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SAN MARTIN, Calif. - CordeValle is by no means a secret.
The Robert Trent Jones Jr. course has hosted the 2016 U.S. Women's Open and the PGA Tour's Frys.com Open from 2010-13. RTJ2 himself considers it among his crowning achievements in design.
So why do so many golf travelers unwittingly drive by without stopping? Few golfers realize just how good this 1,700-acre oasis is tucked into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Jose. If out-of-state golfers do include CordeValle on a Pebble Beach and Pasatiempo rotation by staying a night to get access to a tee time, I think they tend to move on too swiftly toward the ocean. They drive in, play and drive out.
That's a mistake. You need to slow down and savor CordeValle, like a good whiskey or glass of wine. It should be sipped not gulped. Those hills surrounding the resort come to life every dusk and dawn. Shadows dance up and down the slopes. It feels hundreds of miles from the madness of Silicon Valley, yet it's only 20 minutes away. Only one home - that of resort owner Hasso Plattner, the billionaire co-founder of the software company SAP and majority owner of the San Jose Sharks - and the resort buildings intrude on the views of unspoiled natural beauty.
CordeValle serves as a country club home for many Bay Area golfers who are members. For the rest of us who stay the weekend or a couple of nights, it's a wonderful taste of the California life of golf and wine. CordeValle is located in an underrated wine region marketed as the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail, a collection of 30 wineries in Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill. CordeValle recently bought the neighboring Clos LaChance winery, arguably the best of the local options, and rebranded it under the CordeValle name. For golfers who love the golf-and-grapes California lifestyle, sipping, swinging and staying at CordeValle the winery, golf course and resort deliver quite the intoxicating trio.
Playing golf at CordeValle
I've grown to love and appreciate the championship test that is the 7,360-yard CordeValle. Nothing's easy. There are bunkers everywhere. For a place that's dry as a bone for 9-10 months of the year, there's more than a few well-placed water hazards in the form of streams and ponds. Sculpted into the hills, the layout requires uphill climbs and downhill club decisions. RTJ2 says he shaped some of the fairway mounding to mirror the hillsides above. Twisting sycamores and oaks frame the fairway corridors, each singular in nature.
A recent bunker renovation has improved the already impeccable conditioning. Golf guests always take a fore caddie, so they have a guide to solve all of the contours on and off the greens.
The challenge starts softly with a gentle-dogleg-right par 4 at no. 1 and a short par 3 at no. 2 before laying down the hammer on the par-5 third and continuing to pound away at your ego the rest of the round. Depending on the state of my game, I bounce back and forth between the 6,400-yard green tees or the 6,007-yard whites. Believe me, going back to the 6,810-yard blues is only for serious sticks.
The stretch from nos. 7-9 remains my favorite for both the opportunities to score and the variety of choices on how to play the holes. The 188-yard seventh (green tees) falls downhill to a green that feeds shots left to right toward a bunker. Most players hit hybrid off the tee of the 295-yard eighth to steer clear of the pond up the right side. Driver's my straightest club, so I whale away. It's a great risk-reward birdie hole that ends up going wrong for so many. The ninth tee requires a decision - to drive it left or right of a serpentine creek cutting the fairway in half.
The back nine ascends to the highest points of the property. It can feel arduous to climb the fairways at times, but that's what tournament tracks do, grind your will into dust. It's a good thing a good pampering waits back at the resort.
Staying at CordeValle
I've played at CordeValle, which opened in 1999, for more than a decade, but my August visit was the first time staying on property. What an special treat. With 45 rooms, ranging from fairway rooms ($775+ per night) to bungalows ($895+), villa suites ($1,295+) and homes ($3,700+), guests always feel like one of the lucky few to be inside the gates at any given time. The resort used to be managed by Rosewood if that gives you any indication of the level of sophistication and luxury.
My wife and I woke up early every morning to hike the resort trails before it got too hot. One trail winds past the winery. The other hikes high above the golf course for even better views than when you're playing. The reward was breakfast in the One Iron Bar back at the main building, which is a short walk or shuttle ride up a hill to the bungalows. We ate dinner at the One Iron bar as well, choosing between ribeye steak and lobster pasta. The Lion's Peak Grill outside of the pro shop seems best suited for lunch or a quick grab at the turn. The fancier Italian-themed Il Vigneto presents a four-course tasting menu on Fridays and Saturdays only.
The recently renovated bungalows cling to a ridge above the ninth fairway. They're exquisite. The large bedrooms feature a fireplace to warm your body and a fridge in the entryway to chill your bottles. Large tubs and showers are the kind of luxuries homeowners dream of enjoying every day.
We traded days being unproductive and lazy, visiting the winery or the pool and spa (available complimentary for guests), and being active at the new Pickleball & Tennis Center. The new Plexicushion courts, lit for night play, are adjacent to bocce ball and tennis courts in case you prefer those leisure pursuits. A pro shop offers free muffins or energy drinks for anyone who pops in for a lesson or a match.
I'm not the wine connoisseur that so many Californians are, but it was easy to envision returning to the CordeValle Winery for one of its live music events. The setting was relaxing and fun. We saw families who brought their own food to nibble on, a trend that could change once the space is renovated and starts serving food. A bunch of bridesmaids were getting pictures taken, waiting for an early evening wedding ceremony after the 4 p.m. closure to the public.
I can see a future where shuttles transport guests back and forth between the resort and the winery on a private path right from the grounds. Since no one would have to drive, wine sales could certainly spike. That type of synergy between sipping, swinging and staying could take CordeValle next level.
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