Ancil Hoffman Golf Course

Don't expect a walk in the park.

Built on a park near the American River, Ancil Hoffman Golf Course in Carmichael may look serene. And the lack of construction noises in a calm, wooded area may lull you into a false sense of security.

Be forewarned. Even though there are only a couple of hills and not much water, this course can be a bear.

The combination of tight fairways, big oak and pine trees, well-placed bunkers and a long layout mean this track isn't for the timid.

Ancil Hoffman has been consistently ranked nationally among public layouts for years. And national rankings aren't to be trifled with. Most publications - Golf Digest once had Ancil Hoffman in its top 75 public courses - figure the tougher the track, the better.

This course is long enough from the blues - 6,794 yards, with a 72.6 rating and a 129 slope - but white-tee players also will take a beating. The 6,434-yard total is almost unheard of from the whites, especially on a course that was built in 1965.

And the red-tee yardage - 5,954 - rivals white-tee distances at some courses.

But if you aren't shy, grip it an rip it. Just make sure you keep it in the fairway. The rough isn't overly punishing, but when you're off-track, you're probably behind a tree.

The first hole offers one of your best chances at birdie, which is a nice introduction. The par-4 is just 340 yards from the whites, only 348 from the blues.

The teeth of the course kicks in quickly. No. 2 is a 531-yard par-5, and it's not even the longest hole on the front nine. In fact, all four par-5s are more than 500 yards from the white tees.

Par-4s are even tougher, with three longer than 420 yards from the whites.

The few short holes provide good variety, but not much of a break. The 335-yard fourth hole has out of bounds on the left and water on the right.

No. 15, a 318-yard par-4, may be the best hole on the track, but you have to clear trees off the tee to cut the dogleg left. The green is guarded by the biggest bunker on the course on the left, and a huge tree to the right.

Par-3s also offer good variety, although the 112-yard 14th hole is straight uphill and leaves you guessing on club selection.

But the combination of Nos. 14 and 15 is a quirky little break from a long layout. No. 16 is an absolute monster, a 422-yard, dogleg-right par-4 with a massive oak in the left-center of the fairway and two bunkers guarding the green.

In fact, 16 of the 18 greens are guarded by at least two bunkers, and five of those are guarded by three.

The par-5 18th is guarded by two, but the 515-yard hole is a solid finish, and provides a legitimate chance to end your day with par or better.

Ancil Hoffman has a big upside. The conditions are excellent, the setting pleasant and the price reasonable - just $40 with a cart during the week. The $44.50 weekend rate is one of the best you'll find anywhere.

The 39-year-old greens will hold most shots, so aim right at the pin, especially since most of the bunkers guard the fronts of the greens. And the course is in a basin and very well guarded by trees, so on most days the wind isn't a problem.

One of the few negatives is borne out of the positives. The course gets an average of almost 100,000 rounds per year, so the time you save in a relatively short drive may be spent waiting on the tees unless you play early. And even then, you may catch the back-nine-and-breakfast bunch.

But this is a solid track, and well worth the wait.

Directions - Take Interstate 80 east to Sacramento. Take Highway 50 east. Take the Watt Avenue exit north. Turn right on Fair Oaks Boulevard and right on Van Alstine. Turn left on California Avenue and right on Tarshes Drive.