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Willow Park Public Golf Course
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15 reviews for Willow Park Public Golf Course
Finally had a chance to hit this course this weekend. For some reason, I've played the Lake Chabot course nearby several times without trying this place before. Am I glad I did.
The course has beautiful mountain views and scenery throughout. It's too bad the creek that runs through the course was dried out, otherwise, I think it would have only added to the beauty. The course is suited more for intermediate players. There's really only a handful of holes were I used my driver. Instead, I frequently used my fairway woods/long irons for several of the long par4 hole tee boxes. There are numerous doglegs and the course really challenges your course management skills. Sand bunkers are limited but placed strategically. The course was in above average condition and the greens ran pretty straightforward. Green fees were also reasonable and the driving range is one-of-a-kind; you hit your drives into the water. My only real complaint are the golf carts; this has to be one of the few places that still uses gas-powered carts; there's a lag when hitting the gas pedal which nagged me the whole day. All in all, I'll definitely be coming back here for another round.
Willow has a mom-and-pop feel to it, which is good and bad. Back nine is tranquil and beautiful, built on EBMUD land. It's geese, bunnies and deer.
Bad? T-boxes are chewed up, fairways gnarly in places with dirt where grass should be.
The place is flat and short and has a creek along the right side of all front 9 holes. Be prepared to sacrifice a lot of balls to this creek the first few times you play here. The slope is about 118 and the par is 71. There are 5 par 3s, which are pretty easy.
The good news is that the course has enough funky challenges to keep from being "a walk in the park.' These challenges include the creek, lots of overhanging limbs and doglegs to keep you from straight shots.
You better be on top of your irons to score out here. Greens are soft and receptive bu the course demands accuracy more than length. This is the course for the controlled golfer.
No drink carts or anything else in the way of amenities. Another plus is that with walking you still have nice 3.5-hour rounds. A walking round during the week was $25, fair enough.
Priced to high I paid $52 dollars for 18 holes at 2:30 pm on Saturday and the cart didn't even have a front protection shield and it was problemly built in 1970. The pro shop offered no discounts no NCGA or Ncgc Nothing You could do alot better for the price I will never play this course again because of the PRICE and no discounts If you are going to play be sure to bring your own front wind shield and dont expect any type of discounts and believe me there are better courses out
there the course greens were in good condition I will give them that but what I didn't like about the course was it appears to have a trench or creek running thur most of the course When I pay that kind of money I expect the best at least have nice carts I Will never play Will ow Park again didn't like the Carts didnt like the creek , didn't like the Price 3 strikes and your out
A superb golf course - don't know who designed it, but I am guessing its someone who is a tease. The reason why I say this is because I looked up the yardage on this course, and it is a short 5600 from the white tees. Short, yes, easy, NO! It is much tougher than it looks.
All the holes are very challenging, you have to put the ball in the right place, and if you slice hard, you may as well give up after the first 3 holes. There is a creek that runs all along the right side on the front nine, and God bless me because I draw the ball.
The greens were in good shape, and I am not sure whether it was the heavy rain that made them slower than they looked, or whether it was just the blue grass they use. But even though they were slow, you could trust the read and they rolled true.
Finally, the back 9 (holes 11-15) are some of the most interesting holes I have played. These included 2 Par 4s that are 255 and 270 yards and a couple of interesting Par 3s. And everything that folks have said about the awesome scenery is absolutely true.
All in all, a very solid 4 stars, the only negative is that you have to hit floaters into the lake to warm up. WIsh they had nicer range balls, although hitting into the lake was pretty cool.
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My favorite twighlight course to walk. It's around $15 starting at 5pm. I wouldn't pay for a cart here (though they have them available). It is flat and appropriate to walk the course with a push cart (which they also have available for rent). It's not really a weekend course that I would go to and pay lots of money for, it's just a decent course in town appropriate for a friendly round after work. But its narrow and fun, and usually has nice greens. You can bring lots of extra balls but you will also find lots of extra balls in the creeks. It's a very friendly course and recommended. Every random person that I've been paired up with there has been super nice.
I played the first 18 hole course of my life on this course. The course is nestled between the hills. I am a definite newby to golf, so read on with that perspective...
The course - overall layout was nice, with a good mix of par 3, 4, and 5 holes. The greens were nicely maintained. There were deer, ducks, and turkeys roaming around. I heard about the creek that's supposed to run through the course, but it was dry when we got there. Better for us, as we didn't lose as many balls as we could have. On that note, I ended up losing a couple balls that I hit "around" the fairway. Maybe there are ghosts of animals taking them away.
The Driving Range - You hit into a fake lake. You get no run from your shots but you know exactly how far your ball travels before it hits the ground/water.
The price - My friend and I paid $50 each for 18 holes and a golf cart on a Sunday afternoon. Pretty reasonable, but I think there are sites that offer discounted prices on certain tee times.
Overall, it's a nice course. It looks good. The employees were nice, and the people we met playing the course were nice as well. I definitely recommend this place if you want to play.
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There was once a Miller's High Life tv commercial where you saw an old schooler (albeit his face was never shown) about to do a round at a muni golf course. He was wearing an old school cotton/poly blend collared shirt, tight plaid pants and was pulling his cheap faux leather golf bag out of the trunk of his Buick Sky Lark or Chrysler Le Baron or whatever sedan old schoolers roll in. He then proceeds to pull golf balls out of his bag (strange b/c most peeps need several balls to complete a round) but only to make room so he can stash several cans of Miller High Life into his bag. Straight money commercial, so real it's funny.
