Joey Terrill
Courtesy of Rosewood Cordevalle
CordeValle Golf Club
San Martin, CA • Private
CordeValle Golf Club
1 Cordevalle Club Dr
San Martin, CA 95046-9472
United States
Overview
Located in the little-known but abundant golfing area south of San Jose, the gorgeous CordeValle was a private club when it first opened, but is a high-end resort destination these days, with climbing and descending soft hills dotted by gnarled oaks. It hosted both the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur and PGA Tour's Frys.com Open in 2013 and the U.S. Women's Open in 2016, won by Brittany Lang in a playoff against Anna Nordqvist.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked for six years from 2013-'18.
Highest ranking: 186th, 2015-'16.
100 Greatest Public: Ranked since 2009.
Highest ranking: 42nd, 2017-'18.
2025-'26 ranking: 52nd.
Best in State: Ranked in the top 30 2013-'24. Ranked 32nd, 2025-'26.
Previous ranking: 29th.
2025-'26 ranking: 32nd.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Great diversity of hole lengths/doglegs/uphill/downhill. Course plays in a valley surrounded by hills and traverses out and back again in a figure eight type fashion. Strategic bailouts allow the less skilled golfer to avoid making a big number but protect par well. Extremely scenic with tee shots where the valley is nearly completely viewable."
Read More2025
Review
“The design feels wide and playable, with enough movement in the land and subtle strategy to keep better players engaged. There’s a steady rhythm to the routing, with elevation changes and doglegs that keep things from getting repetitive. The setting really adds to the experience. You get views of the surrounding hills, vineyards in the distance, and a clean, natural presentation across the entire property. It’s understated but elegant. I found the par 5s to be especially fun, offering good scoring chances without feeling automatic. Conditioning was excellent throughout. The greens rolled true, the fairways were firm and well cared for, and the overall presentation matched the quality of the club."
Read More2025
Review
“Been here several times and always in excellent condition with a great staff. Aesthetically outstanding and a peaceful atmosphere"
Read More2025
Review
“Great layout. Lots of variety. Superb conditions. Definitely a top 50 best in state candidate."
Read More2025
Review
“Cordevalle is a fun, interesting course that is in a wonderful vineyard setting. It's a reasonably demanding course, with several holes that are outright difficult and pose challenges. I particularly like the 3rd hole, a winding par 5 that requires 3 good shots to reach the surface with penalties for inexact play on each, the 11th hole, which seems like it shouldn't be as hard as it is - a tee shot that forces you to either play at a fairway bunker that cannot be carried on the left, or take on carrying a cluster of bunkers in the center-right of the fairway where if you don't have the distance or quality to carry them, you're in some bunkers with a challenging uphill 2nd shot into a shallow green, and the 13th, which is visually much different from 11, but plays similarly off the tee - the safer shot for the shorter hitter is left, but there's a runoff to a creek. To play right, you have to carry onto a shelf. If you don't make it, you're hitting some short iron back up a severe slope and hoping to get up and down with a wedge. There is a lot of elevation to deal with, which makes club selection challenging. The green complexes can be severe and knowing which side to miss on is important. There are chips and putts that are impossible from the wrong side of the green. The greens are pretty large and have quadrants that allow for pin placements that change how to play the hole quite a bit. I particularly like that the par 5's at Cordevalle are not automatically the easiest holes on the course. 3 is very difficult. 6 is no pushover either. 15 and 18 are definitely scoring opportunities, however. One thing as I reflect back - there are a number of holes where tough greens offer shots in through an opening and slopes will push the balls into better spots. If you're used to hitting the ball high and right at the pin, Cordevalle offers other ways to get the ball onto the green and putting. Which I guess is sort of fun in a Chambers Bay kind of way (not nearly as severe as Chambers Bay), but as I think back, there was quite a bit of that and not as much of the ultra-demanding "here is the one way for you to attack this hole." Which I guess gives it a sense of options. It is a visually attractive place, but not particularly memorable. It feels nice, modern course that was thoughtfully designed and would be reasonably fun to play often, as long as you have a cart. There are some long walks between holes that are not conducive to regular walking, which I view as a negative"
Read More2025
Review
“Special place with stunning views."
Read More2024
Review
“Would recommend this course to any avid golfer. Great mix of everything most golfers like on a golf course - scenery, elevation changes, layout variety, shot making. Great risk reward on several holes - you definitely need to have on your thinking cap."
Read More2024
Review
“Great track in excellent shape in a wonderful setting."
Read More2024
Review
“Beautiful Robert Trent Jones II creation set in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Course has hosted a U.S. Women's Open and a PGA tour event. The staff is courteous, and the pro shop is well-stocked. You will not be disappointed with a round here."
Read More2023
Review
“CordeValle has a great layout that takes advantage of the unique terrain in the foothills of San Martin. There are several holes that provide a unique experience that I have not seen at any other course. Holes 8, 9 and 16 were great holes because they provided a challenge for all skillsets, but also provided beautiful views of the local area."
Read More2023
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