Darkhorse Golf Club in Auburn opened in March, and ever since then, golfers of all levels have been walking away, both in amazement and chagrin. The beautiful layout features plenty of elevation changes, trees, water hazards, estuaries ...
And two-tiered greens, lots of two-tiered greens.
Course officials are going to have lots of fun picking pin placements for the final days of tournaments, which should come with regularity. In fact, Golf Magazine already has named Darkhorse one of the 10 best new places to play in the United States for 2002-03, and called it by far the best deal of the 10.
The combination of beautiful landscape with a new track that requires all the shots makes Darkhorse a natural place to start The Reporter's new periodic feature, "Worth the Drive.''
The recurring feature will take a look at some of the top courses that are far enough away that you may not play them on a regular basis, but close enough and good enough that you have to try them at least once.
Darkhorse is at or near the top of that list. The six tee boxes will challenge golfers of all levels, and will do wonders for your index.
The black tees have a rating of a whopping 75.0 and a slope of 140. Even the white tees have a slope of 127.
Don't ignore the beauty, even if you struggle to break 100. The Keith Foster design - Foster was responsible for the renovation of Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., for the 2001 U.S. Open - makes great use of the terrain and has an accent on variety.
The shortest par-3 is only 125 yards from the blues. The longest par-5, No. 11, is 506 even from the forward women's tees, all uphill. The double dogleg is 557 from the blues, and may be the single hardest hole in the Sacramento area.
There are bunkers in the middle of several fairways, making all golfers think off the tees. But there also are plenty of holes where you can let out some shaft.
The par-4s range from 438 to 281 from the blues, with a little bit of everything in between.
You should use every club in your bag, and will have to play every shot in your arsenal.
Don't expect perfection - the course is new, and the young greens don't hold well. There also are some dirty spots in fairways and on tees, which should clean up as the course matures.
Another necessary evil that will change with time - there are port-a-potties on the course as permanent restrooms are being built.
But the temporary pro shop trailer is huge, and features adequate restrooms, and a sizable 19th hole.
This is a can't-miss that should only get better with time. And if you play it before all the homes are built - dozens of lots already have been sold - you'll experience even more of the natural beauty.
Directions - Take Interstate 80 east to Auburn. Take Highway 49 north to Combie Road east. Turn right on Combie when it splits at the light right before Lake of the Pines, and follow the road until it dead-ends at the course.