Apple Mountain a wonderful pick

Never mind the apples. This course is a peach.

Apple Mountain Golf Resort in Camino is a special treat, a truly unique course that combines great elevation changes in a wooded area with lots of hazards and a few bunkers. The result is a challenge with the emphasis on accuracy that could climb very high on your list of favorite destinations.

The 1997 design in the foothills above Placerville brought together the talents of two solid Northern California architects, Algie Pulley (Chardonnay in Napa) and Brad Bell (Teal Bend in Sacramento, Turkey Creek in Lincoln).

Together they cut a course out of the woods that's short on distance but long on fun. Apple Mountain measures a mere 6,176 yards from the back (blue) tees. Some of that lack of yardage comes from the fact that par is 70, with six par-3s making the course look short on the scorecard and making the decision to leave the woods in the bag easy.

You'll probably tee off with irons on other holes as well, including the opener, a medium-length par-4 that runs straight downhill. The approach must cross a hazard to a tight, sloping green guarded by trees and bunkers.

Get used to the approach-over-a-hazard theme, as well as the sloping greens.

The second hole also travels straight downhill, a short par-3 over a hazard and a bunker to a wide green but one that is just 18 yards deep.

Another shallow green follows at No. 3, a short, dogleg-right par-4, and there is another downhill par-3 at No. 4.

Hopefully you enjoyed the easy start, because the two toughest holes on the course are next. A long, double-dogleg par-5 at No. 5 features all kinds of tree and sidehill trouble, and No. 6 is a 420-yard par-4 from the white tees that plays about 450 with the approach straight uphill.

The back nine begins with a very short par-4 that starts straight downhill but heads back uphill to a tough, upside-down-bowl-shaped green.

Hit across more hazards to shallow greens at Nos. 11 and 12, and enjoy more downhill par-3s at 15 and 17.

Get a shot back at the finish, a short par-5 that heads downhill and then up toward the clubhouse, across a ravine to a two-tiered green.

Enjoy lunch or drown your sorrows at the spacious restaurant before you head back down the mountain.

You may want to schedule your next visit before you leave. Apple Mountain is that good, a beautiful mix of uphill and downhill holes, with plenty of trouble but some real birdie opportunities as well.

There isn't a weak hole on this course, and there are several that you may remember for a long time. You'll also probably figure you can cut a half-dozen shots off your score with a little course knowledge.

Be sure to pick up a handy, free yardage card in the pro shop before your round. It provides plenty of key distance information.

There are even more playing hints, along with some valuable coupons, on the course's web site at www.applemountaingolfresort.net.

The weekday rate is $50 with a cart, a solid deal for a course of this quality. The cost is $70 on weekends. There is no walking rate, since a pack mule would struggle on this course. Besides, the cartpaths have more thrills than some of Marine World's best rollercoasters.

It's hard to find a downside at Apple Mountain, apart from the 80-mile drive.

This course is not for the faint of heart, though. Most tees are elevated but require carries over hazards, and the fairways, while not oppressively narrow, aren't wide enough to accommodate really wild drives.

You also will have to think on the tee box, although there are a few chances to let out some shaft. In the fairways, you will encounter plenty of uphill, downhill and sidehill lies. The rough isn't too punishing, although the trees are the bigger test away from the fairway.

The greens are true, but slopes and tiers are commonplace, and the greens guarded by trees don't speed up until late in the day.

But if you get creamed, just head over to Apple Hill and pick up a pie on the way home.

Directions - Take Interstate 80 east to Sacramento. Take Highway 50 east through Placerville. Take the Carson Road exit left, and turn right on Carson. Follow the signs.