Courses, Travel & Tee Times

Golf in the Sacramento foothills: Amazing beauty and unbeatable value

As you move northeast along Interstate 80 past Sacramento, the transition from farmland to foothills seems to happen in an instant. From a golf architect's point of view it is land redolent with possibilities and famous architects like Robert Trent Jones Jr. have laid some of their best work here. Ted Johnson has more.

Bing Maloney Golf Course in Sacramento does a lot by not trying to do too much

The best thing about Bing Maloney Golf Course is it doesn't try to do too much. The greater Sacramento area has plenty of new public choices for avid golfers. Bing isn't meant to compete against those. It's a 70-year-old play that works its way through large oak and pine trees. The 18-hole course is the central element to a 27-hole facility that includes a nine-hole Executive course, a large driving range and a first-rate pro shop.

Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course in Sacramento: Daring to score in California's Delta

Architects at times do some of their best work when there isn't a lot of land. Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course, about 15 minutes south of downtown Sacramento, falls into that category. A core course that has nine holes and adjacent to another, it doesn't play like a back-and-forth, hit-and-walk. Bartley Cavanaugh generally makes the most out of a plot of land wedged between the Sacramento River and Interstate 5.

Haggin Oaks Golf Complex: Visiting Dr. MacKenzie in Sacramento

Alistair MacKenzie designed eight golf courses in Sacramento, Calif. but his 18-hole layout at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex is his only 18-hole course in the area that is public. MacKenzie's designs like Augusta National and Cypress Point rank among the world's best, and it's good northern California golfers can sample his work, Ted Johnson writes.

Winchester Country Club in northern California: Where eagles (and birdies) dare

Situated about 40 miles east of Sacramento in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Sr. collaborated on an 18-hole gem, Winchester Country Club in Meadow Vista. Originally intended to be a private club, Winchester is a semi-private course that can bring many a thrill, Ted Johnson writes.