Santa Clara Golf & Tennis Club was a city-owned, 18-hole public course that opened in 1987 on a former landfill site at 5155 Stars and Stripes Drive, directly across from what is now Levi's Stadium and adjacent to California's Great America. The original layout was designed by Robert Muir Graves, ASGCA, with a 1996 renovation by Mike Poellot. The course played to a par 72 at roughly 6,722 yards from the championship tees, with a rating of 72.3 and slope of 119 over bent-grass greens and fairways.

On the course

The routing covered relatively flat reclaimed land on the northern edge of Santa Clara, exposed to steady afternoon wind off the Bay. Water came into play on several holes and the layout featured a heavy bunker count, with doglegs that rewarded position off the tee more than raw distance. The longest test on the card was the 556-yard par-5 5th, the number-one handicap hole, while the par-3 6th played 232 yards from the back tees and was generally regarded as the signature hole. A driving range, putting and chipping areas, lighted tennis courts, and instruction from PGA and LPGA professionals rounded out the facility, which was operated by American Golf for the City of Santa Clara.

Who it suits

The City Council voted to terminate the management contract in May 2019 to clear the 230-acre site for Related Santa Clara (also known as CityPlace), a multibillion-dollar mixed-use redevelopment. Public play ended in mid-October 2019, and the course has since been demolished. Tee times may still appear on third-party booking sites, but the course is no longer operating. Golfers in the area are typically directed to Sunnyvale Golf Course, with which the City of Santa Clara negotiated resident-rate access at the time of closure.

Architect: Robert Muir Graves · Opened: 1987