I ended up staying in San Jose Saturday night, so was looking for something affordable and convenient on Sunday morning. I ended up finding a good deal at Summitpointe for $34.99 at 5:52. It was prett... Continue »

I ended up staying in San Jose Saturday night, so was looking for something affordable and convenient on Sunday morning. I ended up finding a good deal at Summitpointe for $34.99 at 5:52. It was pretty quiet there that early with just a few dawn patrollers out. I went out third behind another twosome and a single, but they all moved quickly. Front nine was a breeze, but unfortunately they let back nine players out and by the time I got to 10 everything was backed up. I ended up joining up with the single ahead of me. Things were slower on the back, but still okay and it was only about 3:20 total pace. This really is a tale of two nines, and the conditions seemed to vary from front to back. I will say that overall the greens were the best part of the course, receptive and rolling smooth at medium speeds. Tee boxes weren't that great, but okay enough throughout. On the front nine, the fairways seemed more firm, ugly and dried out, and the rough seemed more thin and patchy. The back nine played a little nicer overall. Still nothing too amazing, but clearly better. I was in one bunker and it was damp, but fine sand. As you can probably tell, I enjoyed the back nine much more here. The front nine is funky to the extreme, built on a steep hillside with some severe uphill, downhill and side-hill shots to contend with. Many fairways here slant significantly and are made worse by the firm/dry conditions. I would have to hit way up on a hillside just to end up in the rough on the other side of the fairway. The front nine does offer some nice elevated views of the South Bay, but otherwise just more frustrating than inspiring. The back nine is a different story. There are still a few slanted fairways and it's a lot of very tight "target" golf, but the holes are visually interesting and the scenery is nice running through the hills with lots of trees and some water hazards in play. This is definitely a target layout that not everyone would enjoy. As a fan of this style usually, even I was annoyed with this course at times and the conditions left a lot to be desired. The back nine did leave a better impression and the rate for a Sunday morning was great, but is still not a course I would recommend too highly for most.