Thriving at 30

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Making it to 30 years in business is a milestone worth celebrating, and celebrating is exactly what is happening the first week of October in honor of San Juan Oaks Golf Club turning 30.

“I can remember that day pretty clearly,” San Juan Oaks General Manager Manny Freitas said of the club’s first day in business, Oct. 1, 1996. 

Freitas has been with the club since it opened, along with his brother Mark, who is the golf club superintendent. Mark Freitas helped his brother get the job and Manny Freitas was full of praise for his brother, noting the quality of the course is what brings people to it and that without someone who knows the course inside and out, its quality and popularity would not be there.

The week of Oct. 5 to Oct. 9, there will be a host of events to commemorate the milestone. The first is “throwback rates”—pricing as it was 30 years ago. That offering, Freitas said, has already sold out.

The next two events, ’90s/’00s bingo and a DJ/happy hour, will both take place at McCann’s, the club bar. 

Oct. 8 will feature music at 36 North, another dining space at the clubhouse.

The anniversary celebration will conclude with a scramble tournament and all participants will be treated to a BBQ dinner. Signups for the scramble have closed. 

Freitas said when the club first opened, it hosted a big celebratory tournament that was open to community members and people who helped them build the facility, which is part of the reason the club will be hosting a scramble.

The original vision for the project, he said, came from Lee Brandenburg, a San Jose developer and avid golfer who partnered with Nikko Group to develop the golf club. Renowned golfer Fred Couples and golf course architect Gene Bates were the original course designers. 

“From the beginning, the goal was to create a championship-caliber golf experience that would still be enjoyable and welcoming to golfers of all skill levels,” Freitas added.

Over the years, the club has developed a reputation as a championship and host venue, including as a PGA Tour Stage One Qualifying School Site; USGA qualifying events; collegiate championships; U.S. Amateur qualifying in 2025 and 2026 and, in the future, U.S. Open Qualifying. These events, Freitas said, have brought many of the region’s top amateur, collegiate and junior golfers to the county. 

A source of pride for the club is its work as a community partner, supporting schools, nonprofits, service clubs and organizations. 

“From supporting important local causes to providing a place for families and friends to celebrate life’s milestones, that connection to the community has always been an important part of who we are,” Freitas said.

For him, the anniversary is about more than the course itself. 

“It represents 30 years of employees, golfers, families, community organizations and guests who have been part of San Juan Oaks and helped make it what it is today,” he said.

There have been lots of changes and a few different owner groups, including Nikko Group and Third Millenium Partners, who Freitas said has been “instrumental” in the club’s accomplishments. 

Currently, a 1,084-unit housing development on San Juan Oaks is in its first phase and is making progress.

In 2024, San Juan Oaks finished a renovation project of the clubhouse and course. Freitas said the facility was in need of some large infrastructure projects to accommodate the new residential community, such as underground electrical and a connection to the sewer system. 

The clubhouse and golf course were both about 25 years old and “needed a bit of a facelift,” he said. 

Freitas said he was excited by what was accomplished in a relatively short period of time, noting it is not every day you can give a golf course a complete renovation. Feedback on the new look has been positive and “means we did something right,” he said.

Marketing specialist Amanda Koba, who golfed at the course in high school, agreed she was pleased with the results of the renovation.

The 36 Degrees North restaurant also underwent some changes. Formerly the Fred Couples Room, the room was renamed.

The new namesake is Kelly Freitas, Manny’s first wife, who died from cancer in 2010 and had a lot of connections to San Benito County. San Juan Oaks staff named the room after her. 

“It just felt like that was the right choice,” Freitas said.

Kelly Freitas is also the namesake of both a former golf tournament at the club, as well as an area scholarship. Freitas said he keeps in touch with all of the recipients of the scholarship, an endowment fund where students receive funds over the four years they are in school. 

“It’s a huge deal for many of the students,” Freitas said, noting some of the first recipients have moved on to have successful careers. 

He also said the leadership team is “seriously considering” bringing the Kelly Freitas Golf Tournament back. 

For more information about the club and sign up for anniversary events, visit https://sanjuanoaks.com/event-calendar/ 

The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.