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Crystal
Springs Golf Course- Burlingame
I ended up
playing a round at the Crystal Springs Golf Course because I wanted
to sneak in a quickie on my way to San Francisco International Airport.
It turned out to be more than just convenient.
Crystal Springs
is in a protected area in Burlingame, about 10 minutes from SFO.
The course
gets more beautiful as you work your way away from the first tee
box, with a breathtaking view of the SF reservoir (which looks more
like a peaceful, deserted lake) from the tee at No. 15.
As far as the
golf goes, this is a challenging track. It plays between 5,800 yards
(reds) and 6,500 (blues), with the white tees a fair 6,200 yards.
The greens are tricky, and mostly small. And there are severe elevation
changes. Throw in the wind that kicked up as the day wore on, and
it made for a challenging round.
The front side
starts with a 380-yard par 4 that drops away from the tee. Stay
out of the trees that make up jail to the left of the green(trust
me on this one, dear readers!), and negotiate one of the few big
greens on the course.
No. 15, as
I mentioned, has a great view. And what have we learned about great
views? They almost always equal sucker holes! Let's see, 298 yards,
way down a hill, I should be able to get there with a driver - no
problem. Yeah, ask me about it while I'm looking for my ball in
the brush to the left of the fairway! Tough double bogey with a
lost ball penalty. Will I ever learn?
And then Crystal
Springs gets tough. Nos. 16 and 18 make you work for low numbers
on the way back to the clubhouse. Both are par 5s, 448 and 508 yards,
respectively, the longest hole on the course. Conserve some energy
for these.
The only knock
against this place is that you are definitely paying for the view
- $42 to walk during the week and $14 per person for a cart (and
by now you know, dear readers, I'm in it for the aggravation, not
the exercise!). Weekends the price goes up to $65, $79 before noon.
But it is a
nice, tight track, and it will allow you to finish 18 and be there
when your wife's flight lands!
By
Mike Roth
Assoc. Editor, sfbaygolf.com
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