Overall: 3.8 (1 = poor, 5 = exceptional)
Location: 5
Driving Range Mats: 4
Driving Range Grass: NA
Range Balls: 3
Chipping Area: 4
Putting Greens: 3
Practice Bunker: 4

Address:
1560 Old Oakland Road
San Jose, CA 95131
www.sjmuni.com

Like: Prime location. 15min away from high-tech HQs: eBay, Intel, Cisco, Samsung, Yahoo, Downtown SJ. Largest driving range in Silicon Valley - best mats, heated, lighted. Excellent short game practice area. Dislike: Bunker quality. Putting surface is typical muni speed.

San Jose Muni touts itself as the "Silicon Valley's best golf hangout". It's hard to deny them that. With a great driving range, a very player-friendly course, and an excellent restaurant/bar, the "Muni" is always a popular place for golfers to practice, play, learn, and socialize.

This review is focused on the driving range, and I'll do separate reviews on the instruction and course. The driving range is excellent, arguably the best public practice facility in Silicon Valley. The very large two-level range ensures that you never have to wait for a spot. I've been practicing here for 10 years and I have never had to wait for a range mat. The bottom level is shaded and heated, and at night this place is extremely well lighted. So you can literally practice here all year round - from dawn to well past dusk. You will see everyone here practicing - young kids, high-school teams, college teams (San Jose State), blue-collar folks, white-collar people, and seniors. It seems that everyone is at the Muni. That's part of the greatness of this place. You always feel at home and the staff is very nice.

The range mats are probably the best mats in the silicon valley. SJ Muni seems to replace them very frequently, and the matts are always top grade. They are thick so you can hit down on the ball. They have setup lines to help with your alignment. There are even rubber driving tees on each mat! Although people tend to steal them (Bad golf karma, so don't do it!), SJ Muni seems to replace them frequently. I rarely have to take out my own rubber tee when I practice here.

The range balls are above average. In general, I have found that the Muni replaces their balls more frequently than nearby courses like Pruneridge or Spring Valley. Santa Clara GC and SJ Muni seem to have comparable ball quality. It's always a big difference when you can practice with better balls.

What also differentiates the Muni is their great short game practice area. There are separate large putting, chipping, and bunker/pitching areas. Besides Coyote Creek GC, you will not find a short game public practice area better than SJ Muni. And in someways, I prefer SJ Muni's setup as it accommodates more people.

The putting green is large and very open. It's muni greens after all, so don't expect Pebble Beach or Bayonet type fast greens. It's maintained well, and fine for practice.

The chipping area is great. With 5 or 6 pin locations, this large chipping area accommodates many people. It also has uphill/downhill lies so you can work on these finesse shots.

The pitching/bunker area is great. You can practice 40-50 yard shots to three flags. There are two green-side bunkers. The sand is usually pretty good, but lately the bunker quality has gone down due to the drought. But, you can always rake and shift sand for a nice practice spot.

Overall, you can't go wrong with the SJ Muni Practice Facility. The location is as central as it gets, essentially intersecting HWY 101 and HWY 880. The people are nice and it's a casual atmosphere. You can practice in your tee-shirt, sweats, or sandals and no one will bother you. And after a good practice session, head over to the restaurant & bar. Order an "O.B Steak" Sandwich and a beer. You can thank me later.

Overall: 2.9 (1 = poor, 5 = exceptional)
Location: 5
Driving Range Mats: 3
Driving Range Grass: 3 (members)
Range Balls: 1
Chipping Area: 3 (for fee)
Putting Greens: 2
Practice Bunker: 3

Like: Central location, complete practice facility (range, chip, bunkers)

Dislike: Old range balls; wait for hitting bay at peak hours; putting greens mediocre

Address:
400 N. Saratoga
Santa Clara, CA 95050
http://www.pruneridgegolfclub.com

I frequent the Pruneridge practice facility because my kids went here for lessons for 7 years. Overall, it's an great place for beginners to learn and practice. The practice facility has all the components you need - a full driving range, putting area, and a short-game area. The short game area is quite good, but it does require a day fee. This isn't a bad thing since it's usually not very busy, and you can chip in virtual privacy and practice lots of shots. The public putting green is fine for beginners, but the green quality is mediocre.

Pruneridge also has two driving ranges. One public and one private area. The public one has the normal range mats. The private area is grass, and it requires you to purchase an member pass. The grass on the range is usually a bit thin. Hard to describe. The grass isn't very dense and the surface is usually a little uneven. Grass is grass, and I always prefer it for practice and it's a gift to have it available. But, just don't expect it to be as solid as you see it one the course or at other facilities.

The public driving range is ok. It has two levels. The first level has good mats, and good shade during the morning hours. However, during the afternoons, the sun shines directly into these practice bays and it can get very hot. I personally only use the first level because drivers are not allowed on the top level. As a result, the first level is usually pretty busy and you often have to wait for a spot. The mat quality is good. Some mats are in better condition than others, but generally the mats are fine. You also have individual hitting bays, so it's roomy on the bottom floor. The other nice thing about the range is that has lots of targets and lots of yardage markers. Always practice with a purpose and target in mind! The best part of this range is that they recently added grass to the entire driving range. It's a great visual for practice and so you can get a better sense of how the ball reacts when it lands.

The range balls are typically below average. Pruneridge tends not to refresh their balls frequently. So, if you happen to come when they do swap for new balls, you are in luck! But, don't have your hopes up as the balls are almost always very worn out. Trust me, I've been practicing here for many years.

Overall, the Pruneridge facility is a great place for the busy Silicon Valley worker. The location is extremely central, and probably 15-30min away for most people who work in silicon valley. It's a place where if you have an hour free in your schedule, you can hit a small bucket, fly a few chips, and roll a few putts to keep your game fresh. You can also take a lesson from their strong teaching staff or play a 9 hole round. Both Mike and Jeff are excellent instructors with a ton of experience.