The South Course at Corica Park, also known historically as the Jack Clark Course, sits on Bay Farm Island in Alameda just minutes from Oakland International Airport. The original 18 holes were designed by William Francis Bell and opened in 1957, then partially redesigned by Robert Muir Graves in 1977. Operator Greenway Golf, which signed a 40-year lease in 2012, brought in architect Rees Jones and associate Steve Weisser to completely rebuild the layout; the new course reopened on June 22, 2018 after a 3½-year project.

On the course

The redesign is unusual for the Bay Area: Rees Jones describes it as a minimalist, Australian Sandbelt–style track where the ball can be played to the hole through the air or along the ground. To build it, Greenway trucked in thousands of loads of reclaimed fill — including dirt excavated from a Bay Area Rapid Transit tunnel — to raise the former landfill site above the water table, then capped the entire course with dune sand for drainage and firm playing surfaces. Fairways were planted in drought-tolerant grasses, with California-native Agrostis pallens bentgrass framing bunker complexes. Golf Magazine named it the top municipal course renovation of 2018, and Audubon International recognized it with a Water & Sustainability Innovation Award.

Who it suits

The routing covers roughly 6,874 yards from the back tees to a par of 72, with wide fairways, expansive contoured greens, and large, flat-floored sandbelt bunkers. A stretch on the back nine in the northeastern corner of the property tightens considerably, and wind off San Francisco Bay regularly affects club selection. The flat, firm-and-fast layout suits players who enjoy ground-game options, strategic angles around bunkers, and lag putting on big greens — and its municipal pricing makes a Rees Jones design accessible to public-access golfers who would not otherwise see one.

Architect: Rees Jones · Opened: 2018