he quiet was the fi rst thing I noticed. As the son of a career Air Force
pilot, I had cut my golfi ng teeth on military golf courses and thought nothing of the continual accompany- ing sound of airplanes taking off and landing. Located in the middle of pastoral
farmland four miles from Travis Air Force Base and far from the fl ight pattern, a round at Cypress Lakes Golf Course can best be described as peaceful. Hosting less than 30,000 rounds per year, the golf course might be the best-kept secret in Northern California. Cypress Lakes is owned by the
military and managed by Travis Air Force Base. While its primary reason for existence is to attend to the morale and welfare of active duty soldiers and their families, the golf course welcomes play from the public. “We get players every day who tell
me, ‘I didn’t know you were here,’” said General Manager Jessie Walker, PGA. “We’re happy to have them play here, and we welcome them as guests.” Opened in 1962, the 18-hole golf course was designed in two nine-hole phases. The fi rst nine, which now plays as the back, was designed by Air Force personnel who endowed the course with plenty of character. “I’ve played golf around the world,” Walker declared, “ and I would say our last three or four holes rival any- thing I’ve ever played. We may not be in as good as shape as Amen Corner, but I’ll put our layout against any of them.”
The magnetism of the golf course
comes from the imaginative design, the extraordinary greens, and the proverbial service with a smile. While playing the front nine, the course might well be described as yielding and give one purpose to ponder how many strokes under your handicap you may possibly fi nish. But the demanding four fi nishing holes are a series of dogleg designs that offer risk and reward choices. Take the risk and be rewarded with a short iron to the green.
“Our fi nal holes challenge you
with every shot in your bag,” Walker said. “If you can make par on the fi nal holes, you have made up a couple of strokes on the fi eld.” While Walker fi nds it diffi cult to
choose a favorite hole, Cypress Lakes Men’s Club member Lee Gidney is quick to choose No. 16 with its “quirky dogleg, challenging tee shot, two ponds, and diffi cult green.” He adds, “The hole forces you to give serious consideration to your play on every shot, and will reward a well played shot as well as punish a poorly executed one. I suppose that’s the es- sence of the game.” Gidney, the new president of the
Northern California Golf Associa- tion, knows a lot about the game’s essence. The former Air Force and
“I don’t think you can fi nd a nicer place to spend four hours.”
United Airlines pilot has played golf for more than 50 years. He has served on a number of USGA tournament committees, offi ciated at champion- ship events, and also delivers golf rules seminars. An avid player, he holds a single- digit handicap and reveals that qualify- ing for his fi rst NCGA Zone Champi- onship in 1995 changed his life. He was so impressed with the way
the tournament was managed that he began volunteering with the NCGA. After retirement, he ran for the board of directors, eventually going through the offi cer chairs of secretary/treasurer and vice president, and Jan. 1, he began his tenure as president of the NCGA. When he tees it up at Cypress
Lakes, however, he’s just an- other member, which boasts a group as diverse as a retired Navy Admiral to active duty Airmen stationed at Travis AFB. “We have active men’s
and women’s golf clubs that have been associated with the NCGA and the Pacifi c Wom-
en’s Golf Association since the course opened,” Gidney said. Ask any of them what they like
about Cypress Lakes, and you’re likely to hear praise about the green complexes. For a course built on rela- tively fl at land, the subtle greens offer enough designed slope and character to force players to read them well, and putt them better. Cypress Lakes was recently voted
the No. 1 golf program in the Air Mobility Command division of the Air Force, which includes courses from around the country. Walker recognizes that customer
service is an extremely important part of the success of the golf course. “People don’t come here to see our smiling faces,” said Walker, “but they won’t come back if we don’t make them feel welcome and important while they are here.” For Gidney, Cypress Lakes is the
perfect place to call home. “This course has everything I
want,” he said. “From the challenge the course presents…all the way to the spirit of our community of golfers, this course has something for every player.” The fairways are wide and the
hazards are fair. Couple that with multiple tee boxes approaching 7,000 yards from the back and you have a course that will interest all levels of play. “The fi rst time I shot an even par
Cypress Lakes Golf Course
is located at 5601 Meridian Road in Vacaville.
For more information,
call (707) 424-5797 or email Jessie Walker, PGA at
clgs1@myisweb.com.
round was on this course,” Gidney said, “and conversely the course has broken my heart other times. Golf is a game we never conquer. Hit a bad shot and we’re determined not to do it again. Hit a good shot and you realize you can do it again. “Golf courses are pretty places. I love to come out on a summer afternoon and play three or six holes and stop and chat with other members. I don’t think you
can fi nd a nicer place to spend four hours.”
WINTER 2015 /
NCGA.ORG / 51
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