of those rounds by dark?

>

> Also, I know it's an aggressive plan...what are the pitfalls I'm not considering (aside from my arriving flight being delayed and slow pace of play)?

> @ASN21 said:

> > @DeeBee30 said:

> > So it looks like the going rate for Pasatiempo in November may be $195...a couple of questions:

> >

> > 1. Is the course worth that aside from considering it a kind of "trophy course"?

> > 2. How walkable is the course when considering hilliness and green-to-tee distance?

>

> I am not in the best of shape and I walked it with my own push cart. I would rate it a 8 or 8.5 out of 10 on walking toughness.

> @ASN21 said:

> > @DeeBee30 said:

> > So it looks like the going rate for Pasatiempo in November may be $195...a couple of questions:

> >

> > 1. Is the course worth that aside from considering it a kind of "trophy course"?

> > 2. How walkable is the course when considering hilliness and green-to-tee distance?

>

> I am not in the best of shape and I walked it with my own push cart. I would rate it a 8 or 8.5 out of 10 on walking toughness.

> @ASN21 said:

> > @DeeBee30 said:

> > So it looks like the going rate for Pasatiempo in November may be $195...a couple of questions:

> >

> > 1. Is the course worth that aside from considering it a kind of "trophy course"?

> > 2. How walkable is the course when considering hilliness and green-to-tee distance?

>

> I am not in the best of shape and I walked it with my own push cart. I would rate it a 8 or 8.5 out of 10 on walking toughness.

I have never met anyone who preferred badlands or coyote over cinnabar. Cinnabar is the best course in the South Bay for hr price,

@Georgewang looking at the courses online, I think I’d certainly prefer cinnabar or coyote...I’m looking strictly at getting to a course quickly after I land Sunday. Google maps says it’s about 5-6 minutes farther to one of those two, and if I can get a time that works, I’d definitely go for one of those.

Cinnabar's greens are playing really fast - faster than my round over at Pasa in late August.

Having played all three many times, cinnabar and coyote (tourney then valley) are far superior to baylands in my opinion. Baylands is pricey just because it’s one of the few options in the heart of Silicon Valley but the quality of the course is just fair. It plays super short and only tips out at like 6600.

> @"Left Rough" said:

> Having played all three many times, cinnabar and coyote (tourney then valley) are far superior to baylands in my opinion. Baylands is pricey just because it’s one of the few options in the heart of Silicon Valley but the quality of the course is just fair. It plays super short and only tips out at like 6600.

After looking through as much as I can find online (reviews, pics, videos), it looks like Cinnabar is the top choice for me on Sunday when I land. It seems to have the most "texture" in terms of terrain, and I like that the layout is more spread out with no adjacent holes.

So, it's gonna be Cinnabar Sunday afternoon around 1:00 (I'm expecting a death march, but maybe the pace will be OK to finish by dark at 5:30), then Pasa Monday around 11am. Decided to go with just 18 holes on Monday instead of 36 to take advantage of the temp being around 60*+. Otherwise, I'd have to either play Pasa early in the morning when it's cooler and I may not be warmed up as much, or I'd play a warmup round at Cinnabar in the morning and be worried about getting to Pasa with enough time to play a full afternoon round.

Appreciate everyone's input on courses. I'll definitely keep some of the other ones on my list for future trips.

Hey guys - I'm figuring out which balls to pack for tomorrow and Monday. If there are tons of leaves on the ground, I'll usually bring some colored balls. Otherwise, I stick with white.

What should I expect in the next couple of days at Cinnabar Hills and Pastiempo in terms of leaves on the ground making it harder to locate balls?

Cinnabar looks more like a prairie-style with some trees but not a ton on the interior of the course. Pasa seems to have more trees but I don't know if they're dropping leaves.

BTW, the slot I booked as a single at Pasa still has 3 openings if anyone wants to join me at 11:10am on Monday...it's a Hot Deal at $212 (vs $275 regular rate). I'd love to play with a local or two.

Thanks to all who provided course recommendations. Cinnabar Hills’ Mountain and Canyon sides were a blast and I’d definitely go back. Pasatiempo was nice and we’ll conditioned, but for the layout and overall design it’s rack rate is way overpriced by at least $125. I don’t know how much of that premium is tied to the location versus the Alistair McKenzie name, but $$125-150 seems more in line for that track. Glad I checked it off my list but I wouldn’t pay my own money to play it again.

I am glad you had a good time. I wanted to say I didn't expect any leaves during your trip but I guess i never pressed send! Hope they weren't a problem.