South Course at Corica Park

Alameda’s Popular Chuck Corica Golf Complex Getting New Looks

Courtesy of Jerry Stewart
Northern California Golf Association

One of the busiest golf facilities in the Bay Area is about to get a whole lot better.

The 45-hole Chuck Corica Golf Complex facility, located in Alameda, will open its newly remodeled 9-hole, par-3 Mif Albright executive course to the public over Memorial Day weekend.

The old par-3 course, which had seen its days, was completely razed and flattened so Greenway Golf agronomist Marc Logan, who designed the new layout, could start from scratch. Using some dirt that was brought in, Logan created a challenging and fun 9-hole course that is tailor made for players of all abilities, and those who don’t have enough time for a full 18-hole round. The longest hole on the new Mif Albright executive course, which will also feature irrigation upgrades, is 147 yards.

“I think we’ll see more players of better caliber using the course,” said Chuck Corica GC general manager John Vest. “They’re going to be able to hit a lot of different shots and the greens will have a lot of movement.”

The original par-3 course was constructed in the late 1970’s by the maintenance crew at the complex to help with overflow from Chuck Corica’s two main 18-hole courses—the par-71 Earl Fry North Course and the par-71 Jack Clark South Course.

The Chuck Corica GC, which Greenway Golf manages for the City of Alameda, still averages around 120,000 rounds a year, according to Vest. Back in the 1970’s the complex annually hosted over 250,000 rounds a year.

In other great news for Bay Area golfers, the Jack Clark South Course will also soon be getting a whole new look. There, architect Rees Jones (who designed Poppy Ridge) will begin shaping a new course starting in July.

The last time the Jack Clark South Course was touched up was in 1977 by architect Robert Muir Graves. When completed, the new Jack Clark South Course will be the only Rees Jones course in the East Bay Area.

Like the Mif Albright executive course, one of the main features of the Jack Clark South Course re-model will be a completely new irrigation system. Vest said that plans are to do nine holes at a time, with the full course re-model expected to be completed sometime in the fall of 2015.

“The City of Alameda wanted someone to come in and upgrade their asset,” Vest said. “We’re excited about all of it.”

If you’re wondering, the Earl Fry North Course won’t be ignored. Future plans there include new cart paths, improved drainage and new turf.