The golf gang was out again; this time in Lincoln, California to extend our boundaries of local golf. Greater Sacramento has some of the best golf around and is available to the public. One such course is Turkey Creek.
NOT FOUND: golf 2.jpgTurkey Creek Golf Course is an 18-hole, regulation length golf course in Lincoln. This championship layout has three sets of tee boxes for a fun, but challenging golfing experience. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, this course is a picturesque design overflowing with oak trees and granite outcroppings. Several streams run through the course and a rock quarry filled with water frequently comes into play. The generous, rolling fairways are complimented by native grass rough and many of the greens feature tiered or sloped designs. The signature hole is #14, a 173-yard, par 3. The entire hole is surrounded by oak trees and your tee shot must carry the water in front of the green. The 6,003-yard men's tee also has a ladies course rating of 73.9 and a slope of 134.
This is a great course; definitely one of the best in the area with some nice signature holes. There are great views, a challenging layout and well maintained greens. The front nine is filled with short dog legs. You will use every club in your bag here. It is not a driver only from the tee no matter what tees you are playing. This course sees a lot of action, yet the greens are in great shape. However, the fairways, bunkers, lakes, rough and the rest are in the best shape ever. The signature holes are holes #3 and #18 because you have to carry an old rock quarry. The quarry has since been filled in with water. This adds to the beauty and difficulty of these two holes.
The course still feels apart from the suburbia that is becoming to Lincoln. Wild turkey and deer roam the course. As a matter of fact we saw a turkey and a deer standing as greeters together when we entered the facility. Turkey Creek has so much ambience and charm, you might catch yourself sightseeing. This course has many attributes that are important. It is visually very beautiful and appears natural, the condition of the course is always good and it is so quiet you can hear the birds talking to each other. (I should mention that my buddy lost his appreciation for the charming wild turkeys when one of them let out a series of gobbles during the back-swing of his birdie putt).
The course is quite challenging for those of us who do not always hit the ball straight. The fairways are mostly tree lined and some are very tight, with un-mowed underbrush between the trees, only a few feet off the fairways. If you hit it in there, forget-about-it. I think the blue tees are best for single-digit handicappers or extremely straight hitters. This is a course where prior knowledge is valuable because there are many doglegs and elevation changes, causing tee shots to finish out of sight of the tee. The more you play there the more you will learn the layout and prepare accordingly. We would recommend playing this course often, Take advantage of the ClubCorp Summer Super Saver Card they have advertised; it is well worth it.