by Steve Tady September 15, 1997

Tricky greens at hillside layout

OAKLAND The strange feeling hits you almost immediately when you step to the first tee at Sequoyah Country Club. Is this Oakland? Well, it is the Oakland hills, but at Sequoyah it's easy to drift away to another place and another time, forgetting about the daily hassles of East Bay living. "When you step on the course and see the deer, the foxes and all the wildlife, it is hard to believe you're in Oakland. It's a very pleasant place," said Dan Osterberg, first assistant pro at Sequoyah. When you get over the urge to film a Wild Kingdom episode, the course will get your attention. It is short, very short by most standards. From the very back tees, it doesn't play over 6,100 yards, which is about 700 yards shorter than most championship courses and nearly 1,000 yards shorter than some of the monsters they are building today. But if ancient Sequoyah has a way to bite back, it is on the greens. they are some of the slickest, most tricky greens in the Bay area, maybe the entire state. "The membership likes to keep them fast," said Osterberg. "what you give up in yardage, the challenge becomes optimum on the greens." And there are some fine holes out there. the par-5 16th (482 yards) is part of golf legend as Ben Hogan dumped his second shot into the lake there and lost a tournament. You need two solid shots to get over that lake. No. Sixteen would have to be considered the signature hole at Sequoyah. As for signature putting holes No. 4 and No. 6 are nightmares. any iron shot above the hole on No. 4 (the No. 1 handicap hole) and you may not be aboe to stop it. The 6th is a long par-5 (528 yards) that can have a most unhappy ending -- again, if you hit it above the hole. Your round at Sequoyah could be going along nicely with all the short holes until you get to the 9th tee (par-4, 348 yards. It's a tough tee shot that needs a slight fade, but anything slightly off line and you get an awkward shot to a smallish green. The back nine starts off with two more tough par 4s and if you get through that stretch, you might save a nice score. But if your putter goes wacky, Sequoyah will chew you up and spit you out. then, and only then, would you feel you're in Oakland.

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