Dublin Ranch Golf Course

Go ahead, have some fun.

Dublin Ranch Golf Course opened in February with pristine fairways, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, and a fancy clubhouse and on-course restrooms already in place.

A little more real estate in between the huge tracts of new homes is about all that's missing.

The newest East Bay course is a beauty, even if it is only a par-63.

Jones made the most of the lay of the land. The result is a fun little track that will put a big smile on your face and should bring you in under 80 ... or 90 ... or 100 ... or whatever your target score is.

There are 11 par-3s, but this isn't a run-of-the-mill executive course ... unless the executive is Donald Trump.

The par-3s are mostly tough, ranging in distance from 142 to 224 yards from the blue tees, 92 to 161 from the reds.

Variety is at a premium, and although there is no water and few trees on the links-style layout, there is legitimate trouble in the form of out-of-bounds areas and environmental hazards, if you wander too far off target.

Par-4s are solid, and have decent variety, even though there are only five. And the par-5s are memorable, and not only because there are just two.

In all, the course provides a real test, especially from the blue tees. The blue course rating is 63.4, the white 61.9. There are even four sets of tees, ranging from 3,412 yards (gold) to 4,820 (blue).

The greens are huge and lightning fast - remember, the course just opened - but they are very consistent. Spend extra time on the putting green before you start your round to save frustration on the course.

The fun begins almost immediately, with a gentle par-4. There is plenty of room to start your day with a par or better, although there are two bunkers left and thick rough right.

Then the three-for-all starts. Six of the next seven holes are par-3s, including three in a row where you can test your middle (or short) irons. In between is the front side's only par-5, a 518-yard (from the whites) dogleg right that would be a test on any course.

The next three 3s are solid, with the seventh hole arguably the best on the course. The downhill, 133-yarder is guarded by three bunkers in front of the green and one behind.

The front side ends with a short but tricky par-4 where you need a decent drive in order to see the green from the fairway. It's a good chance to finish the nine with a par or better.

Nos. 10 and 12 are solid par-4s sandwiched around another downhill par-3, with out of bounds on the left of a huge green and a deep bunker on the right.

The next three par-3s all are tough, including the two longest 3s on the course, adding to the evidence that this is no pitch-and-putt track.

The finish is solid. A very short par-4 16th is toughened up by a fairway bunker and a wickedly sloping green (stay below the hole). The short par-3 17th plays into the prevailing wind ... and you're absolutely dead if you go left.

No. 18 is a beautiful finishing hole. The uphill par-5 has two fairway splits, and bunkers guard both. Be happy with a 5 (or even a 6), although that score may look out of place on a card dominated by 3s and 4s.

Dublin Ranch has a big upside. The conditions are wonderful, and the amenities (restaurant, clubhouse, restrooms) rival some on courses that are two or even three years old.

The fairways are great. The first cut of rough is still playable, and can keep your ball from reaching the wicked savannah grasses on many of the holes.

Change of pace alone is a selling point. In fact, Dublin Ranch bills itself as "a truly unique public golf course." You should get around in about 3 1/2 hours, unheard of at most 18-hole facilities.

There is no yardage book (most of the course is right in front of you), but the scorecard offers playing tips, as well as yardages to pertinent hazards on the par-4s and 5s. Sprinkler-head yardage is abundant on the 4s and 5s as well.

Drawbacks are apparent, although much of the downside may be in your head. It's hard to know by score if you're playing well or not. And several of the greens are three-putts just waiting to happen.

The $47 weekday fee also seems steep, although it does include a cart and bottled water. It's hard to lose the par-3s-should-cost-less mindset.

But Dublin Ranch is worth a try, at least once. Remember, variety is the spice of life.

And if you break 70, you may schedule a return trip right away.

Directions: Take Interstate 80 west to

I-680 south. Take I-580 east. Take the Fallon Road exit north. Turn right on Signal Hill Drive. The course is on the right.