Jack Fleming - Leading the way in course design.
In 1959, Irish designer Jack Fleming set out to design a golf course that would take advantage of the natural wildlife and the surrounding wide-open terrain. Originally constructed on an active duty military base, Mather Golf Course has outlived the military presence and is now open to the public after being purchased by the County of Sacramento. Comprised of long, lush fairways, and punctuated by traditional hard-running greens, Mather Golf Course is a challenge to golfers of every talent level.
Fleming's classically designed courses are aesthetically pleasing and strategically sound, blending the beauty of the natural environment with intriguing and challenging layouts that create some of the world's most memorable courses. Yet while challenging, he is renowned for making his courses playable and enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels.
Among the courses that Fleming has designed are:
- Harding Park Golf Course
- Boulder Creek Golf Course & Resort
- Dry Creek Ranch Golf Course
- Mace Meadows Golf Course
- Manteca Park Golf Course
- Sierra View Golf Course
- Spring Creek Golf Course
Mather Field was established as an airfield and pilot training school in 1918. The base was originally called Mills Field but was re-named for Carl Mather, a World War I test pilot who died during training.
Following World War I, the base was used intermittently to support small military units. During World War II, Mather Field was used for pilot and navigator training as well as observer and bombardier personnel training.
In 1958, the Strategic Air Command B-52 squadron was assigned to Mather. Through the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, and 1980s Mather continued to be a center for training of military personnel. By 1990, the primary mission of Mather was to provide all formal long range and over water Air Force Navigator training.
Mather Field historically operated its own housing, schools, hospital, commercial, and recreational facilities, as well as the operational air field. The majority of on-base development occurred in the 1940s through the 1960s.
Expansion and improvements continued through the 1980s, but ceased in 1988 after the closure of Mather was announced.
Mather Airport was officially reopened as a civilian airport in 1995. Mather Golf Course resides in Mather Regional Park which encompasses approximately 1,432 acres.