The author of this story failed at research. The Santa Clara Golf & Tennis Club is a public institution operating on land owned by the City of Santa Clara. It's the exact opposite of a ritzy, expensive club. It's closing because of developer greed, meanwhile other public golf courses in the area (San Jose Muni, Sunnyvale Muni, Shoreline, etc) are doing just fine. None of those courses would ever be mistaken for a Country Club though.