Sacramento CA area courses

[Mike_Trenham]

My family is spending Christmas in Davis CA, near Sacramento.  We would like some advice on good courses to play.  Our preferences skew towards pre-WWII designs, and untouched.  This is not on a mission to play all the courses on the GW/GD lists, instead we kind of prefer playing "hidden gems", where they may never have had the funds to "improve" the place.  My father is a longtime PGA club professional and can usually get us access, as long as it is not of the ultra private type like San Francisco GC.  We are also flying in and out of San Francisco, so that is game too.  

The following courses were recommended by a golf professional in the Davis area.  

Wild Horse CC
El Macero CC
The Dragon
Salano Ranch
Paradise Valley GC
Del Paso CC
Nort Ridge CC
Arbuckle GC  9 holes
Yolo Fliers Club
Sacramento Golf Club

Sorry for such a self serving topic.  I am a dedicated lurker on this site.  Thanks

[Kevin_Reilly]

A couple of comments...Arbuckle is quite a bit out of your way and probably not worth a drive.  Yolo Fliers is fun, and that was the site of my wedding reception so its got that going for it.    There was a lot of commentary re: Del Paso on the board a few weeks ago...do a search and you'll see plenty about some changes they are considering. The Dragon I am familiar with is up in Plumas County (near Quincy/Graeagle) so that isn't really close to Davis.  A GCAer is a member of Wild Horse...he can provide more info about that course and maybe get you to play in one of their tournaments.    Have fun up there.  Of course there are a lot of newer courses that you can play if you have the interest.

[David_Tepper]

Mike-

One problem you are likely to have playing the older California courses this time of year is that we have entered our rainy season and the vast majority of older courses drain very poorly.  They tend to get very muddy and sloppy this time of year. A lot will depend on how much rain we get over the balance of the month.  

I am partial to Twelve Bridges, which is about 20 miles east of Sacramento (near Lincoln) and about 10 years old. The course is in the process of going private. I really like the routing and layout of the course.  The LPGA played a tour event there for about 5 years. However, I have heard that the condition of the course went downhill over the summer.  I have not played there myself in at least 12 months.    

Paradise Valley (Fairfield) and Hiddenbrooke (Vallejo) are pretty good modern courses that drain well.

DT

[Bill_McBride]

What is the Dr. MacKenzie course in Sacramento?  Is it public? Is it in decent condition?  Is there any Dr. MacK left? Always wanted to get up there from the Bay Area but never did.

[Stan Dodd]

Mike,
I am a member at Wildhorse in Davis,  a Jeff Brauer courseIf you would like to get together for a game let me know.  If you need any other info restaurants etc. I would be happy to help.
I play frequently at Northridge and would give it praise.  A Billy Bell design.
Arbuckle is a fun 9 holer kind of a farmer's course and for 15 bucksit is a deal.
I don't like El Macero as it is kind of condo golf.
Paradise Valley and Rancho Solano are ok.  PV suffers from its proximity to the I-80 and is not real peaceful and Solano is bordered by houses on most holes.
Yolo Fliers has hosted Open qualifying but has under gone haphazard redesign and some holes don't fit.  The orignals are small well guarded greens and the new are large greens with bunkers on the sides.
A course I like not on your list is Teal Bend by the Sac airport and it is well draining in case the weather keeps up as it is now.
anything else jsut shoot me an e-mail.
Cheers
Stan Dodd

[Mike Benham]

The only 2 that I have played are Solano and Paradise Valley.  I can't give either of them high marks from an architectural view but from a golf fun view, Paradise Valley is far superior to Solano ... (and neither of them fit your pre-WWII factor ...)

If you want to venture a little farther into Sacramento, Ancil Hoffman is my favorite.  A William Bell design from the early '60s that requires strategy and execution.  It runs along the American river (for a few holes) but it does not come into play.

Warning - it is a muni and therefore may not be in the best condition.  That also means it may be relatively inexpensive.  I have also heard that pace of play and the territorial rights of locals vs. visitors is prevalent ...

Further up in the foothills are a few courses such as Winchester that have had favorable reviews ...

Mike

[Stan Dodd]

The Dragon is closed for the season, that is something you have to watch as you travel into the higher foothills.

[David_Tepper]

Mike-

FYI, the NorCal Golf Assoc. has a very good website:

www.ncga.org

Click on "Golf Course Directory" and you can access a lot of helpful info (phone numbers, addresses, maps, etc.) on all the golf courses in NorCal.  In many cases, you can click thru to each course's website, if they have one.

DT  

[Jeff_Brauer]

Mike,

If you play Wildhorse - which is right in Davis, just north of I5 off the Mace Blvd. exit, I would love a report.  I didn't go to grand opening, and really haven't had a chance to get back that way since.

Evergreen Alliance let it go back to the Bank of America, in one of the endless "management company" restructurings, etc. so it may not be in great condition, although I talked to the pro recently by phone, and he said it was pretty decent.

Its a flat site, which we modified, of course, and a housing course, but with only 5 or 6 holes affected.  You can see parts of it from both interior housing roads, and the road just west of the course.  Since you're there, you can drive by the night before and get an idea if its your style of course.  It dates to 1998, so its defineatly not a pre WW II course.

I wouldn't call it my best design by a long shot, but I think there are a few holes of merit!