So playing a round here late in the afternoon this past weekend got me thinking about this commercial. Willow Park is serious old school and not entirely in a good way. It's like playing on a golf course from the 1970's with all it's buildings never being upgraded or remodeled. So from the parking lot to the pro shop to the first tee, I just kept expecting to run into that guy from the commercial with plaid pants and beer breath. Plus there are serious hackers here so don't expect a good pace nor decent golf etiquette. I had a couple of balls stolen from me on my own fairway (who the fuck does that?).
There is a really nice restaurant there however, which is the second location for San Leandro's Paradiso. http://www.yelp.com/bi... Chilling in the old school bar (ala Regal Beagle from Three's Company) I just kept expecting Larry Dallas to waltz in with gold chains exposed from his unbuttoned shirt. We were told by a gracious employee that we were able to get food from the restaurant at the bar and the menu did look quite promising. Now that is a proposition that we did not take advantage of at the time but that is also another review. For now, 3 livin' the High Life stars.
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I enjoyed my experience at Willow Park. I was here just 2 weeks ago. The staff here are laid back and the prices are reasonable. I played absolutely horrible but the good news is that I can only improve.
I shot a horrid 133 (106 with my handicap)! Tiger could have beaten my score easily over 36 holes! Based on my horrible score, you'd wonder if this is a tough course, but no, I'm just a horrible golfer. I lost about 10 balls so 20 of my points are attributed to losing golf balls.
The course is nice and green and actually very easy. The primary water hazards are shallow creeks usually on a right hander's slice side. If you have the habit of hooking your shots, this course will benefit you. Slicers will be diced as the majority of the hazards and difficult roughs are on the right hand swinger's slice.
The Par 5's aren't very long and only one or two are even over 500 yards. The par 3's and 4's are very easy, but on all the holes, the putting surfaces were not very good. They are deceptive because they are dried out and uneven. They feel fast but are actually deceptively slow making putting a nightmare. I two, three, and four putted on all my holes.
The weather from April-August can be very hot and dry. Be sure to bring at least two big bottles of water. I brought one big bottle of water and was out by the 9th hole. Needless to say, I was suffering from dehydration and heat stroke conditions by hole 15 and struggled thru the final holes.
The lunch area is nice and simple. They offer very good hot dog/hot links for a reasonable cost.
All in all, it's a fun course with a courteous staff. Remember: Bring more water than you can drink because it will be hot and dry here.
Notes to myself:
Practice putting. My putting was horrible. Go to driving range. Do not grip so strongly, that only results in less strength. Relax. Remember the pendulum swing. My short game from 40-80 yards was better than it's ever been. My mid-range game was respectable and my tee off's were horrible. I only got one good drive that put me in a position for a birdie which I mucked up and ended up getting a bogey on.
Next course: Indian Valley.
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The Lake Chabot area that this course is located has great scenery. This is a golf course that isn't located near an airport, so this is a plus.
The driving range is nice, you hit your balls into water. Sometimes when the weather is poor they close it down.
This course has poor drainage and tends to get very muddy. There has been a lot of construction on the course which really hampered the experience.
Also this course attracts a lot of geese which have no qualms doing their business just about everywhere.
You'll get a bang for your buck, and it seems like you won't have a problem getting a tee-time. I remember them running summer specials that were extremely reasonable as well.
There are a lot of creeks and heavy brush/trees. If you can't break 100 be prepared to lose a bunch of balls.
Public is a nice word for Blue Collared. And I love it. Its a nice course with nice people. There is a bar and dining room with tacky decor and why should you expect anything else. You don't need hoity-toity when all you want to do is play golf.
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After playing this track twice in the past week, I plan on returning here a lot more often...the scenery is really great, with a nice creek running thru the majority of the holes making a relatively short course a nice little challenge. I don't hit the ball super far and was able to hit driver on almost every non par 3. There are deer everywhere, as well as turkeys and other birds. The fairways are pretty good for a muni and the greens about a 6 or 7 out of 10. The price is right and the excellent scenery makes up for so-so conditions.
Fun and cheap. Just the way I like my women. Just kidding. Lots of water here, but for gods sake don't ever go after a big rain. No drainage!
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Willow Park is a little know secret hidden on the north side of Castro Valley just off Redwood Rd. The fees are among the most reasonable in the Bay Area. The setting is beautiful and the tightness of the course make it a challenge even for the best of golfers. There is plenty of trouble awaiting the typical weekend sprayer with a creek separating the first 5 holes from the rest of the front nine. You'll often see deer and rabbits and an occasional fox. Wild pigs have been known to tear up a few fairways in search of food. This course could be really nice if some investors were wiling to spend some money to build asphalt cart paths, remodel the club house and manicure the greens and fairways. Ballhawkers should be aware as there is plenty of poison oak awaiting them. In general, most of the holes are reacheable in regulation even for a hacker like myself. Most golfers would label this place as target golf. There are a few wide open fairways to accomodate sprayers.
If you can't get a tee time anywhere else, give this place a call and you'll be amazed at what times are available!
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willow park is one of my favorite courses to play because of its wildlife and scenery. the park does have its challenges as there is a creek that runs down the right hand side of entire front line that comes into play on the 13th hole. the other challenge at willow park is that the slightly sloped greens are soft cause they are frequently watered. Which means the green is soft enough to hold the ball or slow it down. the blue grass at this place is so stunning.
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This is a great course, never have to wait more than 20 minutes to get on,and its cheap. Reminds me of playing Harding and Lincoln back in the day. There is a tree line and creek all the way down the right on the front. makes it fun if you have any kind of slice.
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