I played Lake Chabot yesterday morning with an 8AM tee time on what was probably the best day for weather. I’ve been wanting to play this course and experience the infamous Par 6 hole. More on th... Continue »

I played Lake Chabot yesterday morning with an 8AM tee time on what was probably the best day for weather. I’ve been wanting to play this course and experience the infamous Par 6 hole. More on that later. In general it was a fun course with decent conditions at a reasonable price. As far as the overall condition of the course go, it was better than I expected. I was fearful that the fairways would be thin and bare. To contrary they were green with decent coverage throughout. Greens rolled smooth at a medium pace. Just a tad slower than I prefer, but in the acceptable range. Most greens are single tier with a traditional back to front slope. Greens are small here. And when I say small, I mean they make the greens at Del Monte look like Rancho Solano greens! Greens were receptive to approach shots and held well struck shots. I wasn’t in any bunkers and this course is light on bunkers. Tee boxes were flat with good coverage albeit with funky grass. Not an issue if using a driver with the ball tee’d up but could cause issues with an iron.

Now for the course layout. It sits on top of a hill so there are tons of elevation changes throughout. Course plays short so you will have a lot of short irons and wedges into the greens. Holes 14-16 have views of the SF bay, the City and the Bay Bridge so that was cool.

The oddest thing about the course is that the entrance road goes right through the middle of Holes 2-6. On an early weekday morning with little golfers out it wasn’t an issue but come prime time weekend, I see a lot of cars being hit with golf balls. Very odd! Speaking of elevation changes, I’m not sure if it was because I had a headache or if it was an optical illusion but most of the holes looked way longer than they actually were. Trust your numbers on you range finder, scorecard, GPS app etc.

Now for the infamous Par 6. It plays extremely downhill and really should just bee a par 5. I played two balls and one I hit into the right rough and had to punch out. Even with a couple poor shots I still had a 5’ putt to save “Par”. The second ball was a fantastic tee shot (that was probably in the top 5 of tee shots for me in the last 3 years). I followed that with a solid 4 iron for a second shot and had all of 80 yards left to the green for my 3rd. Still it was a lot of fun.

In fact i enjoyed the course as a whole. As I mentioned before, given the playing conditions, course layout and price, it gets a thumbs up from me.

My first time playing the course earlier today. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of elevation changes and variety of shots. Course was in fairly good condition. I also enjoyed some of the signature holes s... Continue »

My first time playing the course earlier today. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of elevation changes and variety of shots. Course was in fairly good condition. I also enjoyed some of the signature holes such as #9 and #18. #9 feels like you're dropping a shot down a mine shaft. And as much as #18 is presented as a par 6, it's really not. I hit a poor drive (175yds), they punched a 3 metal that left me 165yds to the pin. But what a fun hole!

My first time playing here. Course is tucked away in the Oakland hills. Nice design, layout. Greens were in good shape but most holes had very thin grass in the fairways and tee boxes. One of the few ... Continue »

My first time playing here. Course is tucked away in the Oakland hills. Nice design, layout. Greens were in good shape but most holes had very thin grass in the fairways and tee boxes. One of the few places I've been where they actually have sand in the bunkers.
I would not pay a premium to play here. Did play with a great guy from SF. Seems a lot of folks from the City come across to play here.

Played here on a weekdaay in March. Hadn't played Lake Chabot in a looong time. Course was pretty much dried out from lack of rain. Greens were very dry and not holding well. Downhill putts and chips ... Continue »

Played here on a weekdaay in March. Hadn't played Lake Chabot in a looong time. Course was pretty much dried out from lack of rain. Greens were very dry and not holding well. Downhill putts and chips were extremely treacherous. My downhill birdie putt on the Par 5 lipped out and ended up in the fringe. Very small greens with very few, if any, greenside bunkers. Short course, especially with the technology of today's clubs. Par 5's are pretty easy, but the par 3's are more challenging.
I used to walk this course when I was in my 20's. Now that I'm nearing 70, walking is unimaginable. Billy goat golf. We had an online special for $26 including cart.
All in all it's a fun course to play. The par 3 ninth hole distance is about 140 yards, but the green is also about 50 yards below the tee box. But the real fun comes on the 18th hole-- a 660 yard Par 6, that is almost all downhill. Needless to say it plays a lot shorter. I was in the back fringe after my third shot, but made par after my downhill chip rolled off the front of te green.

Teeboxes were uneven. Fairways were good. Rough was quite thick is some places. Greens needed water.

