Chardonnay Golf Club
From San Francisco go over the Golden Gate Bridge and drive northeast. In about an hour or so you'll come to the Napa Valley. There, sprawled in-between rolling hills that curve the landscape, you will find some of the richest and most beautiful farmland in California and the world.
The scenery is ripe with hearty small towns. Quaint and classy bed and breakfasts are in abundance. Wholesome farm stands boasting fresh foods and produce and local farmers dot the countryside. The lush rolling hills and vineyard-speckled landscape of the Napa Valley are an outright gorgeous part of the planet. The area is also a most picturesque setting for some exquisite golf.
The Chardonnay Golf Club in the Town of Napa, Calif., offers two courses in this remarkable setting. The Vineyards course, a lovely 6,472-yard par-72 affair which is open to the public. The Vineyards meanders amongst working vineyards, a number of lakes, and traverses Fagan Creek five times. The signature hole is the par-3 14th, which boasts an 22,000 square foot, six tiered green.
Chardonnay's signature course is the Club Shakespeare Napa Valley. This 6,600-yard par-72 gem is for both those who love to put a little something extra in to both their game, and their life. The course is billed as private -- open to members and their guests. However, Chardonnay does have a reciprocal relationship with other private clubs in the area which allow members to play each others courses.
On the Shakespeare, each hole is named according to particular work of William Shakespeare. The Many Wives of Windsor, Venus and Adonis, The Phoenix and the Turtle, Measure for Measure, Loves Labours Lost, A Lovers Complaint, The Passionate Pilgrim and A Comedy of Errors are just some of the more obscure Shakespearean titles chosen to accompany these magnificent holes.
Their signature hole of the Shakespeare is top notch. The aptly named A Midsummer Nights Dream boasts an elevated tee which is perched amidst a Japanese-style rock and hedge garden. There you are surrounded off in the distances by rolling Moorish hills reminiscent of the Highlands of Scotland. From the top of this majestic par-three, you hit down and softly to an island green.
Finishing up, Chardonnay and the Shakespeare offer a true 19th hole. Some 75 yards long, Much a do About Nothing can be a perfect place to save face with a double or nothing, running up the score on your opponent, or just work on your short game a little more before calling it a day.
Vineyards work their way through much of the course. Shoulder-high vines wrap their way alongside holes and make for both lovely scenery and a rather unique out of bounds. Many of the holes are literally built into and defined by the vineyards lining its fairways. One has to wonder how many golfers have ducked a few rows deep to retrieve a errant ball, and while in among the dewy vines, perchance were overcome with Shakespearean iambic pentameter.
Plenty of water compliments the vineyards, only challenging the player even more. Ponds and lakes, complete with foul abound (I almost hit a blue heron with an errant drive), add another level of awareness for the golfer who plays well alongside reminders of the righteousness of nature.
The 500 acres of the Chardonnay Golf Club include 350 acres of golf and 150 acres of Chardonnay and Merlot vineyards. Some of the area has been designated as wildlife preserve and much is done to ensure the maintaining of wildlife habitats among the vineyards and fairways. Sharing the property with the golfers are several species of birds including hawks, kites, kestrels, hummingbirds and an occasional golden eagle.
This outstanding setting, meticulous care, and natural preservation have paid off, and Chardonnay has won its fair share of awards in the past. The Club Shakespeare Course was nominated by Golf Digest in 1993 as one of "100 Best New Private Courses," and rated #7 in private clubs in Northern California. The Vineyards Course rated #13 in public courses in Northern California and has won the National Golf Foundations "Public Golf Achievement Award" in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995. To boot, Chardonnay was recognized by Golf for Women Magazine as one of 1999's "Top 100" most women-friendly courses in North America.
Chardonnay has seen it's days in the sun as well. The Vineyards and Shakespeare together have combined to host numerous tournaments. The Northern California Open Championship and Pro/Am, The Northern California PGA Section Professional/Assistants Championship, The U.S. Open Local Qualifying, and the PGA Tour Qualifying School(2nd Stage).
And, when you have finished up on 18, wait, 19, and all is done, what then?
The 17,000 square foot clubhouse and its facilities were named as one of the "100 Best Golf Shops in America" by Golf Shop Operations Magazine in 1995, 1996 and 1997. The building offers a classy restaurant and bar for when your rounds are over. Group outings, group or personal instruction, hotel reservations and packages, tournaments, weekend schools -- Chardonnay offers it all. In fact, Chardonnay is a proud home to the John Jacobs Practical Golf School.
The Sand Trap Bar and Grill is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week and is conveniently located when you make the turn at the Vineyards. As well, I heard it muttered around the course and the club house that Chardonnay would make an excellent setting for a wedding. Imagine, a honeymoon of golf, wine, and more golf....I do. Good wine, good company, great golf. So it says on their Web site, and so it is indeed.
Chardonnay, however, is far from alone. There is so much golf to choose from in Northern California, that it can at times be a little intimidating. Northern California Golf Course links (http://www.norcalinks.com) offers a basic list style guide of all public courses in the area. It is a great place to start to getting the very basic information on the myriad of courses that make up the various counties from San Mateo to the Oregon border.
The Napa and nearby Sonoma are home to world-famous wineries that offer tours and tasting all year-round. The city of San Francisco is a perfect place to launch a day trip or weekend vacation to tour, taste, eat, stay, and play. Fall is said to be the most sensual seasons to play there on account of the tremendous foliage and ripe vines ready for harvest. However, any round at Chardonnay is a gift, so be sure to enjoy. Play early, and then go celebrate, or retreat, into the many vineyards for tours and tasting.
Course Information
Chardonnay Golf Club
2555 Jameson Canyon Road
Napa, California 94559
(707)257-1900
Phone: www.chardonnaygolfclub.com