You can stay out of trouble.
In an era when golf course designers seemingly battle to make the most difficult tracks, Empire Ranch Golf Club in Folsom is a breath of fresh air.
The Brad Bell design presents some challenges, and has some memorable holes, but perhaps its best quality is that you can walk away from it with a smile on your face.
And maybe a solid score on your card.
Open for a little more than a year, the Folsom course features rolling hills, well-placed traps and plenty of wetlands areas.
But it also has lots of space in the fairways, and a nice, gentle-looking scorecard - the par-71 layout is only 6,056 yards from the white tees, with a 68.3 rating and a 120 slope.
In fact, you may be tempted to play from the blues the first time. It's still just 6,668 yards from the back tees, but the extra 600 yards changes the layout entirely.
Yardage from the red tees is 5,036.
No matter where you play, the premium is on accuracy, not distance. There is only one par-4 over 400 yards from the whites - No. 17 - and the approach is downhill and occasionally downwind.
There is good variety in the par-5s and par-3s, and doglegs left and right. The par-5s are reachable in two by big hitters, although the smart play is to lay up and go for position.
Don't get too disappointed if you start poorly. The back nine is noticeably easier.
Empire also saved the best for last, with the four finishing holes arguably the best on the course. There even is the rare treat of a par-3 finish - the 191-yard (from whites) downhill trek over water and wetlands to a shallow green is the course's signature hole.
Don't expect perfection. The young greens are still very firm, so land short on approch shots when you can.
There also is no GPS system, so get ready to do some pacing - there are 200-, 150- and 100-yard barber poles in the center of most fairways, but no sprinkler-head yardage - just another reason to club down and stay in the middle.
You also would love to walk the gentle slopes, but the extra yardage between greens and tees makes walking a hassle - besides, green fees include carts.
But the fees are competitive, and there are amenities. The staff is friendly, the starter helpful, the beverage cart up and running. You may even see a familiar face - former Paradise Valley pro Bob Sommers is the general manager.
There also are two (permanent) restrooms on the course, and a solid clubhouse and 19th hole.
Even more reasons to smile.
Directions - Take Interstate 80 east to Highway 50. In Folsom, take the East Bidwell exit (the last Folsom exit) back over the freeway. Turn right on Blue Ravine Road, and right on East Natoma Street. The course is on the left.