Golf in Oakdale

The nine holes of River Creek Golf Course are spread across the same granite-streaked foothills occupied by Yosemite National Park, which lies just 30 miles to the northwest. Snowcapped Sierra peaks hover above the trees as golfers contend with a John Hilborn–designed layout that welcomes golfers into its embrace with a 542-yard dogleg first hole, the longest on the course. Once players have holed out on the birdie-prone 349-yard ninth, they can head to the clubhouse, checking clubs at the door and instructing golf carts to sit and stay. Inside, the café and bar menu slakes hunger with lunch options, such as hamburgers, caesar wraps, and quesadillas, as well as beverages, including fountain drinks and premium beer.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par-36 course
• Total length of 3,152 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 68 from the back tees
• Course slope of 128 from the back tees
• Fives sets of tees per hole

Staffed by experienced professionals and computers who’ve sworn allegiance to the Three Laws of Golfing Robotics, GolfTec’s syndicate of golf training centers grooms games with a five-pronged approach enhanced by technological refinements. Score-shaving wisdom resonates within the walls of the indoor facilities, where certified personal coaches point out flaws and strengths while providing golfers with tips to permanently improve their game from tee to green. By utilizing video swing analysis and motion-measurement software, instructors can assess pupils’ abilities with objective data and a fact-based tact superior to traditional hearsay-oriented coaching strategies. To further enhance performance, GolfTec offers club-fitting services to match each swing profile with its ideal set of sticks.

At age 6, when most little boys are obsessed with their toy trucks and plastic dinosaurs, Ken Miller was interested in playthings with steel shafts and the ability to send a ball soaring over the grass. Young Miller’s passion for golf didn’t wane as he grew older: after making a splash on the junior golf scene, he attended Fresno State University on a golf scholarship and toured competitively before retiring to teach. But after 10 years of working for someone else, Miller was ready to realize his own dream: a family-friendly range that satisfied even the pickiest golfer. So, with his kids and wife in tow, Miller spent a year sculpting 19 acres of land into what is now McHenry Golf Center.

Today, the practice facility—which was named one of the Top 100 Ranges in America in 2009 by Golf Range—presents players with an all-grass driving range whose lighting makes it possible to play with balls that are afraid of the dark. After landing shots on the range’s seven target greens, which taunt them from 75 to 230 yards away, golfers can work on their short game at an 11,000-square-foot putting green, then head over to a practice green guarded by five circular and kidney-bean-shaped bunkers. If they want help with their chipping technique or sand play, they can take lessons with Miller and other PGA pros. Golfers can refuel with fare from the center’s snack bar after a lesson or independent practice.

While creating McHenry Golf Center, Ken Miller designed a pro shop to meet the needs of both casual and dedicated golfers, whether they carry a standard coin purse or suitcases filled with golden golf balls. Customers can get an expert fitting before picking their clubs, thanks to the center's TaylorMade SelectFit System and Ping Advanced Fitting System. For putters and woods that need attention, Golfsmith Clubmakers–trained Jim Tocco awaits at the repair center, where he fixes grips and shafts, working quickly enough to offer next-day service.

In 1947, John B. “Bing” Maloney saw that the city of Sacramento had a golfing problem, and that he, as the superintendent of the city’s recreation department, could fix it. The problem lay not with men shirking their familial responsibilities to squeeze in a round, nor with pastors cutting their sermons short in order to join their congregations on the range. Rather, the city’s “principal problem,” as he called it, stemmed from the fact that the only existing course was a measly, overcrowded 9-hole layout—a disservice to the golfers of the community, who wanted a bona fide 18-hole loop. He took the matter up with city officials, presenting such a watertight case that they unanimously voted to not only build a new course, but name it after him. Thanks to Mr. Maloney’s political strategizing and the design input of M.J. McDonaugh, former associate of the legendary course architect Alister MacKenzie, Bing Maloney Golf Course opened in 1952.

Today, the 125-acre site welcomes golfers with wide fairways lined with stately oak trees and the placid ambiance of mid-century golf-course design. Golfers encounter water just once, on the third tee box, where they must make a choice between flying the pond to reach the green 140 yards away or inventing a golf-ball-sized rocket pack. After a round, players can address newfound kinks in their game at the lighted practice area, which includes a putting green and a 40-station driving range with real grass tee boxes.

Championship Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 6,569 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 70.8 from the back tees
• Course slope of 121 from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

Designed to incorporate sparsely populated groves of trees, Foothill Golf Course’s nine-hole, par-3 layout tests golfers' short to mid iron skills across 1,096 yards of holes that range from 100 to 155 yards. On certain nights, the course invites guests to tee up phosphorescent golf balls and pummel them into the darkness during rounds of glow golf. An indoor sitting room and an outdoor area lined with picnic tables await golfers after rounds, where they can enjoy beverages from the pro shop and speculate about which water hazard has eaten the most golf balls.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par-27 course

• Length of 1,096 yards

• Course rating of 27.0

• Slope rating of 90

• Scorecard

For almost a century, Haggin Oaks Golf Complex has been racking up awards as a premier golfing destination for skills development, the latest in golf gear, and on-course play. Visitors walk in the footsteps of some of the game's greatest players, including Sam Snead, Walter Hagen, and the legendary Ben Hogan, who won his first professional paycheck here in 1938, when paychecks were still oversized and had to travel by mule. The complex's array of amenities lives up to it historical pedigree, helping players develop through lessons with nationally recognized pros, encouraging them to practice their swing on the 100-stall lighted driving range, and setting them loose on one of two 18-hole courses. Beginners can ease into the game at the developmental Arcade Creek course, and those looking for a more traditional and difficult layout can try their hand at the Alister MacKenzie Golf Course.

Designed by the great architect Alister MacKenzie, whose projects include some of the most storied courses in the history of the game, such as Augusta National, Cypress Point, and Royal Melbourne, MacKenzie Golf Course envelops players in a pristine, 350-acre alleyway that offers almost no distractions from the outside world or to-do lists written in sand traps. After looping either course, players can stop in at MacKenzie's Sports Bar and Grille to replenish calories burnt on the links through traditional pub fare and 15 beers on tap while they watch sports on 10 flat-screen televisions.

Winner of Golf World's Top Public Golf Shop award, the Golf Super Shop showcases an inventory of gear from hundreds of top brands across 15,000 square feet of retail space. A 1929 Ford Model T truck hoists hundreds of Callaway golf balls, a 1,000-square-foot indoor putting green invites players to test out putters, and large spaces dedicated to Nike and Adidas apparel offer plenty of clothing options for your next outing. Additionally, the shop's club fitters use a variety of club-fitting technologies to ensure a set of irons doesn't end up colluding against its new owner.