Haggin Oaks Golf Course, Alister MacKenzie Course

Haggin Oaks Golf Course, is a Public, 36 hole golf facility located in Sacramento, California. The facility has two 18-hole golf courses. They are The Alister MacKenzie Course and The Arcade Creek Course.

Alister Mackenzie at Haggin Oaks first opened for play in 1932. The course was designed by Alister Mackenzie.

The MacKenzie Golf Course is, considered the "players" course at the Haggin. The course measures a 6,991-yards from the back tees and is a true test of golf for the low handicapper.

The middle tees play to 6,542-yards and the forward tees offer a challenge at 6,057-yards

In 2001 the city put $6.5 million into renovations at the MacKenzie course, improving irrigation and rebuilding the 18th and 9th greens to fit the original Alister MacKenzie design. There are no houses, no buildings and no reminders of the outside world once you're underway. Here, the stately oaks average over 100-years-old, the bent grass fairways and teeing areas are lush casting a brilliant green luster from tee to green.

The greens on the MacKenzie course are small by today's standards and fast, running up to 11 and 12 on the stimp meter when tournaments come to town. With very little water (Arcade Creek comes into play on five holes) and no fairway bunkers, the small, heavily bunkered greens require shot-making and putting to be absolutely razor sharp to score.

#16 is a 192 yard par 3 and the signature hole. The back tees and overshadowed by a dominating old oak on the right side of the green and Arcade Creek looming along the left and wrapping along the back of the green, this par three provides a great test of iron precision. Once aboard, this rather large green has three distinct sections and if you're on the wrong one, three putts are not out of the question.

#18 is a short par five and is very reachable in regulation, but the crossing bunker in front of the green is classic MacKenzie design as it gives the illusion of being green-side, while in reality it is a good 50-yards short of the hole, lulling the unsuspecting player to take one less club than necessary.

If you choose the right club, you're treated to a nice walk up to a stadium area with the scoreboard and clubhouse providing the backdrop. In front of the green, two bunkers guard against the run-up from the fairway. You can sense the history here as Hogan, Venturi, Snead and other greats stalked their eagle putts on the way to great tour finishes.