SACRAMENTO Perry Dye was back in Sacramento earlier this week and had plenty to say regarding the course layout of Bartley Cavanaugh, which was celebrating its 15th anniversary.

The architect, Dye built the course on a mere 88 acres, which is a tremendous challenge for anyone in the design business. Cavanaugh is one of six courses that the son of famed course architect Pete Dye designed that were fewer than 100 acres.

Dye said because of the sparse property there werent many course designers bidding for the Cavanaugh job. It was a challenge to make the flat property somewhat interesting.

I took this as a challenge to prove that you could build a course on land with fewer than 100 acres, Dye said. There was nothing here, not a tree, mound or lake.

Bartley Cavanaugh is the youngest of the City of Sacramentos family of golf courses. The layout features a well-manicured, links-styled course with mounding between fairways and lakes. Beginners and modest players will find Cavanaugh a friendly track and low-handicappers will like the challenge of posting a low score.

Bartley Cavanaugh has provided a lot of happy times throughout its days here in Sacramento, said Ken Morton, Jr., director of retail for Morton Golf, which manages the course. The course has hosted everything from top-notch tournaments to daily play and to introducing juniors to the game.

The tight, par-71 course measures 6,158 yards from the tips and is situated close to the banks of the Sacramento River near Interstate 5 and Freeport Boulevard in South Sacramento. The course features a TPC Sawgrass style island green (designed by Pete Dye) as its signature No. 17 hole, a par-3 that plays 107 yards from the back tees.

A full-service restaurant, bar, patio, gazebo and golf shop make Bartley Cavanaugh a popular Sacramento area course for tournaments and special events.

For more information, visit www.bartleycavanaugh.com or call the pro shop at 916 808-2020