First stop on my Bay Area trip was Lake Chabot this morning. I had a 6:34 tee time ($24 booked through GN, which was much cheaper than $42 for the same time on their website). The pro shop didn't open... Continue »

First stop on my Bay Area trip was Lake Chabot this morning. I had a 6:34 tee time ($24 booked through GN, which was much cheaper than $42 for the same time on their website). The pro shop didn't open until 6:00 and then I ended up going off soon after that, first by myself. I was finished about 2 hours later. The course was in decent shape and it seems they are making an effort. They were doing a lot of watering on the fairways that I had to shuck and jive around at times. Some tee boxes were a bit unlevel, but fine enough. Fairways were inconsistent, but mostly lush and nice to hit from. Rough more hit and miss. There are very few bunkers on this course (I think only a couple fairway bunkers I noticed and no greenside bunkers I can remember?), so no comments there. The greens were soft and rolling medium/slow, getting quicker as they started to dry out. Sometimes a bit bumpy and a few bad spots here and there. Not terrible, but not great either. I ended up really liking this course. It suits my game as it is short. The back nine is pretty target-oriented and so are a couple holes on the front. Then, the early part of the front nine is pretty wide open going down and back up the valley. I should mention the entry road is the worst plan in history as it drives right through the middle of several holes. Very sketchy and dangerous. Otherwise, the setting is pretty and secluded and it gets more interesting as the layout goes on. Not for everyone, but I had a ton of fun here. I will say there are a lot of semi-blind uphill approach shots (including most of the par-3s). However, the one downhill par-3 makes up for it with a vengeance as it is a totally blind shot from the blue tees straight down into a canyon abyss. The most interesting thing about this course is the 18th hole, which is the only par-6 left in CA and the first I've ever played. However, it plays pretty extremely downhill until the very end and it should probably be a par-5 (especially in summertime) despite measuring 667 yards from the blues. Either way, it is a really fun and crazy hole and a good gimmick for this course to promote. Afterward, I also played the 9-hole par-3 course (walking only - $11) and it was also very fun. Hilly and narrow at times, playing along a canyon and through some hills. A fun add-on if out there for the regular course or practice.

First out (1/29/16) and just about the only one out on the course, so the pace of play was 2.5 hrs. I like to walk but this is not a walking course. Almost every hole is down hill and then back up to ... Continue »

First out (1/29/16) and just about the only one out on the course, so the pace of play was 2.5 hrs. I like to walk but this is not a walking course. Almost every hole is down hill and then back up to an elevated green (not my kind of course). Two birdies and a par on number eighteen (a par 6) made for a good time. Would I come back, maybe in the summer because there was noooo roll on the fairways! If you hit the ball too high it would plug and was impossible to find. If you hit the ball low, no roll and it would be so dirty that it was hard to find. Give it a try if you are a long hitter you might have a good time. One last thing the head pro/starter was great and so friendly.

Terrific mid May weather, warm and breezy. Course has huge elevation changes that require blind shots to greens. Wide forgiving fairways to smallish greens that easy to read. I did not see a straight ... Continue »

Terrific mid May weather, warm and breezy. Course has huge elevation changes that require blind shots to greens. Wide forgiving fairways to smallish greens that easy to read. I did not see a straight putt in our group the entire day, though they were running a bit on the slow side, appeared to be a little long. eighteen is a long 660 yard par 6, that if you can carry the first 240 on the fly will yield a long result as the fairway drops off substantially.

played 7-24 in the afternoon. really hilly course with a lot of up and down holes. tee boxes where a little thin but most where pretty level. they are re-building the 10th, 13th, and 15th tee boxes s... Continue »

played 7-24 in the afternoon. really hilly course with a lot of up and down holes. tee boxes where a little thin but most where pretty level. they are re-building the 10th, 13th, and 15th tee boxes so tees are pushed way up. fairways where pretty dry on most holes. rough is about the same height as fairways with a lot of bare spots. greens where in good shape soft and slow but rolled true. interesting finishing hole 667 yard 6 par straight down a hill. only hole i have ever seen with a switch back cart path. fun course to play. looks like management is trying to improve the conditions of the course.

Lake Chabot Golf Course Review
Oakland California Golf Course Reviews

I play this course somewhat frequently. It is hilly. This is really enjoyable when you hit a smash off the tee, and you can really watch it go. However, it is less enjoyable when you are chipping u... Continue »

I play this course somewhat frequently. It is hilly. This is really enjoyable when you hit a smash off the tee, and you can really watch it go. However, it is less enjoyable when you are chipping up to a green you can't see - which is also common. It is a tad unique I would say. There is a par 6 hole (#18), and a strange par 3 where you hit off a ledge and can't see the green below (#9). I don't really care for these anomalies, but it is generally less expensive than other bay area courses, and at the end of the day it is quite worth it. There is also a pitch-and-putt in the complex if you still have some bets to settle when you're done with 18. :)