Diablo Grande (Legends West)

This is why they call it "rough."

If you're going to take the 110-mile drive to the Legends West Course at Diablo Grande in Patterson ... and you should ... make sure you bring your A game. And pack a couple extra sleeves of balls, just in case you don't.

The Legends West is simply breath-taking, a beautiful mix of hills, water, trees and bunkers - and punishing rough - that was listed at No. 90 in Golf Digest's top 100 public golf courses in the nation for 2003-04.

Don't gloss over that fact. Golf Digest doesn't list goat tracks, and it doesn't list easy courses, either. The Legends West has five sets of tees that can accommodate most golfers, but it is a real challenge.

It's also a real beauty.

Once you find the course, you're in for a treat. The Diablo Grande master plan eventually calls for six 18-hole tracks and a community of homes, but right now it really is in the middle of nowhere on the west side of Interstate 5 (almost all of Patterson is east of I-5).

But don't worry. Stay on Diable Grande Parkway for about six miles, and you will finally see a course ... actually two courses, and the Ranch Course is no slouch, either.

Take a few minutes to stretch out after your trip, and get ready for some fun.

Golfing Hall of Famers Gene Sarazan and Jack Nicklaus collaborated on the 1997 Legends design, which should give you a hint that it is something special.

But it can be a monster, especially for the first-time player. The blue-tee yardage is a lengthy 6,680, with a 72.4 rating and a 137 slope. If you really want to get your teeth kicked in, the black tees play to 7,112 yards, with a 74.4 rating and a just-plain-scary 147 slope.

Give yourself a break and play the whites. Most women will find plenty of challenge from the gold tees.

Do all you can to stay on the fairways. Not only are they some of the nicest you'll ever hit off, but the rough is nasty.

The teeth of the course starts right away, with an uphill, dogleg-right par-4 to an elevated green. If you're going to miss, miss left, because a big bunker guards the right side.

The rough poses problems both on the sides of the fairways and in front of the tee boxes, forcing carry on most holes (no worm-burners allowed).

Nicklaus and Sarazan provide a break on the second hole, although you may wonder where the hole is. It's a downhill, dogleg-left par-5, and a drive around the corner will enable you to see the pond guarding the left side of the approach.

Doglegs are a theme on the course, but there is good variety in lefts and rights, and in uphill and downhill.

The third hole begins another theme - risk-reward. The farther left you aim off the tee, the longer you must hit it to clear the rough ... and bunkers. A long drive to the left will leave a short approach to one of the smallest greens on the course.

The fourth hole is a beauty, a short par-3 over water to a wide green. In fact, all four par-3s on this course are there for the taking, provided you ignore the hazards. None are more than 200 yards, even from the black tees.

Par-5s also are a treat. No. 5 is a beauty, an uphill, dogleg right that crosses a ravine twice. Play smart golf.

Aim over the tree on No. 6, a downhill, dogleg left par-4 that crosses a ravine on the approach.

Hopefully, your driver is warmed up by the seventh hole. The risk-reward par-4 is the toughest hole on the course, and features a 200-plus-yard carry over water off the tee ... from the white tees. If your can hit it a lot farther on the fly, aim left and cut down your approach yardage over another ravine.

The back nine is flatter and straighter, which is good and bad. The wind can become a major issue, with Nos. 10, 12 and 15 playing into the prevailing wind. Club up on those holes, and also on No. 17, where a huge bunker guarding the front will gobble up balls that come up short of an uphill approach.

Let out some shaft with the wind at your back (most of the time) on No. 18, and finish up with a smile on your face.

Book your next tee time before your leave. Course knowledge is a real bonus here, and one of the only drawbacks is that there is no yardage book. There is some sprinkler-head yardage, but not nearly enough, so take extra time and look hard for it, as well as the 150- and 100-yard plaques.

The $80 weekday fee (with cart) is a little steep, but more than worth it for a course of this quality. And if you have a whole day and want to play more and pay less, Diablo Grande offers a rare treat ... you can play both Legends West and the Ranch Course, with a box lunch in between 18s, for $100 on weekdays.

The Ranch Course is a little more affordable at $60 on weekdays. It's also a little longer, but slightly easier.

Directions: Take Highway 113 south to Highway 12 east. Take Interstate 5 south to Patterson. Take the Diablo Grande Parkway exit west. Stay on the road and follow the signs.