Lake Chabot Golf Course is a 27-hole municipal facility tucked in the hills of Oakland, California. Located 13 miles southeast of the heart of the city and abutting Anthony Chabot Regional Park, it boasts a vintage 18-hole course and a much newer 9-hole pitch-and-putt course. While Lake Chabot Golf Course annually hosts the Oakland City Golf Championship, one of the Bay Area s most prestigious amateur tournaments, this welcoming muni attracts a diverse group of players spanning a wide spectrum of skill levels. When you have a tee time at Lake Chabot Golf Course The 18 Hole Course, you ll be playing a fun, scenic, and quirky layout that has been delighting Bay Area golfers for a hundred years. William Lock is credited with the 1923 design that rambles over very hilly terrain in a natural, undeveloped realm. During your round at Lake Chabot Golf Course you may see an impressive variety of wildlife, but you will certainly take in stunning views of the area around Lake Chabot, the Bay Bridge, downtown Oakland, and on clear days, even San Francisco. Lake Chabot Golf Course--The 18 Hole Course, a par 72 test, is quite short by modern standards. It measures 5,194 yards from the forward tees, 5,676 yards from the middle markers, and 6,004 yards from the back tees. The front nine features three par 3s, three par 4s, and three par 5s, while the back nine has just two par 3s and all the rest par 4s until you reach the 18th hole. Though the par 3s are mostly long and uphill, a few drivable par 4s and very short par 5s present good scoring opportunities. Most of the holes feature elevated tee boxes that showcase downhill tee shots before the fairways ascend to small, round, elevated greens. Because of the elevation changes, players face a number of blind shots during the round. There are no water hazards at Lake Chabot Golf Course and the only sand traps are a couple of fairway bunkers, but no one laments their absence. Trouble comes in the form of trees, fall-offs on the sides of the playing corridors, and the awkward lies and stances. Judging distances and selecting clubs are challenging propositions, especially when the wind blows. Meanwhile, the greens at Lake Chabot Golf Course can confound even the most confident putters with their speed and breaks. Much of the fun of playing Lake Chabot Golf Course comes from hitting and watching tee shots that arc majestically down to the fairways. Everyone who plays here remembers two exhilarating holes. The big-drop par-3 9th begins on a clifftop and plays almost straight down to the putting surface. The par-5 18th breaks the mold of Lake Chabot Golf Course s other holes by extending to a whopping 676 yards. It s a novel par 6, though it is so downhill that it actually plays like a par 5. While walking is permitted on this very hilly layout, even many die-hard walkers opt to take a cart. Everyone should stay alert for errant shots. A quirky feature of the course is that the entrance road crosses several fairways cars are definitely in the line of fire. Practice facilities at Lake Chabot Golf Course include a driving range, a chipping area with sand bunkers, and two putting greens. The recently remodeled Spanish-style clubhouse features a pro shop and a cafe. No matter where you are in the Bay Area, you owe it to yourself to make a tee time to play Lake Chabot Golf Course at least once.