Lake Chabot Muni Golf Course- Oakland

Dear readers, the time has come to get back to the roots of golf - the local muni. When your time is short, and your wallet light, head somewhere where you can get on quick, and not drop big bucks. Lake Chabot is a fine example, as well as an Oakland classic since 1927!

Located high in the hills off Interstate 580, Lake Chabot is what a good muni should be. It will challenge your golf game without challenging your financial well-being.

Relatively inexpensive ($27 for an Oakland resident with a cart, $30 for non-residents) before 3 p.m., this place is a real bargain after. Twilight rates are $8 for residents and $10 for nonresidents. Play all you can for one fee.

My biggest piece of advice is: don't walk! People do, but one of Lake Chabot's charms is how hilly it is. Up and down on almost every hole, it will wear out all but the elite athlete. I personally would rather expend my energy on my shots.

Length is not the real issue here -- although it plays longer than the nearly 6,000 yards on the card. A good example of this is Nos. 3 and 4 - the twin par 5’s on the front. They both play from elevated tee boxes to a valley below (and across the road). Then they both work their way all the way back up hill. I can't remember too many people getting there in two, even though the holes only play 458 and 464, respectively. And on No. 4, once you do get there, the green is a classic Lake Chabot hazard! The greens here are not too fast, but nearly every one is also on a hill, so they can be nasty. Putting off the green is very possible on several holes.

No. 9 is spectacular. It’s a par 3 that plays anywhere from 150-180 yards (the tee moves around quite a bit). No big deal, you say. Ah, but dear readers, the tee box is elevated more than 100 feet. And from most of the tee positions, you can't see the green below. I have hit everything from a 5-iron to a wedge here, depending on the wind. Short? Your ball is gone in the brush. Long? You play out of the trees behind the green (as I did with a 9-iron from the tee on this day). Left is dead. Right has some relief. Everyone in your group will have fun on this hole.

I find the back nine a bit more friendly. No. 14, which features a blind tee shot and a periscope to see if the fairway is clear, plays longer than its 358 yards because of the wind. Then come the views!

Holes 15 through 18 have magnificent views. From 15 you get a breathtaking look at downtown Oakland, the Bay Bridge and San Francisco. Flip side is that it is the ultimate sucker hole. Only 259 from the blues and 245 from the whites, everyone pulls the driver out at least once to take a shot. No problem, just don't pull it, or you end up somewhere on the 16th fairway, and very O.B. Oh, and don't slice, or your ball might as well be in the Bay. A great risk-reward hole.

No. 18 is one of the best finishing holes I have ever played. A 660-yard par 6. That's right, I said par 6; apparently one of the last ones around. Read the plaque to the left of the tee box before you tee off. It commemorates the long-time superintendent of the course, Joseph Guisto, and his long-drive supremacy. This is where you give back all of the altitude you have gained; 18 is straight downhill. Carts must stay on the path here, and do try to find a flat spot to hit from (impossible). 

Overall, Lake Chabot is a fun track. This place is not Pebble Beach, nor is it meant to be. It is not always in the best shape (though I was pleasantly surprised this week), and it can play slowly if there is a tournament in front of you. (Call and check. Lots of the local high schools use the course as well.) And don't expect any yardage markers outside of the 200, 150 and 100 sticks. It’s tricky at first, but if you play it enough, you will learn to hit it to the flat spots! Get there if you can. If you like classic munis, it’s worth it.

By Mike Roth
Assoc. Editor, sfbaygolf.com

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