Day 3 Northern California's Yocha Dehe

3/10 - Day 3 Northern California's Yocha Dehe

     This day started in Redding, CA. We drove south to Vacaville, CA to visit with my cousin Pam and her father, my 91 year old Uncle Ed who lives in a retirement facility near her. We had a good time reminiscing and then it was time for golf.

     We met my friend "Chilly" (Rick) Barnes (splits time living mostly in Clarkston, but frequently visits his friends in the Bay area) and his buddy Doug at Yocha DeHe Golf Course near Brooks, CA. Doug had played the course a couple of times, but even though Chilly had gambled at the adjacent Cache Creek Casino, this was his first time playing golf here as was the case for Mag & I.

     The Bag Drop and parking & pro shop would remind you of Circling Raven. The Golf course would not (remind you) as all 18 holes are contiguous and not scattered about as they are at CR. It is a really great golf course! They were in the process of re-sodding a lot of the tee boxes, particularly the more forward tees, but other than that the course was in really good shape.

     There are 5 tee boxes to choose from and par is 72. Margaret played the shortest tees @ 5426 yards and the rest of us played the next shortest @ 5937 with a slope of 127. Because of the tees under repair we did not play full yardage on several holes.

     We started on #10 and while I don't know what Chilly & Doug shot, the back nine kicked our asses, particularly Margaret's. It was a little windy when we started and the first three holes were dead into the wind and that didn't help things. The last two holes on this side are the toughest, the par 5 17th (#4 handicap hole) and the number 2 handicap hole, the par 4 18th. We got to play 18 a lot shorter than normal, and it really helped on the approach shot. It's one of those holes that the longer you hit it off the tee the narrower the fairway gets as it gets squeezed by sand on the left and water on the right. If you are too far back you have an uphill approach shot over water and the length will make it harder. Pretty great hole!

     The second nine (the front nine) everybody played better except Doug. Doug was kicking Rick's butt in their game until about the 8th hole and Chilly dominated after that. Margaret was 15 shots better and I was 8 better on our second nine.

     The first hole is a WAY downhill par 4. Margaret is standing in front of the view down the hill in the first picture. It a huge drop down to the fairway. The second picture looks across the 9th fairway with the 18th fairway past it along the water, as viewed from #1's upper tee box. The most FUN hole was #8 a drivable par four (for Rick, he left it about four feet short of the green and two putted for birdie. I hit a fade into a huge bunker on the right and hit a perfect gap wedge out of the sand to about 8' past the hole and also made birdie.

     After golf we were going to have a drink at the golf club bar, but we were the last customers of the day and the pro shop was closing so I asked the bartender where a good place to go might be on our way back. We had spied the "Roadtrip" bar on the way in. He said it was a fun place, but was closed on Tuesdays. The town of Esparto was the next town past that and the bartender said "Ravine On 16" was owned by the same people as the Roadtrip and was a good place to go. He was right! Everyone else had tacos & I had some Korean style marinated flanken style short ribs. Service was fast and the food was tasty and enjoyed by all.

     We said our goodbyes and Margaret & I headed for our motel at Point Richmond (near Berkley) to spend the night. I want my Clarkston friend to remember that Rick is known as Chilly by his Bocci & golf friends in the Bay Area.

     The 3rd picture is Doug, Margaret & Chilly on the upper first tee tee box..