Skywest Golf Course- Hayward

Imagine a golf course that has almost 100,000 rounds played on it a year. More than 250 rounds a day! You would expect this place to be in pretty rough shape. Well, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the Skywest Golf Course.

Skywest's condition actually improved as we played it. Each fairway seemed in a little better condition than the last, and the greens were all pretty quick, and pretty true.

And I will always love the first hole, dear readers, the 367 yard par four where I hit a six iron to one foot, yes, one foot, to make birdie. I would have walked off right there, but then you wouldn't have this review!

This is a big hitter's track, no question.

The Blues play a monstrous 6,800 plus yards, with the whites weighing in at 6,500, the yellows at 6,200, and the reds the same. You have got to be able to get off the tee here. And, in the afternoon, the back side plays into the wind coming off the Bay.

Skywest isn't a creatively laid out course. The challenge is in the length and the ability to avoid the obvious trouble. Water comes into play on seven holes, the rough is really that, not long, but a bit grabby, and every green boasts two big bunkers.

So, you're thinking, a pretty easy track once I get off the tee. Well, dear readers, allow me to differ from that opinion with fact. The City Championships were held there recently, and the winner shot an even par 72. You'd expect guys like that to go low, and they didn't, so go with real expectations.

Some particular highlights include the number one handicap second hole. A 422 yard par four dogleg left (I got there in two…and made bogey!), the 465 yard fifth, a par five which my partner Jeff eagled with the prettiest flop shot this side of Phil Mickelson, and the 17th, a 199 yard par three, with traps in front of the green and water behind it.

The one downside to Skywest is that they've got to cram to get all those rounds in, and it gets pretty slow. We played on a Thursday, and were told to expect a five hour round. We definitely waited on every shot all day, but for some reason it didn't feel like it. Maybe it was Bob, the poor guy who got put with our threesome, and had to endure us. Or maybe it was because the course was full of Bobs, retired guys with no where to get to fast, but really good folks. Anyway, we finished in 4 hours 40 minutes. Not great, but certainly not the slowest round I've played in the Bay Area.

And Skywest has some great bargains, too. Twilight starts at 3:00 and costs $15. And super-twilight starts at 5:00 and only costs $11. Make a tee time for those, or you'll get shut out! East Bay Golfers know a good deal when its offered.

There is a chance that when Tony Lema and San Mateo Golf Courses re-open (they are both being renovated) that Skywest's load will be lightened a little. But even if its not, this place is worth playing, just do it on a day when you've got no where to get to fast.

By Mike Roth
Assoc. Editor, sfbaygolf.com

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