Eagle Ridge Golf Club

You may not see an eagle in the sky, and you almost certainly won't see one on your scorecard.

Other than that, it's hard to find a downside at Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Gilroy.

OK, the 1999 Johnny Miller track is 115 miles from Vacaville. But you won't even mind the trip after you play a track that may quickly jump to the top of your list of all-time favorites.

Miller continued his knack for creating difficult courses, but Eagle Ridge is so beautiful, so well-maintained and so fun that you may not mind blowing up ... as much. And if you do have a good round, your index will plummet.

Expect some of the Miller stand-bys - huge, undulating greens; huge, deep bunkers; big oak trees, many in play; and lots of hazards.

Consequently, this course is not for the faint of heart. It is a lengthy 6,290 yards from the white tees, with a whopping 71.6 rating and a 129 slope.

If you think you're too good to play whites, the blue-tee rating is 73.0 with a 138 slope ... ouch!

The black tees play to 7,005 yards. But this isn't just a monster, and six (count 'em, six) sets of tees will challenge (or appease) any level of player.

Just make sure you keep your ego in check, and bring an extra sleeve of balls (or two).

Your day starts in true Miller style, with a gentle, downhill par-4. But even here there is some trouble, with a huge bunker right off the tee and two large traps left of the green.

Of course, huge is relative. No. 2 is a short, downhill par-3. Birdie is possible as long as you ignore the enormous bunker in front of the green.

An even bigger bunker awaits on No. 3, eating up the whole right side of the fairway. The bunkers on the left make nice targets, since they can be reached off the tee only by the longest hitters. Another huge green awaits, fronted by a ravine and another bunker.

And remember, the first three holes are the easy ones. No. 4 is a long par-5 with a huge oak in the middle of the fairway wreaking havoc with second shots. Deep bunkers block both sides of the green, but miss left if you have to.

Water makes its first real appearance on No. 5, guarding the left side of the green on a long par-4.

The sixth hole features the deepest bunker you'll see this side of the British Isles. The pot bunker guards the right front of a short, uphill par-3 that has a shallow but extremely wide green.

No. 7 is a dogleg-left par-5 where birdie is possible. Make one, because long, tough par-4s close out the front nine.

The back side starts with two gentle par-4s, which lead up to the teeth of the course (in case you thought you'd already seen it). The signature hole is No. 12, a 416-yard par-4 (from the whites) with water off the tee and a green guarded by water on the left and bunkers right.

A long, uphill par-3 is next (don't be ashamed if you have to hit driver), followed by an uphill, 600-yard (from the blacks) par-5.

Miller backs off a little at the finish, so don't get too discouraged. No. 15 is just plain fun, a short par-4 straight downhill and then back up. Club down off the tee, and then hit an approach to a three-tiered green guarded by a ravine in front and five bunkers behind.

A short but dangerous par-3 follows, and then a long par-5. Finish your day with a long par-4 across a creek to another huge green.

Most of the holes are long, but also are open around the tee boxes, so you can rip it.

Directions - Take Interstate 80 west to I-680 south. In San Jose, take Highway 101 south to Gilroy. Take the Masten Avenue exit west, and turn left on Santa Teresa Expressway. Turn right on Club Drive. The course is on the right.