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Adam Lawrence

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Silver Creek Valley, San Jose CA -- Strantz?
« on: January 12, 2018, 11:10:26 AM »
I'd never heard of this course before today, but had cause to look at its website just now.


Website claims the course was renovated by Mike Strantz in 2002.


Is this so? Is it any good?


http://www.scvcc.com/Default.aspx?p=dynamicmodule&pageid=112&ssid=100163&vnf=1


Adam
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

Tim Passalacqua

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Silver Creek Valley, San Jose CA -- Strantz?
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2018, 04:19:12 PM »
Adam,


I played Silver Creek frequently through high school.   Originally, I believe it was a Ted Robinson course. It is in a residential setting, but there are a few extreme pieces of property.  Holes that drop way downhill.  Not very walker friendly.   I saw a few pictures after Mike renovated it and it look like he really jazzed up the bunkering. I am sure it looks much better now.  I believe the holes and routing didn’t change.   

David_Tepper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Silver Creek Valley, San Jose CA -- Strantz?
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2018, 04:46:34 PM »
Anybody know what year Strantz re-did the Shore Course at MPCC? I am guessing he would have worked on Silver Creek while he was nearby working at MPCC.

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Silver Creek Valley, San Jose CA -- Strantz?
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2018, 04:58:04 PM »
David,


Website above says 2002 for Silver Creek


and then 2003 for MPCC, according to Wiki....

Matt_Cohn

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Silver Creek Valley, San Jose CA -- Strantz?
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2018, 06:30:29 PM »
Adam,


The course is pretty good, yes. You wouldn't really pick it out as a Strantz although I think you can probably spot little things here and there. I believe it was a Ted Robinson design before, and you can still kind of see that origin. It's not extreme in the way that a number of Strantz courses are. It looks like a standard good golf course — not something that a maverick had his hands on.


There are many more good holes than bad ones — only awkward #10 sticks out, a sharply downhill reverse-camber dogleg resulting from the clubhouse being at the top of a fairly steep hill. I wouldn't say there are a lot of major strategic decisions, but plenty of subtle ones, and there's a mix of holes with width and a few that are modestly tight. Between the hills, some barrancas, and the design, it's definitely an aerial-type course.


The image below probably won't make a ton of fans on here, but I don't think that's really fair. It certainly is a big, fancy clubhouse, and everyone plays in carts, and there's a big waterfall on #18. (Incidentally, in both USGA qualifiers I've played there, we've played #18 as a par-3 from on top of the waterfall instead of a par-4 around it.)





I think this image of the par-3 #7 is more representative of the course in general:





Bottom line: it won't make your list of favorite courses, but you'll have a perfectly pleasant time playing it and probably think that 2 or 3 holes are really good.