Fun, Friendly, Family
Reopened after an extensive renovation and redesign Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto is a family-oriented fun golf experience and a true links-style golf course with native areas and protected wetlands.
Bordering San Francisco Bay this wide-open layout relies on greens and surrounds that capture your attention, especially if a crucial up and down or par-saving putt are required. Baylands plays to 6,680 yards from the Black tees with three other sets available for all skill levels of players including the front tees off 4,821 yards.
Baylands is also different in that the par-72 course has five par-5s and five par-3s giving each of us a chance to score well and the varying length holes provides the opportunity to use every club in the bag during a typical round.
Players will come away with fond or maybe not so fond memories of the 12th hole, a short par-3 requiring a precisely controlled tee shot of up to 153 yards to an island green. When golf architect Forrest Richardson did the redo of the course, he quoted British golf writer John Low who always said, “the short hole not be long.” Number 12 isn’t long however often playing into the wind, and when isn’t there wind near the Bay, hitting the green can be tricky and I forgot to mention the bunker fronting the putting surface.
One of the par-5s is the closing 18th or Home Hole. It not especially long—just 511 yards from the Black tees—and most usually plays down wind. A tee shot in the fairway will set up a second shot between the pines bordering the fairway or an alternate strategy is using a layup shot so as not to be blocked out for the third. However, your work is not done when you get on the very large green since there are lots of subtle slopes so finding an uphill straight putt may be difficult.
Baylands also has an extensive practice facility with a 27-position driving range, a big practice putting green and a chipping green. Clinics and private lessons are available with junior summer camps and Baylands is the home of the First Tee of Silicon Valley.
Even frequent players may not realize but Richardson decided to use bentgrass on the greens but more interestingly paspalum turfgrass on the fairways and tees. This versatile grass holds up well under high amounts of play but is very hardy resisting salt contaminated water and in fact allows them to irrigate with effluent water which reduces potable water use by 35%.
Download the Baylands app for $5 off with $25 or more purchase in the Pro Shop and the chance to win free golf for a foursome. In addition, Palo Alto residents, Links Card holders, and Troon Access members receive special rates and benefits.
For more information visit www.baylandsgolflinks.com or call (650) 856-0881.
