Shoreline Golf Links opened in 1983 as the centerpiece of Mountain View's 750-acre Shoreline regional park, a recreation area built on a former municipal landfill that had accepted garbage from San Francisco through the 1960s and 1970s. The 18-hole course was designed by Palo Alto-based Robert Trent Jones Jr., with associate architects Donald Knott, Gary Linn, and Mark Rathert. Jones returned in 1987 for a redesign intended to push the layout further toward true links character. The City of Mountain View has operated the course as a municipal facility since 1995.

On the course

The site is largely flat, treeless, and exposed to bay winds that pick up sharply in the afternoon and can transform an otherwise manageable round. Routed across reclaimed land next to a wildlife refuge and the 50-acre Shoreline Sailing Lake (which borders the 10th hole), the course incorporates roughly 16 acres of water hazards, forced-carry par 3s, and four par 5s including back-to-back fives closing the front nine and opening the back. Greens vary in size and shape with internal contours that complicate read and pace. Bunkering reflects Jones's preference for visible, strategically placed hazards rather than penal traps.

Who it suits

From the championship tees the course stretches to roughly 7,029 yards at a 74.6 rating and 130 slope, with four sets of markers dropping it to around 5,429 yards forward. The wide fairways and lack of trees make it forgiving off the tee for higher handicaps, while wind, water, and well-defended green complexes give stronger players plenty to think about. Practice facilities include a driving range, chipping area, practice bunker, and putting green, and the clubhouse houses Michael's Restaurant. The course suits Bay Area golfers looking for an affordable municipal track with a distinctive links feel and an unusual second life as reclaimed open space.

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Jr. · Opened: 1983