[Joel_Stewart]

Wildhorse is pretty good except for the chessy housing that surrounds some of the course.  Its very cheap to play which then brings in a number of seniors and higher handicap players.  Maybe playing with whitey can get you by that.  I agree with Jeff that there are some interesting holes for what I would term a fairly bad site.

The Dragon in the Sierras is closed but is also a complete waste of time unless you enjoy penal architecture.

A new course which just finished 3rd on Golf Digests best new affordable list is called Dark Horse in Auburn.  
www.darkhorsegolf.com is the site although I'm not sure its open either?  It is a very strategic golf course.

Haggin Oaks in Sacramento is home to the Mackenzie course which he built in the 1920's.   It was just rebuilt a few years ago.  A number of the Mackenzie holes are gone but I understand the restoration is pretty good.  Ron Whitten did a review on www.golfdigest.com

If you have access to private clubs you may want to go play Del Paso CC before it is destroyed.  It has been the subject of many threads on GCA over the last month.

[David_Tepper]

Mike-

You might want to check out Green Valley CC in Suisun, which is not too far from Davis:

www.greenvalleycc.com

I don't know very much about the club at all (does anyone else have comments?). It is a very low-profile club and I am guessing the course could be 40-60 years old. I know the club has hosted a few sectional qualifiers for USGA events over the past years.

DT

[JohnV]

Bill, there are two courses at Haggin Oaks.  One was done by Mackenzie.  Haggin Oaks is a municipal in Sacramento.  I've never played it so I can't tell you how it is.

I'll be in Sacremento from the 25th to the 28th if anyone wants to get together for a round.  Just send me a message.

My father used to be a member at Green Valley. It is a nice course with wild greens.  I don't think I ever played a round there without putting of at least one green.

[Todd_Eckenrode]

We have 3 projects up there in various stages, but none open yet.  As such, I'm doing the research thing as well on the competition.  I wouldn't rate the area as worldclass, by any means, but seems to have a lot of decent courses.

The courses I hear most good things about are Granite Bay and  Winchester from everyday players (both private, though).  Pictures look intrigueing of Dark Horse, and the land up there in Auburn area is really good...so could be a great track.  Also, saw some pics from Kyle Phillips of Morgan Run (?) that looked great, but don't know if it's open...is new.  Affordable courses that are popular are Teal Bend, Turkey Creek (?).  Also interested to see Del Paso, but haven't.  Not at all impressed with Haggin Oaks.  Played after the "restoration" and really couldn't see much MacK.  Is a servicible muni.

Be aware some of the courses listed are up in mountains and in snow right now.  Dark Horse is probably questionable on that issue...right in foothills.

[David Wigler]

If you have access to private clubs, I really liked Granite Bay.  It is well worth a day of golf!!

[Jeff_Stettner]

Darkhorse is pretty good, though there are some weak holes that did not fit the land as well as they could have.

Morgan Run is Great! Really fun, lots of crumpled bunkers and mounding. Don't know how they are with people these days, but I look forward to getting back.

Winchester and Granite bay are quite good. Both RTJ2 courses with nice bunker work, enough interest in the green shaping and solid land to work with. I'd probably favor Granite Bay, though they need to stop using a Sand Pro before the bunkers lose all their character.

 A cramped course that I think is really fun is The Rudge, in Auburn. Another RTJ2 track, with lots of little kicker slopes and a solid routing. Really walkable, and not too expensive. Wildhorse in Davis is also a good value, and Jeff Brauer did some neat work out there.

Hope it all helps.

Todd:
What are the new projects?

[John Kirk]

I went to school in Davis over 20 years ago.  Back then, I liked Ancil Hoffman GC, a Sacramento municipal course.  I also played Plumas Lake GC in Arboga, near Marysville, probably about an hour and a half away.  At one time, Golf Digest ranked it as a top ten public course in the nation.  I don't know if it's even there anymore.  It was short (6100 yards or so), flat, inexpensive, and beautifully maintained.

[Stan Dodd]

Jeff,
I can give you a bit of an update...
The course has been rerouted several times since construction.  Currently holes 1 an 2 are across the street hole 3 is  a great short par 4 over creek with large bunker to right of green hole 4 comes back across creek and #5 is the old 1st hole.
The 18th is the old 16th a really strong 4 with second shot over creek.
There have been a few key trees cut down that were in the creek but could affect play.
The course condition is pretty good and is getting better.  Greens still have a bit of a new feel.   The course drains really well and is maybe the best in the area to play after a rain.
Bunkers have been worked on a bit to improve some drainage issues and new sand in all the greenside bunkers.
It remains to be see what new ownership will bring a Korean Corp. has bought and will take over on Jan 1. I would agree that there are some really fun holesand some that are so-so.  
The current routing is a pain in the a** for walkers.
A previous post also hits the nail on the head in regard to older players and higher hdcps which combined with the routing issues makes pace of play a sore point.
Cheers
Stan Dodd

[Kevin_Reilly]

I just read that Kyle Phillip's Morgan Creek course in Roseville, CA is for sale.  Original developers didn't sell enough memberships at $33K per.  If they are not able to sell memberships at a lower tarrif (sub $20K), then it could potentially be converted to a public course.  That could get messy, though, since a lot of real estate was sold on the assumption that it was adjacent to a private course.

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